PozGlass represents a breakthrough in low-carbon cement technology, transforming post-consumer glass into a high-performance supplementary cementitious material (SCM). This funding represents another significant milestone as the company scales its solution to address cement’s substantial carbon footprint.

“Cement production accounts for over 7% of global CO₂ emissions and creative solutions like Progressive Planet’s pilot plant in Kamloops is exactly what we need to reduce emissions here in B.C. while boosting economic development,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. “With support from the British Columbia Innovative Clean Energy Fund, Progressive Plant is scaling up their pilot project, which is focused on reducing the cement industry’s carbon footprint by transforming waste materials into valuable resources.”

“PozGlass is the right solution at the right time,” said Steve Harpur, CEO of Progressive Planet. “We’re tackling two major environmental challenges at once: reducing cement’s carbon footprint and creating a high value use for post-consumer glass that would otherwise end up in landfills. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Energy and Climate. The financial assistance of the BC Ministry of Energy allows us to scale up BC-based technology in BC.”

“This grant, alongside funding announced earlier this month and our strategic partnership with Lafarge Canada, is helping accelerate the transition to a lower-carbon cement industry,” said Randy Gue, Director, at Progressive Planet. “These investments are not just financial – they are a signal that industry leaders and government agencies recognize the potential of PozGlass to scale and make a meaningful impact.”

“This funding accelerates our mission to scale PozGlass, demonstrating its readiness for commercial adoption while enabling the cement industry to achieve significant emissions reductions,” added Harpur.

PozGlass offers a triple-bottom-line solution:

• Reducing emissions by replacing up to 50% of Portland cement, a major contributor to CO₂  missions.
• Sequestering carbon by permanently converting captured CO₂ into limestone.
• Diverting waste by repurposing post-consumer glass into a valuable industrial material.

Cement production accounts for over 7% of global CO₂ emissions, and sources for traditional SCMs like fly ash and slag are transitioning out. With Lafarge Canada already committed to purchasing all PozGlass produced at the pilot plant, Progressive Planet is well-positioned to scale a viable, made-in-Canada solution that supports both industry and the environment.

Progressive Planet’s Kamloops, British Columbia-based pilot plant is set to begin operations in October 2025, marking a key step toward scaling PozGlass production and accelerating its adoption across North America and beyond. The first phase of operations includes dry processing of post-consumer glass to remove contaminants and create coarse glass powder – the key ingredient in PozGlass.

In Phase 1, Progressive Planet will also manufacture additional coarse glass products such as CanBlast, a crystalline silica-free sandblasting media, which the company has sold for over a decade through a third-party manufacturer.

Phase 2 will introduce wet grinding of the coarse glass powder to produce PozGlass. Construction of the wet grinding facility is expected to be completed in late 2026, further enhancing Progressive Planet’s capacity to meet industry demand for sustainable building materials.

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The roadshow seeks to build on the success of the Canadian startups that participated in last year’s edition of the event, 67% of which have already established their businesses in Dubai. These companies are now aiming to leverage the emirate as a launchpad for local and regional expansion and building the necessary partnerships to grow their operations.

As part of the roadshow, the chamber organised a series of events across three Canadian cities, including Toronto, Mississauga, and Vancouver, which brought together more than 350 founders, investors, accelerators, and policymakers. The discussions showcased Dubai’s position as a global hub for the growth and expansion of digital business, as well as the benefits and opportunities available to participants in Expand North Star. The annual event is organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy.

The campaign provided a dynamic platform for networking and knowledge exchange, showcasing initiatives to help Canadian companies enter Dubai’s dynamic market and explore opportunities within its thriving digital economy. The chamber also highlighted its services to support the successful expansion of Canadian entrepreneurs across various advanced technology sectors in Dubai.

As part of the roadshow, pitch competitions were held across the three cities, attracting the participation of 31 innovative startups. Bidblocks, Dia Labs Canada, and Recyclorobo.ai, three companies specialising in artificial intelligence and healthcare technologies, emerged as the winners, with each securing fully funded participation in Expand North Star 2025. This opportunity offers a unique gateway to access new markets, as well as the chance to compete in the semi-final stage of the Supernova Challenge, which will take place during the event.

The 2024 edition of Expand North Star achieved record-breaking participation and strong visitor and exhibitor engagement, together with an exceptional level of innovation on display and wide international presence. The event attracted over 1,800 startups and more than 1,200 investors from 100 countries managing assets exceeding US$ 1 trillion. In addition, 65 unicorn companies with a combined market value of more than US$ 400 billion took part in the exhibition.

