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The oilsands is tapping Silicon Valley talent to tackle some of its biggest environmental challenges.

Oilsands companies Suncor Energy Inc. and Cenovus Energy Inc. are set to launch a $100 million Evok Innovations fund in Vancouver Thursday in collaboration with BC Cleantech CEO Alliance.

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U.S. technology entrepreneur Marty Reed will spearhead the drive to tackle issues such as reducing tailings ponds and steam-to-oil ratios.

“The fund takes advantage of the thriving scene in Vancouver around entrepreneurship and borrows from practices from Silicon Valley, and looks to build bridges between Vancouver and Alberta and also B.C. and Silicon Valley,” Reed said in a telephone interview.

Oilsands companies are feeling the heat of stricter environmental policies announced by the Alberta government last year and the global move to decarbonize energy sources.

Reed, who swapped the San Francisco Bay area for Vancouver in September, brought in other Silicon Valley talent in his four-member team and has spent the past few months with Suncor and Cenovus engineers to pinpoint key environmental problems facing the companies.