2025 Startup Cohort

Presenter:  Daniel Ronald, Daniel Ronald, the co-Founder of Infinite Carbon Corporation (ICC), draws upon his Indigenous heritage to lead the Research & Development (R&D) division toward developing impactful technologies. Dedicated to environmental sustainability, his work focuses on reducing carbon emissions across Canada's forestry and agricultural sectors.

In 2013, Daniel embarked on his first venture into the green technology space, founding a company specializing in sustainable agriculture. There, he introduced innovations such as vertical farming systems, integrated organic hydroponics, and aquaculture solutions, demonstrating a commitment to advancing sustainable agriculture practices. Before this pivot to greener endeavors, Daniel acquired valuable entrepreneurial experience operating a concrete construction business and managing a café known for its specialty coffee roasting.

Daniel's unique ability to merge practical knowledge with deeper insights has not gone unnoticed. This knack for innovation significantly contributed to developing products and services at Pure Life Carbon, where his roles included influencing the company's intellectual property strategy.

As the Chief Technology Officer at Pure Life Carbon Inc., Daniel's work in developing a carbon-based soilless growing medium marked an important step in the company's journey, showcasing the utility of carbon technologies in promoting more sustainable agricultural methods.

Drawing from his Indigenous background, Daniel brings a nuanced understanding of environmental stewardship and sustainable practices to his work in the green economy. This perspective, coupled with his practical experience, positions him to guide ICC in its mission to create environmentally conscious solutions. Daniel's goal is to contribute toward a sustainable future by leading ICC in initiatives that address environmental challenges through innovation and thoughtful application of green technologies. 

Presenter: Paul Horton, Paul Horton is a seasoned cleantech entrepreneur and co-founder of ICC, a company developing renewable carbon solutions through advanced biomass pyrolysis. A chemical engineer by training, Paul has co-founded four startups across the energy and infrastructure space, bringing a unique combination of technical expertise, operational leadership, and commercial strategy to every venture.

Prior to ICC, Paul was a co-founder of Certarus, where he helped design and build the company’s compressed natural gas (CNG) equipment, led field operations during its early growth, and later transitioned into sales and business development. His work was instrumental in scaling Certarus into North America’s leading provider of mobile low-carbon energy solutions, culminating in a $1.1 billion acquisition in 2023.

At ICC, Paul is focused on commercializing a novel pyrolysis reactor that accelerates heat transfer to biomass, decouples mixing from residence time, and ensures complete thermal conversion. This technology enables the production of high-performance carbon materials from underutilized wood residues, supporting applications in steel production, concrete, filtration, soil health, and more.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is passionate about developing practical, scalable technologies that drive the carbon transition. 

Presenter: Roya Aghighi is an award-winning multidisciplinary leader with a deep background in design, applied science, and commercialization. She holds Industrial Design degrees from IUST and Emily Carr and has led research across leading institutions, including the University of British Columbia and TU Delft. Her experience spans fundamental research to industry implementation, including developing and integrating advanced materials into commercial pipelines for brands.

She is widely recognized as a pioneer of biodesign in Canada. At UBC, she spearheaded one of the country’s first interdisciplinary collaborations between science and design—laying the groundwork for a new model of innovation that combines biological research with critical thinking. Her work has helped establish biodesign as a serious, systems-level solution for sustainability - pushing the boundaries of how material science and design can intersect to solve real-world challenges.

Roya’s strength lies in connecting dots others don’t see. She consistently identifies untapped opportunities at the intersection of disciplines and transforms them into practical, scalable innovation. Her vision is reshaping how materials are imagined, developed, and brought to market.

Presenter: Jordan Harris is VP of Engineering at Matereal. Jordan is a dedicated and accomplished professional with a passion for sustainability and a proven track record in the field. His expertise lies in the intricacies of product development and the strategic scaling up of novel technologies. He has successfully brought products to market derived from polyurethane recycling, advanced composites recycling, and next-gen chemistries for semiconductors. He remains dedicated to driving positive change and shaping a more sustainable future for industries at the intersection of technology and environmental consciousness. Jordan received a BS in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University in 2009..

Presenter: Ed VanDyne has been the Founder of 6 start-ups in his lifetime. Managed 1 Successful Exit. His background in plasma physics from MIT is being applied to Plastic 2 Green, to turn unrecyclable waste plastic into high value commodities. Ed was the Director of Research of Woodward Inc. a Fortune 1000 Company. He has filed around 40 patents so far and is working on more. Educated as an engineer at Northeastern and MIT. Ed has been Honored as an energy innovator in an exhibit within the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC.

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