Igniting innovation: UCalgary grad students and postdocs spark entrepreneurship through leading energy venture program

Founded in 2020, Avatar Innovations’ Ignite and Studio, programs that bridge the gap between academia and the energy industry, recently celebrated the graduation of its 2024 cohort, as it gears up to start something with a new group of budding innovators in February. 

Teams of UCalgary graduate students and postdocs from the Faculty of Science and Schulich School of Engineering presented cutting-edge solutions to a panel of leading energy executives on Nov. 21. The event, titled Demo Day, showcased innovations ranging from wastewater conversion to carbon capture, after nine months of collaboration with key industry players.

“We had 14 really powerful ideas come out of this year’s Avatar program that move the dial,” says Tyler Engel, BComm’15, Avatar Innovations’ director of partnerships. Six participating teams have now advanced from the Studio phase of the program, where organizations sponsor a project initiated in the Ignite phase, to the Ventures phase, where they may receive funding to launch as operational businesses and progress their solutions.

Collaboration led to transformative experiences

While applications are open to all emerging and mid-career professionals, Engel says part of the program’s success was made possible through Avatar’s relationship with the University of Calgary, Innovate Calgary and Aeir to connect graduate students and postdocs to provide research expertise. Industry partners — including energy firms, financial institutions, and technology companies — also play a key role offering mentorship, funding and insights to help participants develop market-ready solutions.

“University of Calgary students are incredibly entrepreneurial,” says Engel, "and it’s been exciting to see participants evolve from technical experts to powerful speakers, leaders and innovators". 

The Ignite program tapped into graduate student’s fresh perspectives and strong research skills to tackle major industry challenges, and for many participants, like PhD candidate Pirouz Kiani and Dr. Faranak Afsar, PhD’24, the experience has been transformative. 

“Working with industry leaders is something that transformed the way I approached and tackled problems myself,” says Kiani, who led team NanoStrip (formerly GoldenBubble) to refine their product design, experiment goals and budget. NanoStrip’s technology enhances anaerobic digesters to improve biogas production. 

Kiani says the network he built was invaluable, adding that everyone’s positivity and enthusiasm made all the difference. “Every Thursday, we would come together, and you felt an energy of a different type of hope,” he says. “In Avatar, we all had one goal. It was all five of us pushing in the same direction, cycling and carrying one another forward.”

Learning to build a business

Afsar served as the technical lead for team HeLEX, developing helium-extraction techniques using advanced membranes. Like Kiani, she says the program helped her gain a deeper understanding of the key components needed to launch an innovative project, “like developing a business model, cost model and revenue model, and all the details that go into contracts with potential customers and strategic partners.”

Beyond technical challenges, Afsar also valued learning how to build and maintain trustworthy relationships with clients. Throughout the process, Afsar and her team reached out to more than 100 industry professionals, whose valuable insights helped shaped their project. She credits her UCalgary training in critical thinking and problem-solving for helping her navigate any challenges that came up.

Coupled with her team members’ tenure in oil and gas, their dynamic made the experience even more rewarding. “By the end, it felt like we were just four friends from university who decided to start a project and work on it,” Afsar says, adding the program gave her the confidence she would need to pursue entrepreneurship. 

“I know where to start, I know what to do. I know the challenges.”

Driving energy futures forward

The opportunity also boosts career prospects for postgrads and postdocs. Engel says around 25 per cent of the 2024 participants secured industry jobs, as corporate partners get to see Avatar talent first-hand, rather than sift through a pool of applicants.

While applications for the next cohort are closed, prospective participants can count on an impactful experience this year. Engel says Avatar plans to engage graduate students and postdocs even more meaningfully this time around.

Kiani adds, “The more you put into the program, the more you get out.”

The 2025 cohort will begin their journey on Feb. 21 at TELUS Spark, with the theme “Brave New World” setting the tone for another year of groundbreaking innovations. For more information, visit Avatar Innovations.