Feb. 29, 2024

Now Innovating: How 3 startups are turning the tables for the brewing, energy and life sciences industries

A conversation with startups TurnCO2, MLCan and MHCombiotic from the Faculty of Science and Schulich School of Engineering

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In this episode of Now Innovating, a research-to-impact series at the University of Calgary, we speak with founders from three startup companies that were part of the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking’s inaugural Summer Accelerator cohort.

The Summer Accelerator is a 12-week program designed to help UCalgary community startups continue to build and develop their companies, validate their business, and leverage resources in the UCalgary ecosystem.

The three startups featured in this episode are a wide representation of the UCalgary innovation community. 

We speak with Nick Fylstra, a PhD candidate from the Faculty of Science’s Department of Chemistry. Fylstra, along with his co-founders, fellow graduate student Oliver Calderon, alum Dr. Jack Jarvis, MSc ’18, PhD ’23, have launched TurnCO2 to apply carbon capture and reuse technology to the brewing industry.

Recent alums Dr. Mohammad Abbaspour, PhD’23, and Dr. Mohammad Mansouri, PhD’22, from the Schulich School of Engineering are the co-founders of MLCan, a smart-flow meter for the oil and gas industry.

And former postdoctoral scholar Dr. Ali Pormohammad, PhD, from the Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, tells us about his company MHCombiotic and how it is helping in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance. 

We will learn more about the research behind each of their companies, the potential impacts of their technologies on their respective industries. We will also explore how the UCalgary innovation ecosystem has supported them on their entrepreneurial paths, including Hunter Hub resources such as the Summer Accelerator, Innovation Sandbox, and the Academic Entrepreneurs in Residence Program.

Now Innovating shares the stories of UCalgary researchers who have moved their discoveries forward and their innovation journeys to implementation and creating impact. Episodes are released monthly, and are also available as a podcast on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more. View the series.

Cody Coates