Leading investors back breakthrough platform that accelerates contaminated site closure through real-time intelligence and advanced analytics
Saskatoon, SK / Calgary, AB – Aug 6, 2025 – LiORA, the intelligent site management technology company, today announced the successful closing of its $5.1 million seed funding round. The oversubscribed round was led by Conexus Credit Union Venture Fund 2 and the BDC Capital’s Sustainability Venture Fund, with strategic participation from PIC Investment Group, Golden Opportunities Fund Inc., and WTC Investments LP, with participation by the Company Chairman and CEO.
The investment will fuel LiORA’s mission to transform how industries approach contaminated site remediation, leveraging cutting-edge sensor technology, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence to deliver unprecedented speed and efficiency in site closure processes.
Redefining an Industry Through Innovation
Formerly known as Environmental Material Sciences, LiORA completed its strategic rebrand in Q2 2025 to better reflect its evolution into a comprehensive technology platform. The company’s integrated solution combines real-time sensor networks, predictive analytics, and AI-driven insights to provide site managers with the intelligence needed to make faster, more informed decisions while significantly reducing remediation costs.
With deployments across locations worldwide, LiORA has already demonstrated its ability to transform traditional site management approaches, delivering measurable improvements in closure timelines and cost efficiency for clients across multiple industries.
Strategic Growth and Market Expansion
The seed funding will enable LiORA to execute on several key strategic initiatives:
Technology Enhancement: Advance the company’s proprietary AI analytics platform to deliver even deeper real-time site intelligence and predictive capabilities
Team Expansion: Scale operations and build world-class engineering, sales, and customer success teams to support rapid growth
Market Expansion: Accelerate expansion into new industry verticals and geographic markets where demand for intelligent site management solutions continues to surge
Product Development: Further enhance the platform’s sensor technology and user interface to maintain LiORA’s competitive advantage
Leadership Perspective
“This funding is a launchpad for the next stage of our growth,” said Steven Siciliano, CEO and Co-Founder. “LiORA is more than just technology—it’s a transformation in how industry approaches site management. By integrating advanced sensors, analytics, and AI capabilities, we’re giving our clients the power to make faster, more confident decisions, cut unnecessary costs, and close sites with remarkable efficiency.”
Strong Investor Confidence
The investment round attracted leading venture capital firms focused on sustainability and technology innovation, reflecting strong market confidence in LiORA’s approach and growth potential.
“LiORA is helping drive a major shift in how enterprises think about soil remediation,” said Alex Shimla, Principal at Conexus Venture Capital. “We’ve been impressed with Steven and the team’s early momentum. We can’t wait to see where their continued innovation will take this Saskatchewan startup.”
“LiORA exemplifies the type of innovative Canadian company that can drive meaningful environmental impact while building a scalable business,” said Anamika Mukherjee, Partner, Sustainability Venture Fund at BDC Capital. “Their LiORA technology demonstrates how AI and advanced analytics can transform traditional industries, making them more efficient and environmentally responsible. This investment reflects our commitment to supporting breakthrough Canadian technologies that contribute to a sustainable future while creating economic value. We’re excited to partner with Steven and his team as they scale their solution globally.”
Industry Impact and Future Vision
The global environmental remediation market continues to grow as regulatory requirements tighten and environmental awareness increases. LiORA’s technology addresses critical industry pain points including lengthy remediation timelines, unpredictable costs, and limited visibility into site conditions. By providing real-time data and predictive insights, the platform enables more efficient resource allocation and faster regulatory compliance.
Looking ahead, LiORA is positioned to expand its technology platform beyond soil remediation into adjacent environmental monitoring and management applications, creating additional value for clients while supporting broader sustainability objectives.
About LiORA (prev. Environmental Material Sciences)
LiORA is a technology leader in site management, delivering data-driven solutions that simplify and accelerate contaminated site closure. In Q2 2025, EMS rebranded as LiORA, aligning our company’s identity with our mission to restore, reclaim, and improve the world’s soil through cutting-edge technology. This transformation reflects our commitment to delivering advanced, AI-powered insights that empower industries to simplify site management, reduce costs, and accelerate closure—smarter and faster than ever before.
About BDC
BDC is a partner of choice for all entrepreneurs looking to access the financing and advice they need to build their businesses and tackle the big challenges of our time. Our investment arm, BDC Capital, offers a wide range of risk capital solutions to help grow the most innovative firms. BDC’s development role means we are in a state of perpetual evolution – wherever entrepreneurs go and whatever the Canadian economy needs – we will be there to help them defy the odds. 80 years later, that commitment remains very much alive. BDC’s services in 2024 alone will add an estimated $25.5 billion in GDP to Canada’s economy over the next five years. We are one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers and Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, and the first financial institution in Canada to receive the B Corp certification in 2013. For more information on our products and services and to consult free tools, templates and articles, visit bdc.ca or join BDC on social media.
About Conexus Venture Capital Inc.
Conexus Venture Capital Inc. was built to fill a funding gap in the local tech ecosystem. In 2017, Saskatchewan startups received less than 0.5 per cent of all venture capital funds deployed across Canada. Knowing our province’s startups were being overlooked, we sought ways to fill this funding gap. In early 2019, Conexus Credit Union launched Conexus Venture Capital Inc. as a commitment to entrepreneurs and the local economy.
Media Contact:
Steve Siciliano
CEO & Co-Founder
E: steve.siciliano@joinliora.com