Founder Friday with Natasha Kostenuk of Ayrton Energy
Ayrton Energy is paving the way for a cleaner and more sustainable energy by breaking the limits of traditional hydrogen storage. Co-founders Natasha Kostenuk and Brandy Kinkead have created proprietary technology that stores, transports, and manages hydrogen no differently than gasoline or diesel—bringing the value of hydrogen storage to the market and opening up the hydrogen economy.
We caught up with Natasha to hear what’s new for Ayrton, what’s coming up next, insights into what’s happening in the industry, and advice she would give to her past self and up-and-coming women founders.
What’s New
Aryton is celebrating the fact they’ve raised $1.5M in non-dilutive funding to date. This has supported them as they’ve grown their team to eight and are actively hiring one more team member to further expand their capabilities.
In September, Ayrton Energy made the top 10 Most Promising Companies at the 20th annual Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship’s Energy Tech Energy Forum. No simple feat, the list was selected by investors who evaluated over 90 early-stage energy transition companies—highlighting incredible teams leveraging novel technologies.
And the ribbon on top of the 2023 gift for Aryton is their recent news: being recognized on the 2023 Foresight 50 list as one of Canada's 50 Most Investible Cleantech Ventures. (We wholeheartedly agree with that!)
The companies highlighted on the list are game-changing innovators who are scaling the critical climate solutions we need to address the world's most pressing climate challenges and expedite the journey to net zero.
What’s Next
There are a lot of key pieces clicking into place behind the scenes: they have new pilots lined up to start soon, as well as kicking off another fund raise.
Stay tuned for more details on all things Aryton Energy via their website and social media.
What Natasha Is Excited About Right Now
First and foremost, the hydrogen economy is continuing to grow. The IRA has been proving to be really supportive in the U.S., with lots of industry putting money behind their hydrogen projects and starting to build them out because of those incentives (see: $7 billion for America’s first clean hydrogen hubs).
Fingers crossed for similar momentum to be picked up in Canada. 🤞
There are also some interesting opportunities coming in Europe next year because of a lot of the work they're doing, such as the Hydrogen Bank that works towards scaling up production of renewable hydrogen in the EU.
Advice to Your Past Self & Other Women Founders
“Have confidence in yourself,” Natasha says. “It can be too easy not to sometimes.”
When making things happen and building something you believe in, think bigger and lead with conviction.
Building your company is a balancing act: be bold in your decisions while leveraging the supportive ecosystem around you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and accept advice, but also trust that you’ve got it—at the end of the day, you know what to do.
Having a foundation of confidence as you navigate advice, seek mentorship, and learn along the way sets you up to hit those bigger and bolder goals.