As British Columbia braces for another severe wildfire season, NorthX Climate Tech is doubling down on homegrown innovation—investing $2.2 million into three companies developing technologies aimed at stopping fires before they start.

The Vancouver-based organization announced follow-on funding for CRWN.ai, Nova, and Skyward Wildfire Technologies, building on earlier investments and accelerating tools already being tested in real-world conditions.

“Wildfire risk is no longer seasonal, it’s structural,” said NorthX President and CEO Sarah Goodman in a statement. “These companies are already delivering results in the field… This is exactly where we double down—backing proven solutions and scaling them quickly so communities have the tools to prevent fires from becoming disasters.”

The funding comes amid growing urgency across Canada. According to NorthX, the country’s 2023 wildfire season produced more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire national economy, while 2024 became the costliest year on record for severe weather, with more than $8.5 billion in insured losses.

For Chantelle Carden, investment lead with NorthX, those numbers underscore the need for a shift in strategy.

“Right now, the current approach of using heavy amounts of capital fighting wildfires as they start is unsustainable,” Carden said in an interview. “Every one dollar that’s invested in proactive prevention returns six dollars in avoided damage. We wanted to get ahead of fires and not just chase them.”

From pilots to real-world deployment

The three B.C.-based companies receiving funding are focused on some of the most common ignition sources: power lines, lightning, and hidden hotspots.

CRWN.ai is developing early-warning systems that detect electrical faults on transmission lines before they can spark fires. With the new funding, the company plans to deploy up to 500 monitoring devices across B.C.

Nova, meanwhile, turns aerial data into real-time wildfire intelligence—helping crews map fire perimeters, identify hotspots, and respond faster. The investment will expand its platform beyond drones to integrate helicopters, aircraft, satellites, and ground sensors.

Skyward Wildfire Technologies is tackling lightning-caused fires, one of the leading causes of large wildfires in Canada. Its system is designed to prevent strikes from igniting fires in the first place, using predictive intelligence and targeted intervention.

All three companies have already demonstrated early traction, with deployments in the field and partnerships supporting utilities and wildfire agencies.

Why these companies?

Carden said the investments follow an extensive vetting process that began with NorthX’s 2024 wildfire technology call—Canada’s first dedicated funding program in the sector.

“We had about 80 technologies apply over the past two years,” she said. “We did our due diligence to understand which technologies were going to make the most impact.”

From that pool, NorthX initially selected a handful of companies, and has now chosen to reinvest in three that showed the strongest results.

“We ultimately doubled down on Skyward, CRWN.ai, and Nova because they’re field-testing technologies that prevent and detect wildfire ignition,” Carden said. “That’s an area where we believe catalytic capital can make a real difference.”

More than just funding

NorthX says its role goes beyond writing cheques. The organization works closely with companies in its portfolio to help them move from pilot projects to full commercialization.

“It’s not a one-and-done deal,” Carden said. “We provide capital, but we also work alongside them to understand the challenges they’re facing and help them get to that next stage.”

That includes connecting companies with additional investors, partners, and large-scale deployment opportunities.

The goal, she said, is to ensure promising technologies don’t stall before reaching widespread use.

“We’re here to focus on that critical moment when a company has real potential and still needs capital to scale,” Carden added.

Growing climate tech impact

Since its founding in 2021, NorthX has invested more than $52 million into 82 projects, helping create hundreds of jobs and attracting over $600 million in follow-on funding.

With wildfire seasons becoming longer and more destructive, the organization sees prevention-focused innovation as a key part of Canada’s climate resilience strategy.

“Wildfires are displacing communities, impacting health, and accelerating with climate change,” Carden said. “We believe there’s a long-term, resilient role for wildfire technology—and B.C. is a natural place to lead that effort.”