Canada is the second stop in the broader global campaign to highlight the significance and influence of Expand North Star 2025. The event serves as a key global gathering for startups, innovators, investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders seeking to capitalise on unique growth opportunities in Dubai and shape the future of the digital economy. Expand North Star plays a pivotal role in attracting the global tech community to Dubai, serving as a powerful platform for innovation, collaboration, and fostering connections with some of the world’s most promising startups, investors, and tech pioneers.

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At the helm of this move is Mohand Amroun, a founding partner of DeepMinds, whose expertise in DeepTech, R&D and extensive network within the academic and business communities position him uniquely to lead operations in the North American region. Amroun’s deep connections with universities will play a crucial role in ensuring the sourcing of promising R&D projects and accelerating their commercialization and launch.

“Canada’s advanced research base is a treasure trove of innovation, brimming with brilliant minds and cutting-edge scientific research. By establishing our presence here, we are tapping into a wealth of knowledge and resources that are pivotal for creating a robust cross border ecosystem to streamline opportunities between Canada and the MENA region,” said Mohand Amroun.

Amine Staali, the founder & CEO of DeepMinds, also expressed his enthusiasm for this new chapter, stating, “The collaboration between our rich innovation landscape in Canada and the burgeoning opportunities in the MENA region is a game-changer. We are setting the stage for a seamless exchange of ideas, resources, and technologies that will undoubtedly drive progress and prosperity across borders.”

The Canadian office marks a significant milestone for DeepMinds, as it underscores the firm’s commitment to fostering innovation, building international partnerships, and facilitating the global exchange of knowledge and technology. The strategic location of the new office will serve as a conduit for innovative projects, facilitating smoother transition and implementation in the MENA region, ultimately contributing to the region’s technological and economic advancement.

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Being a startup yourself, how do you see the startup landscape evolve in the region since CAFU started in 2018?
Over the past few years, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) has experienced remarkable growth in startups. Consequently, the startup ecosystems in the region are rapidly expanding, creating fresh avenues for individuals seeking to fulfil their entrepreneurial aspirations.

In the UAE, this entrepreneurial behaviour has been driven in part by the government’s relentless efforts to cultivate a supportive environment that spans a wide range of sectors. The UAE is spearheading the journey for startups like ours, through announcements like Projects of the 50 – a series of developments that aim to position this country as the best global investment destination and a leader in the innovative economy. Additionally, its various incubation and accelerator programs provide startups with the necessary tools to help them grow and thrive.

At CAFU, we wholeheartedly commit ourselves to supporting the growth and development of entrepreneurs, even from a young age. That’s why we have joined forces with GEMS Education and GEMS World Academy, a local school in the UAE, to collaborate on their Youth Entrepreneurship Accelerator program. This unique initiative serves as a platform to empower students, fostering their entrepreneurial spirit and safeguarding the vibrant startup ecosystem of the UAE.

As a strong believer in the immense potential that lies ahead for Dubai, we are excited about the opportunities it presents for our brand and the wider innovation ecosystem. The collaborative spirit, diverse talent pool, and supportive business environment in Dubai serve as a catalyst for turning bold ideas into reality.

Furthermore, Dubai’s commitment to sustainability and its focus on becoming a smart city further aligns with my own values and aspirations. The city’s drive towards sustainable practices and adoption of advanced technologies inspires us to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation in our own endeavours.

How would you describe your journey and how has the company grown over the years?
I started my entrepreneurial journey about 20 years ago, and have worked in investment, growth, expansion, corporate strategy, product development, and served at the helm of organizations across UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya, and Ethiopia. These experiences led me on my journey to CAFU.

Our founder and CEO, Rashid Ghurair, got the idea for CAFU after noticing that despite radical developments in the automotive industry, the petrol station continued to operate along a century-old model. In fact, everything around servicing our vehicles hasn’t really evolved much over the past 100 years. This resonated with me, from the outset. CAFU’s mantra of finding “a better way to do things” is also my personal driver and so it was an easy fit.

In my capacity as Chief Business Officer, my goal is to drive business growth by working with key business partners to establish and launch initiatives, ventures, and projects, while maintaining CAFU’s position as a leader in innovation within the automotive, mobility, and energy industries. In the UAE, we have evolved from a fleet of 20 trucks in 2018, to becoming the technology platform of choice for all vehicle services.

While our journey began with fuel delivery, we have expanded our offerings while staying true to our core brand promise – to deliver the services a car owner needs. At present, we proudly serve as the leading vehicle service provider in the UAE, offering a wide range of services beyond fuel delivery. In addition, we provide services such as car wash, oil change, battery change, tire change, insurance, minor service, inspection, and emergency fuel services. These services are designed to cater to the diverse needs of our customers and ensure their vehicles are well-maintained and running smoothly.

