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Adrien Cote

Investor

Board of Directors; CEO of Existent at Waterloo Accelerator Centre

Greater Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo Metropolitan Area

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About

Adrien Cote is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Existent, which develops industrial separation and carbon capture technologies using next-generation sorbent materials. Previously, he served as Executive Director of Velocity, the University of Waterloo's entrepreneurship center, where he expanded programming and oversaw development of the Innovation Arena startup facility and Velocity Fund; companies from that ecosystem have achieved over $40 billion in combined enterprise value. His background includes materials science research and commercialization experience at Xerox, where he co-invented and scaled a materials platform and contributed to over 50 patents, as well as academic work in inorganic chemistry and porous materials with publications in Science and Nature.

Experience

  1. ExistentChief Executive Officer, Co-Foundercurrent2025 — presentGreater Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo Metropolitan Area
  2. University of WaterlooSpecial Advisor, Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Strategy2025 — 2026Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  3. VelocityExecutive Director2020 — 2025Greater Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo Metropolitan Area
  4. VelocityBusiness Advisor, Velocity2017 — 2019Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
  5. Xerox Research Centre of CanadaPortfolio and Strategic Relationship Manager; Senior Scientist2012 — 2017Greater Toronto Area, Canada
  6. Xerox Research Centre of CanadaResearch Scientist2007 — 2012Greater Toronto Area, Canada
  7. UCLA, California NanoSystems InstitutePrincipal Investigator - Group Manager2006 — 2007Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
  8. University of MichiganNSERC Postdoctoral Fellow - w/ Omar M. Yaghi - Materials Design and Discovery Group2004 — 2006Detroit Metropolitan Area
  9. ValeResearch Associate1997 — 1998Greater Toronto Area, Canada
  10. Teck Resources LimitedResearch Process Technician1996Greater Vancouver Metropolitan Area
  11. City of BrantfordResearch Assistant (Water Treatment)1996Ontario, Canada

Skills & more

Cross-functional Team LeadershipStrategic Leadership

Languages English

From Adrien's professional profile.

Colleagues at Waterloo Accelerator Centre

Adam Dougall
Program Manager at Waterloo Accelerator Centre
Alicia Pereira
Vice President Marketing & Communications at Ontario Centre of Innovation
Angela Larraguibel
Board of Directors; Chief Operating Officer at Toronto Business Development Centre at Waterloo Accelerator Centre
Ben Richmond
Manager, Coworking and Facilities at Waterloo Accelerator Centre
Benton Leong
Board of Directors; Archangel Funds; Investor at Golden Triangle Angel Network at Waterloo Accelerator Centre
Brenda Halloran
Board of Directors; District Governor at Rotary International at Waterloo Accelerator Centre
Catalina Ochoa
Director, Finance at Waterloo Accelerator Centre
Charmaine Dean
Board of Directors; Vice-President of Research and International at University of Waterloo at Waterloo Accelerator Centre

Frequently asked questions

Who is Adrien Cote?
Adrien Cote is Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Existent, which develops industrial separation and carbon capture technologies using next-generation sorbent materials. Previously, he served as Executive Director of Velocity, the University of Waterloo's entrepreneurship center, where he expanded programming and oversaw development of the Innovation Arena startup facility and Velocity Fund; companies from that ecosystem have achieved over $40 billion in combined enterprise value. His background includes materials science research and commercialization experience at Xerox, where he co-invented and scaled a materials platform and contributed to over 50 patents, as well as academic work in inorganic chemistry and porous materials with publications in Science and Nature.
Where does Adrien Cote work?
Adrien Cote is Board of Directors; CEO of Existent at Waterloo Accelerator Centre.
Where did Adrien Cote go to school?
Adrien Cote studied at University of Waterloo (B.Sc., Applied Chemistry, Co-op; NSERC Undergraduate Research Associate); University of Calgary (PhD, Inorganic Supramolecular Chemistry; NSERC Postgraduate Scholar).

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