Calgary-based startup Direct-C Ltd. has brought aboard serial entrepreneur Adrian Banica as chief executive officer to advance commercialization of its technology to directly detect hydrocarbon leaks.
Targeting both the pipeline and the upstream oil and gas sector, Direct-C’s leak detection products are based on a proprietary nanoparticle-based sensor originally developed by world-renowned University of Calgary researchers Simon Park and Kaushik Parmar.
Direct-C is a University of Calgary spin-out company launched in 2014 with the start-up and commercialization assistance of Innovate Calgary and its energy tech accelerator program, Kinetica Ventures.
“Adrian brings to Direct-C a proven track record in commercializing pipeline leak detection technologies,” says Yvon Bastien, board chair, Direct-C. “We are pleased to have someone of Adrian’s calibre lead our team and help industry deploy effective solutions for operating and maintaining safer pipelines.”
Banica founded two successful technology ventures within the past two decades, and has significant expertise in hardware systems commercialization for the oil and gas vertical.
Banica’s first venture, an oil and gas and space systems instrumentation company, was acquired by Belgium-based Rhea Space Systems in 1999. His second venture, TSX Venture-listed Synodon Inc., adapted a satellite-based methane sensor into a helicopter deployed system called realSens and has successfully commercialized a service to oil and gas companies to map and quantify their greenhouse gas emissions.
Banica has helped secure over $25 million in financing and led the company to its first profitable quarter in 2014. Currently he is advising a number of technology companies and is the executive chairman for Illusense Inc., a British Columbia-based pipeline inspection technology developer. Adrian is also a member of the A100 group.
Innovate Calgary works closely with startups, entrepreneurs, researchers and investors from the advanced tech sector to take innovation and ideas to the next stage of growth.
