■ From cyber sleuths to vertical farmers, these are the 11 Canadian tech entrepreneurs to watch.

There’s a rather long list of problems to solve in 2024: climate change, chronic diseases, cybercrime, food insecurity, to name just a few. But across the country, great minds are at work on a range of novel tech solutions.

Whether it’s modular smart farms that grow fresh produce in even the harshest conditions, devices that turn fog and seawater into safe drinking water, or new methods of using nutrient-rich breast milk to care for the immunocompromised, these game-changing developments have the potential to improve the lives of countless Canadians — and they reflect the dedication and vision of the individuals and teams who have been striving to bring their technology to wider audiences. Here are 11 entrepreneurs whose innovations could make a huge difference.

KERRY BAILEY is keeping online businesses safe

According to data from Statistics Canada, nearly a fifth of Canadian businesses have been subject to a cybersecurity threat.

“Adversaries only have to be right once. Companies have to be right every single time,” says Kerry Bailey, CEO of eSentire. “But technology and software alone won’t solve the problem.” In addition to its extended detection and response (XDR) technology, which uses AI and machine learning, the Waterloo-based company has a roundthe-clock Threat Response Unit, a team of cyber sleuths who monitor global patterns and are able to detect and disable threats within minutes.

What’s next Last year, eSentire expanded into Australia and the Middle East. In the coming months, Bailey plans to fine-tune the company’s cloud security and Generative AI capabilities.

SHELBY AUSTIN is harnessing AI to cut down on paperwork

As a former lawyer, Shelby Austin knows the devil is in the details. And when she recognized the need for technology that could streamline the creation of documents and contracts, she left law for the startup world. After her first document technology company was acquired by Deloitte, she founded Arteria AI, which uses artificial intelligence to digitize documents and contracts for financial institutions.

What’s next Austin says the company is on track for aggressive expansion in 2024, and is looking to on-board customers in asset management, banking and other financial services.

HAMID ARABZADEH is (semi) conducting a Canadian tech transformation

AI, machine learning and 5G requires a lot of computing power. But to support all those terabytes of information, data centres need a major overhaul. That’s where Ranovus comes in. Based in Ottawa, Hamid Arabzadeh’s company is developing an advanced single-chip optical engine platform that replaces electrical circuits and semiconductors with advanced fibre optics. This device, roughly about the size of a credit card, can handle complex computing using a quarter of the energy of traditional semiconductors.

What’s next The Ranovus team is laser-focused on expanding operations, which means doubling the square footage of its Ottawa facilities and hiring more staff to help Canada establish itself as a leader in data-centre computing logistics.

ALIDA BURKE

AND COREY ELLIS are building a more sustainable food system

After a trip to Iqaluit in 2015, Growcer co-founder Alida Burke was inspired to find a more sustainable — and affordable — way for remote communities to get fresh produce. Growcer’s prefab vertical farms can produce veggies yearround at a fraction of the price and water usage, and without the need for long-distance transport. By using these containers, prospective farmers can grow food in temperatures from -40 C to 40 C.

What’s next Growcer’s R&D team are testing production of new fruit crops, such as strawberries.

VIRAJ MANE is milking it to help immunocompromised people

Human breast milk is chockfull of nutrients and antibodies. Viraj Mane, chief scientific officer and cofounder of Toronto-based Lactiga, uses human milk to develop naturally occurring antibodies, which he then turns into medication that can be taken (in pill form or through an inhaler) by immunocompromised people who have mucosal infections, COVID-19 and gastrointestinal infections. What’s next Lactiga has developed partnerships with milk banks in Canada, the U.S. and Britain. This year, it’s launching clinical trials of its lead treatment, with the goal of achieving Health Canada and FDA approval.

DRAGAN TUTIC is tapping into the ocean to provide clean drinking water

The world is a thirsty place. It’s estimated that the global demand for freshwater will outstrip supply by 40 per cent within the next six years. Dragan Tutic, cofounder and CEO of Sherbrooke, Que.-based Oneka, is on a mission to change that. His company has developed wave-powered buoys that desalinate sea water, pumping drinkable water to seaside communities, industrial plants and resorts; they can also be deployed in emergency situations.

What’s next The company is gearing up to deploy its technology near the seaside town of Fort Bragg, Calif.

TATIANA ESTEVEZ is finding another solution to the world’s freshwater problem

According to the United Nations, roughly two billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and half the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity. Sherbrooke, Que.-based Permalution, headed up by Tatiana Estevez, is looking to the sky for a solution. Her company’s water collectors can absorb anywhere between 150 and 2,000 litres of water from clouds and fog, per unit, per day.

What’s next The company is closing its seed round and expanding both operations and staff. It’s launching a pilot project that will capture and repurpose steam from cooling towers. The company is also putting its water collectors to the test in Abu Dhabi.

RUBENS FERNANDO MENDRONE is making breast cancer screening more accessible

Toronto-based LINDA Lifetech is developing a lower-cost alternative to mammograms. Founder and CEO Rubens Fernando Mendrone was inspired to start the company after losing his godmother and his business partner’s mother to breast cancer — neither woman had experienced any symptoms before her terminal diagnosis. LINDA’s device uses thermal imaging to scan breasts, then draws on artificial intelligence to cross-reference the results against thousands of mammograms, ultrasounds and biopsies. In just 15 seconds, LINDA can inform a health-care provider if breast cancer is suspected. What’s next Mendrone and his team are launching a clinical trial with the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, and are working to obtain regulatory approval in North America. The company is also aiming to double its customer base and triple its revenue in Brazil.

NATASHA KOSTENUK is making it easier to transport hydrogen

One of the biggest challenges in scaling clean hydrogen solutions is safely transporting and storing the energy. This conundrum is what inspired Natasha Kostenuk to found Ayrton Energy. The Calgary company’s liquid organic hydrogen carrier allows hydrogen to be stored as a liquid, no different than diesel or gasoline. That means hydrogen can be transported over long distances by trucks, trains and pipelines, without the need for pressurization or cryogenics. Upon arriving at its destination, the hydrogen can be securely stored until it’s ready to be used. Ayrton’s hydrogen storage technology can be used to remotely power telecommunications operations, and is a clean-energy alternative for diesel generator–reliant facilities like data centres.

What’s next “We closed our first fundraise in March of last year, which allowed us to triple the size of our team, file new IP and really speed up our tech development,” says Kostenuk. This year, Ayrton Energy is working to close its second fundraising round and launch two major pilot projects: one in Alberta, the other in Europe.

ROBERT BROOKS is building robots for the operating room

Robert Brooks first realized the impact robotics could have on patient health when he was doing his PhD placement at SickKids. Today, his startup Forcen is developing AI- and machine vision–powered robots, giving them the sense of touch, dexterity, reflexes and “muscle memory” of a veteran surgeon. “We aren’t just building a re-creation, but an amplification of human touch,” says Brooks. What’s next This year, five flagship customers are implementing Forcen’s robots, and the company is working to land 20 more clients. “We’re excited to see our technology get out into the field and deployed en masse.”