Québec (Québec), July 5, 2016 – EnerTech Capital (“EnerTech”) is pleased to announce today that it has forged a strategic partnership with the National Optics Institute (“INO”) in Quebec City. INO is Canada's leading developer of industrial optics and photonics solutions and the strategic partnership between EnerTech and INO will allow the two groups share knowledge and explore new commercialization strategies for technologies in the energy space.
INO is joined by several other EnerTech Strategic Partners & LP’s which include; Newalta, Hatch, Waste Management, ENGIE, IREQ (Hydro Quebec), Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and Sacramento Municipal Utility district (SMUD).
INO is a pioneer in optics/photonics research for industrial development purposes. Today, INO is Canada’s leading center for industrial research and commercialization and stands as a true leader in its field. Its many technological breakthroughs and innovative processes and applications combining optics and photonics have cemented its reputation both domestically and abroad. Optics and photonics technologies provide important strategic benefits to the oil & gas, power, solar, and green energy industries by significantly enhancing their capacity to boost productivity, deal with environmental constraints, and optimize control measures.
INO creates innovative solutions for the energy industry; particularly online real-time chemical and physical parameters measuring systems for improved process control. INO technologies can also be employed to optimize the use of solar and artificial light, pipeline monitoring and leak detection, 3D infrastructure mapping, non-destructive testing and monitoring & control applications in the Internet of Things space (“IoT”). Moreover, INO specializes in the development and use of fiber sensors for a wide variety of applications, such as the detection of ions in solution, detection of medium voltage in distribution networks, low-intensity acceleration and movement detection, and radiation detection. INO also has a very successful history in spinning out new companies over the years and the partnership with EnerTech will further help expand spin-out opportunities.
“We are very excited to announce the Strategic Partnership with INO. INO is a leader in developing new and innovative optics/photonic technologies, many of which have significant applications in the Energy sector. With the growing demand to both monitor and control assets in field along with the proliferation of the Internet of Things (“IoT”), we believe that optics and photonics will become a critical component in the market. Our strategic collaboration with INO
will lead to many opportunities for partnerships with our existing portfolio companies and potential new investment and spin-out opportunities and will provide us access to proprietary knowledge in the nexus between optics and the Energy space.”
Wally Hunter – Managing Director, EnerTech Capital
“We are excited in partnering with EnerTech Capital. The firm is a leader in identifying emerging technologies for use in the energy sector with a clear focus on those improving efficiency, thus creating wealth throughout the energy chain from producers to consumers. Their expertise and long history of dedicated financial commitment will definitely guide us in transitioning optical technologies to the energy sector. We look forward to working with EnerTech Capital and building a very strong partnership going forward.”
Jean-Yves Roy - President & CEO, INO
About EnerTech Capital
EnerTech Capital is a private investment firm focused on innovation in the energy and power industries: early to mid-stage companies that offer products or services that dramatically improve the profitability of producing or consuming energy. Founded in 1996, the firm has managed approximately $500 million and has delivered 35 exits. EnerTech Capital is currently investing out of its fourth fund and has offices in Philadelphia, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and San Francisco.
For more information:
CONTACT: Wally Hunter: 416-363-8563, whunter@enertechcapital.com
About INO
A leading technology designer and developer, INO is the largest center for industrial optics and photonics expertise in Canada. The leader in its field internationally, INO has so far completed over 6,000 custom R&D contracts for Quebec and Canadian companies working in a variety of fields. It has also performed 63 technology transfers and contributed to the creation of 30 new companies that employ over 1,000 people. INO has 192 employees, more than 80% of whom are scientists involved in research.
