The Virginia-based company, which claims it’s the only U.S. indoor, soil-based farming firm growing USDA certified organic produce, announced it closed the Series D funding round Wednesday. European investment firm Movendo Capital and existing investors including S2G Ventures, Cascade Asset Management Company and XPV Water Partners also participated. (The Logic)
The Toronto-area battery recycler has started operations in Tuscaloosa, which is home to a Mercedes-Benz plant. Li-Cycle said the new plant will help it serve a growing customer base in North America. (The Logic)
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson are developing new measures, which could be signalled in the upcoming fall economic statement and detailed in the spring 2023 budget, sources told Bloomberg. (Bloomberg)
New York-headquartered Mercantile, which publicly launched Wednesday, has raised US$22 million in equity financing from investors including Index Ventures and General Catalyst. (The Logic)
Brookfield Renewable Partners will take a 51 per cent stake in Pittsburgh-based Westinghouse Electric Company, while Saskatoon-based Cameco will assume the remaining 49 per cent. Westinghouse, whose corporate roots reach back135 years, provides services like engineering and automation to nuclear plant operators. (The Logic)
Microsoft has formed a team it calls the Industrial Metaverse Core, whose mission will be creating software to help companies monitor machines and factory environments. (The Information)
Workers with advanced digital skills gain advantages in pay, job security and overall employment quality, a report from Amazon Web Services and Gallup said, but Canadians are below average in their desire to acquire them. Among workers surveyed in 19 jurisdictions, Canadians ranked 12th in their interest in training in areas such as cloud computing, software development and AI. Workers in India, Thailand and Indonesia topped the chart. (The Logic)
The Toronto-based health-and-wellness platform for new and expecting parents said it will make its services available to customers of Maple, a telemedicine provider, at a 25 per cent discount in what it called its “largest partnership to date.” (The Logic)
Rio Tinto Fer et Titane—a Sorel-Tracy, Que.-based subsidiary of the Anglo-Australian mining giant—will increase production of lithium, titanium and scandium; recover more material from waste streams; and expand processing capacity. The plant’s shift from coal to electric furnaces will reduce emissions by 670,000 metric tonnes. The partially repayable federal contribution for the $737-million, eight-year project will come from the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF). (The Logic)
Members of the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) are required to submit climate change plans that meet criteria set by a UN body called Race to Zero. Some financial institutions worry the criteria are too restrictive and put members at legal risk. (Financial Times)