Intelline

Alumni Q&A

How did your company get started? (i.e., How did the founders meet? How did you come up with the idea? How did you decide to be a founder?)

Founders Kyle and Chris have known each other since elementary school, built an electric car together in high school, and both attended the University of Waterloo (Kyle in mechanical engineering, Chris in math and accounting). Starting in 2017, Kyle's interest in energy and grid infrastructure led to research on superconducting technologies and lower-cost cryocoolers, prompting them to found Intelline; by 2019 they had built a pulse tube cryocooler and a linear helium compressor. After finding limited market demand, they realized their compressor design could be adapted into an engine, modified it with piston-mounted valves and combustion hardware, filed patents, and built a prototype that drew strong interest at a mining equipment conference in Toronto. The company now has a running engine prototype and is preparing first customer deliveries.

What is your long-term vision? If you truly succeed, what will be different about the world?

The founders aim to expand affordable, reliable energy access in developing and remote regions using microgrids built on their fuel-agnostic generator technology, replacing older inefficient diesel generators. They also intend to enable a gradual shift to zero-emission heavy industrial power, since their engine uses less fuel and can run on alternatives such as biofuel and ammonia, with a goal of reaching zero emissions in the sector within 20 years.