NorthX Climate Tech has announced a significant follow-on investment of over $2.2 million into three British Columbia wildfire technology companies. The recipients, Crwn.ai, Nova, and Skyward Wildfire Technologies, are developing innovative solutions to detect, prevent, and manage wildfires. This funding arrives as NorthX CEO Sarah Goodman notes that wildfire risk has shifted from a seasonal to a structural concern.
A Strategic Investment in Proven Solutions
As Canada confronts increasingly severe wildfire seasons, this investment underscores a strategic shift towards proactive and proven technologies. NorthX is focusing its capital on companies that have already validated their solutions in real-world conditions with frontline teams. The organization emphasizes the urgency of scaling these tools to help communities prevent fires from becoming major disasters.
NorthX, formerly the BC Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy, operates as a non-profit catalyst for climate action. Founded in 2021 with support from government and industry, it provides non-dilutive funding to commercialize climate technologies. To date, the organization has invested nearly $52.1 million across 82 projects, creating hundreds of jobs.
Preventing Power Line Ignitions
Kelowna-based Crwn.ai received nearly $981,000 to advance its early warning system for electrical transmission lines. The company utilizes advanced sensors and artificial intelligence to detect potential problems on power lines before they can spark a fire. This capital will support the deployment of up to 500 monitoring devices across British Columbia's utility corridors.
This investment builds upon initial funding from NorthX that supported the technology's lab validation phase. The new deployment marks a critical transition from controlled testing to full field operation and real-world performance validation. Crwn.ai is now positioned as a leader in using predictive AI to mitigate fire risks from power infrastructure.
Advancing Real-Time Wildfire Intelligence
Victoria's Nova was awarded $600,000 to enhance its AI-powered wildfire intelligence platform. Its software transforms aerial data into live, actionable insights, helping crews detect hotspots and track fire perimeters more effectively. This funding will enable Nova to expand its system from a drone-only platform to a comprehensive multi-source solution.
The expansion will unify data from helicopters, aircraft, satellites, and sensors, scaling the technology for large provincial operations. This follows a previous NorthX investment that validated its drone platform, now commercially used by over 200 clients. Nova's system is recognized as a unique automatic fire mapping technology with a global presence.
Pioneering Lightning-Caused Fire Prevention
Vancouver's Skyward Wildfire Technologies secured $643,000 to deploy its groundbreaking lightning prevention system. The company addresses a primary cause of destructive wildfires by using AI weather modeling to predict high-risk storms. It then employs aerial intervention to neutralize the electrical potential in clouds before a strike occurs.
This follow-on funding will accelerate the deployment of a globally scalable system, positioning Canada at the forefront of this field. NorthX's initial support was crucial for the early development of the software, hardware, and operational capacity. Skyward is now expanding its pilot programs with wildfire authorities to further prove its pioneering technology.
This $2.2 million investment by NorthX Climate Tech represents a targeted effort to equip British Columbia with a diverse arsenal of wildfire mitigation tools. By backing specialized technologies in power line safety, aerial intelligence, and lightning prevention, the initiative fosters a multi-layered defense strategy. These advancements aim to protect local communities and hold the potential to become global solutions against wildfires.