Building on our success in the Middle East, we have expanded globally, starting earlier this year with Canada, where we are set to revolutionize the electric vehicle (EV) industry. We are proud to offer a mobile EV charging solution, making EV ownership more accessible and convenient for consumers and businesses, as well as solving the infrastructure gap that slows down EV transition.

As we move into new regions, we have come to the realisation that localization is a key aspect of our strategy. We strive to understand the specific needs and dynamics of each market and adapt our services accordingly. This ensures that we provide solutions that are relevant and beneficial to the communities we serve.

What have been the key milestone moments for the company till now?
Earlier this year, we launched our loyalty program, CAFU Rewards, as a token of appreciation for our valued customers. This program allows customers to earn reward points for every service they purchase through our app, offering them a hassle-free way to save both time and money. This initiative has been incredibly well-received and has strengthened our customer loyalty.

At CAFU, we truly care about our customers and the community, which is why we endeavour to leverage technology for sustainable and considerate business operations. We believe that technology is a force that can be used to address different global challenges and work towards a more sustainable future. This led us to develop the first-of-its-kind, new autonomous and unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology in the MENA Region to accelerate CAFU’s Ghaf Tree Project, our goal to plant one million Ghaf tree seeds in the UAE. We are working to scale the technology to tackle deforestation and wildfires in countries using improved technology, with the ability to penetrate deeper into the ground and distribute seeds more effectively, leading to more successful trees being planted.

We have also expanded our services on a global scale, starting earlier this year with Canada, where we are set to revolutionize the electric vehicle (EV) industry, as well as solve the infrastructure gap that slows EV transition. Our mobile business infrastructure that leverages the use of homegrown and in-house technology is smart, scalable, and can be localized to the markets that we serve. With our entry into the global EV market, we aim to make EV ownership more accessible and convenient for consumers and businesses alike.

As a tech-driven company, we continuously challenge the status quo and seek to exceed customer expectations. In addition to our on-demand refuelling and mobile EV charging services, we have expanded our offerings to include a range of convenient services such as mobile car wash and other maintenance services.

How did expanding into Canada happen, and how has the experience been servicing the Western audience?
The fundamental idea behind CAFU’s innovation—the traditional refuelling model—is a universally relatable one. People around the world, including our region, encounter similar frustrations when it comes to the conventional fuel-up or car service processes and needs.

At CAFU, we have a global outlook, and our goal is to introduce our innovative concept on a global scale and disrupt international markets. We understand that the challenges and requirements in different regions may vary, and we are committed to tailoring our approach to meet the unique demands of each market.

We believe that we can disrupt the Canadian market and roll out our life-enhancing model across the world. Our expansion into this new international market is a bold step towards growth and success.

Despite being in the BETA phase in Canada, our mobile EV charging service has already achieved remarkable success. We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from customers who appreciate and see the value in the convenience and accessibility our services provide. We are utilizing our BETA phase to actively gather valuable feedback from our customers, which allows us to further refine and enhance our services for the Canadian market and beyond.

We are proud of the progress we have made and are excited about the future of CAFU, as we continue to drive innovation and contribute to the sustainable mobility landscape on a global scale.

Where does CAFU stand today in terms of growth and where do you see yourself in the next 12 months? Any expansion plans beyond Canada?
As a fast-moving scale-up, CAFU is constantly working on exciting new projects and exploring different verticals. We are refining and improving our existing products, ensuring that we deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Our agile approach allowed us to identify and seize the strongest opportunities, and we remain open to exploring new markets alongside the right partners who share our vision and values.

In the past year, in addition to our global expansion, we have also increased our CAFU fleet size by approximately 41% in the UAE. We have recently expanded select services into Sharjah, as an addition to our other Emirates, as the UAE remains one of our most important markets.

The convenience-driven energy delivery and additional services we offer have received a warm reception in both the UAE and other regions, leading us to plan further expansions within the region and globally.

Ultimately, we are a platform that offers a variety of services to car owners and operators, and hope that, both in the UAE and in other regions, producers will be excited to join the platform to offer these exciting, convenient services to our growing user base.

CAFU has become an inspirational story for startups in the region, what can startups learn from your experience and what advice would you give to people who wish to become entrepreneurs?
Starting a business is not an easy task, and can be a daunting one at that, but it’s one of the most rewarding things you can do. It’s a journey that requires hard work, dedication, and the willingness to take risks. And by persevering through the challenges and staying focused on goals, it can lead to limitless rewards.

I believe that entrepreneurship offers the opportunity to impact the world. Here are a few valuable insights that have been instrumental in shaping my career.

Any successful business requires determination and perseverance, to be able to see your idea through, even when things get tough.

