Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, Joe Oliver, officially launched a Clean Technology Accelerator program in California today.

Developed and managed by the Canadian Consulate General in San Francisco, the Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) program provides qualified Canadian technology companies with access to resources and contacts to help them grow on a global scale.

“The opportunity to partner strategically with Silicon Valley firms will help to showcase Canadian clean technology companies and provide access to customers and partners in California and other global markets,” said Minister Oliver.

The Clean Technology Accelerator program is located in San Jose’s Environmental Business Cluster, a clean-tech business incubator that specializes in providing commercialization support and facilities for emerging clean energy and environmental technology companies.

Specifically, successful program participants will receive:

• Office space with like-minded global entrepreneurs, provided free of charge by the Government of Canada Trade Commissioner Service for up to three months;
  
• Introductions to experienced mentors and advisors;
  
• Access to industry leaders and talents;
  
• Participation in regular matchmaking and investor events; and
  
• Dedicated resources from the Consulate General of Canada, San Francisco/Silicon Valley.

Since the launch of the first CTA program in March 2009, the Government of Canada has supported 66 Canadian businesses and helped increase their average annualized revenue for a total increase in excess of $8 million.

While in California, Minister Oliver met with Minister Oliver met with George Shultz, former U.S Secretary of State, and members of the Shultz-Stephenson Task Force on Energy Policy at Stanford University for an in-depth discussion to gain an understanding of the task force’s work and discuss the larger issue of Canada-U.S. energy relations.

The Minister also attended a Cleantech Investment Roundtable with key Silicon Valley venture capitalists, bankers and corporate clean technology leaders who are investing in Canada. The roundtable focused on the state of energy and clean technology innovation with emphasis on the growth of Canadian companies in the clean technology industry