The federally backed Sustainable Development Technology Canada foundation is expanding its cleantech Seed Fund by distributing grants to 21 new companies, including five with ties to Atlantic Canada.

The Seed Fund is now in its second year and has given grants of between $50,000 and $100,000 to 75 companies, with 52 startup accelerators acting as funding distribution partners.

STDC is funded by the federal government, but operates at “arm's-length,” similar to organizations such as Innovacorp with the Nova Scotia government.

In an emailed statement, the foundation said exact funding amounts for each company are listed on a spreadsheet on its webpage, but the spreadsheet only includes data up to March 31.

The Atlantic Canadian companies that received funding are:

Arolytics

Halifax

Nominated by the Creative Destruction Lab.

Arolytics’ software, AroViz, lets the operators of oil and gas wells aggregate data from infrared cameras, drones and other equipment used to monitor greenhouse gas leakage from work sites. Then, it automatically compiles the results into regulatory compliance reports.

Prosaris Solutions

Hammonds Plains, NS

Nominated by Innovacorp.

Prosaris makes equipment and software to detect gas leaks from resource extraction facilities, such as oil and gas sites, using ultrasonic waves.

Rayleigh Solar Tech

Halifax

Nominated by Innovacorp

Rayleigh is developing perovskite solar panels -- a novel design of solar cell that uses a crystalline structure similar to the mineral perovskite.

Seachange

Halifax

Nominated by the Verschuren Centre at Cape Breton University.

Seachange has developed a refining process that produces industrial chemicals from seaweed.

TROES Corp.

Markham, ON

Nominated by Energia Ventures  at the University of New Brunswick.

TROES manufacturers energy storage systems for small and medium-sized electrical grids and other industrial applications that work by using small battery packs that can be distributed across multiple locations.