EnviCore

EnviCore Inc. is a Calgary-based materials company that processes mineral waste streams into supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs, also called pozzolans) used to partially replace Portland cement in concrete. Feedstocks include mine tailings from copper, gold, zinc and lead, diamond, nickel and cobalt, silver, aluminium, iron and asbestos operations; kaolinite- and illite-rich clay minerals and natural pozzolans; recycled concrete paste and post-consumer glass; slag; shale; and bottom and coal ash, which the company upgrades into premium fly ash. A specialty product line produces colored SCMs from nickel-cobalt tailings for colored concrete applications.

The company positions its offering around two linked industrial problems it cites publicly: the volume of hazardous mine waste sent to tailings ponds, and the share of global human-caused emissions attributed to cement production. EnviCore states that each ton of Portland cement displaced corresponds to a reduction of 0.7 tons of CO2 emissions, and press coverage of its 2024 seed round reported that its technology can reduce the carbon footprint of cement production by up to 30% with SCMs replacing up to 35% of Portland cement in concrete mixes. The company describes itself as working with multiple cement and mining companies pursuing net zero waste and net zero emissions targets by 2050.

Founding story

EnviCore was founded in 2019 with a stated focus on helping the mining and construction sectors reduce their climate impact by repurposing mineral streams. The company's public team page lists Shahrukh Shamim as CEO and co-founder, Aseem Pandey as CTO and co-founder, and Dr. Milana Trifkovic as Scientific Director and co-founder.

Business model

EnviCore supplies low-carbon supplementary cementitious materials produced from clients' and locally sourced mineral feedstocks, with a process the company says can be retrofitted into an existing cement production facility or built close to one to minimize material transportation. It works with cement and mining companies, including a planned pilot production facility developed with a cement producer partner.

Traction

The company reports successful validation of its SCM technology on multiple mineral feedstocks, with performance validated by cement manufacturing companies, and states it is actively working with numerous cement and mining companies. Its public team page lists roughly 16 staff spanning process engineering, materials R&D, laboratory operations and business development. A feasibility study with Heidelberg Materials for a pilot SCM production facility was announced in October 2024.

Latest developments

In October 2024 EnviCore closed a seed funding round to scale production of its low-carbon SCMs, with plans for a feasibility study with Heidelberg Materials on a pilot SCM production facility near one of the partner's recycling hubs. An April 2025 RMI/Third Derivative article listed EnviCore among existing portfolio startups in the Industrial Innovation Cohorts addressing cement, steel and chemicals decarbonization.