Don’t be afraid of failure, it’s not a negative term and by no means signifies defeat. Instead, you should see it as an opportunity for learning and growth and just another experience that will help you improve.

Always try to surround yourself with the right people. The people that you bring along on this journey with you should be able to support and encourage you along the way.

Finally, I encourage all start-ups to focus on sustainable growth, not just rapid success. Funding is becoming even more selective, and investors will prioritize businesses with a long-term, realistic growth plan.

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The funding will be used to expand CoinSmart’s platform into European markets and support operational changes. It will also help Simply Digital Technologies prepare for a planned reverse takeover ahead of a hoped-for public listing on the TSX Venture Exchange, said the firm.

Enabling its European expansion, CoinSmart said it has obtained a Financial Intelligence Unit license issued in Estonia. “CoinSmart’s fundamental mission is to make cryptocurrency accessible for people of all experience levels,” said CoinSmart CEO Justin Hartzman. “We’re excited about the ways in which crypto can help streamline payments within Europe’s financial system and subsequently better serve and protect our customers.”

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The index determines which nations are doing the most to drive innovation, through the analysis of a range of factors, which include startup business funding, overall number of businesses and the ratio of startups in the country.

The index was developed based on the number of start-up companies, percentage of businesses that are start-ups, number of businesses per head of population, volume of government grants, total grant money available and GDP.

Each country can score a maximum of 10 points for each, giving us an innovation score out of 60. Scoring 45.5 out of 60 points, Canada tops the Innovation Investment Index, making it the nation with the most support to keep its businesses flourishing into 2021.

Table 1: The Innovation Investment Index

Source: Money.co.uk

More than half of Canada’s businesses are start-ups (52.6%) using the 413 government-backed start-up grants available. It’s clear that their government is committed to supporting innovation.  

Per head, Denmark has the most registered businesses (0.17), way ahead of Canada’s 0.04%, but just 3.64% of them are classed as start-ups, so more could be done to drive innovation. 

The USA has the highest start-up grant value overall, at £1.2m ($1.64m), followed by Denmark with £901k and Belgium with £631k.

Belgium tops the list of nations with the most valuable grants for new businesses. In Belgium entrepreneurs can apply for two different grants, split across a total value of £631,208. 

Table 2: The nations with the most valuable business grants

Source: Money.co.uk

Commenting on the results of the Innovation Investment Index, money.co.uk‘s personal finance expert, Salman Haqqi explains why small businesses will continue to play a vital role on the world stage. and he further said “Innovation is key to the success of any business, particularly those who are in the start-up or scale-up phase. Small businesses play a significant role within the supply chains of even the largest and most powerful economies. In order for innovation to have a positive impact on the economy, measures must be put in place, which includes increased spending on grants that allow for research and development, as well as investing in education.” 

“On a more individual level, small businesses themselves can drive innovation by investing in their employees and encouraging R&D to take place.” Haqqi added.

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“At Misk we believe that immense difficulties present great opportunities, but only to those who are active and adaptive. We don’t see Generation X, Y, or Z, or ‘millennials’; we see ‘Generation Solve’ – defined around young people’s potential to turn challenges into youth-led solutions. Misk and the Misk Global Forum are excited about the next chapter in building the capacity of young people to fulfil their destiny. We believe in you – show us what you can do!”

Earlier in the day, Christine Tsai, CEO and Founding Partner of 500 Startups, discussed how young people can drive change and seek impact.

She said: “With the impact of COVID-19 we’re seeing an acceleration in societal and cultural issues that have always existed. We try to source deals from networks that have access to under-represented deal flow, and target messaging for founders such as black CEOs, or founders from the MENA region and Latin America.”

Speaking about the future of the tourism sector, Barry Sternlicht, Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, commented: “I think right now, it’s survival for the industry, and we think the world may get back to normal in 2023.”

He continued: “The world has never needed to be more together than it is today and travel, I think, is maybe the most important industry in the world, because it breeds understanding between peoples and breaks down a lot of barriers and misconceptions.”

The MGF also hosted the second edition of the Global Finals of the Entrepreneurship World Cup, one of the world’s largest and most diverse pitch competition and support platform for entrepreneurs and startups of all stages.

The winners were announced today,

TurtleTree Labs, from Singapore won the US$500,000 first prize. TurtleTree Labs is the first biotech company to create milk sustainably using cell-based technology.

FLITE Material Sciences from Canada came second, winning US$250,000. This startup uses lasers to change the surface of materials so they protect themselves from rust, ice, fouling and pathogens without toxic chemical coatings.

In third place was Genecis Bioindustries Inc, from Canada, who win a prize of US$100,000. Genecis uses bacteria and synthetic biology tools to transform organic waste into high value materials and chemicals.

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