In the climate space, new ideas pop up all the time. But when it comes to real action, many organizations are still stuck trying to answer one simple question: how do you actually show progress in a way people can trust?
Meet Frederick Elum, Founder of Oxana Networks and a participant in the Brampton NEXT program. After seeing how confusing data and hard-to-verify claims can get in the way of real climate action, Frederick decided to build something that actually helps organizations understand their impact and take the next step.
We caught up with Frederick to talk about his experience in BHive’s Brampton NEXT program and building a business as an entrepreneur in a new country.
From seeing the gap to building the solution
Before Oxana Networks became what it is today, it started with something Frederick kept noticing: a lot of organizations wanted to take climate action, but the tools and systems meant to support them just made things more complicated.
That’s what pushed him to build Oxana. This AI-driven platform brings emissions tracking, sustainability reporting, carbon credits, and renewable energy into one place, so companies can clearly see where they are and decide what to do next.
It also helps connect businesses with verified carbon credits and gives project developers a clear way to measure and prove their impact, especially for organizations working towards specific environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. Over time, Oxana is also aiming to build a peer-to-peer renewable energy marketplace, creating more options for companies that want to align real projects with their sustainability commitments.
“Oxana emerged from a vision to create an infrastructure that accelerates climate action, transforming transparency from a burden into a competitive advantage.”
Why Canada, and why Brampton
When Frederick started thinking about expanding Oxana into North America, Canada made the most sense. The country’s focus on innovation, climate responsibility, and diverse talent lined up with what he was building, and it felt like a place where long-term ideas are taken seriously.
“Canada, and Brampton specifically, offered exactly the environment where Oxana could flourish,” he says. “Building here means operating within an ecosystem that truly understands both the urgency and profound responsibility of climate leadership.”
Brampton stood out for practical reasons, too. Its Innovation District is a hub for startups, offering modern co-working spaces and an environment that makes it easier to connect, collaborate, and accelerate alongside other founders. For Frederick, it felt like a place where Oxana could really take root and move forward.
Facing early challenges head-on
As Oxana started coming together, Frederick ran into the usual founder challenges. The idea for the platform made sense, but turning it into something customers could quickly understand took a lot of refining. Building trust in an industry that’s seen its fair share of skepticism didn’t happen right away, either.
Moving to Canada added another layer. Starting fresh meant building new relationships from scratch and figuring out how things worked locally, from regulations to funding. It wasn’t always easy, but those early challenges helped Frederick get clearer on what Oxana needed to focus on.
One thing became pretty obvious along the way. Building in a new market is a lot easier when you’re not doing it alone.
Finding support through Brampton NEXT
Frederick found BHive’s Brampton NEXT program while looking for resources that supported immigrant founders and early-stage startups in Canada.
The program stood out for its mix of practical help, hands-on mentorship, and genuine community. But, for Frederick, one of the biggest selling points was pitch practice, sessions that were in-person and virtual, which helped with refining and writing his pitches for Oxana.
“While the entire program delivered exceptional value, the pitch practice sessions and Pitch Day stand out as transformative experiences,” Frederick says. “These sessions helped me distill complex technical concepts into clear, compelling narratives, bringing much-needed clarity and simplicity to how we communicate Oxana’s mission and impact.”
Through Brampton NEXT, Frederick spent time in sessions that covered everything from mindset and business planning to product and sales, which helped him take a step back and see Oxana more clearly.
He also got to meet and connect with people like Karen Wong, Sabine MacDonald, and Kristy Sadler, along with other founders who were in the thick of it. Having real conversations, swapping notes, and learning alongside people who actually get it made the whole process feel a lot less lonely and helped build relationships that stuck around after the program ended.
Advice for other founders
When asked what’s mattered most on his journey, Frederick highlights three traits every entrepreneur needs: resilience, curiosity, and adaptability.
“Begin with a problem that genuinely matters, one that demands solving. Build with purpose, not pressure. Surround yourself with people who constructively challenge your thinking and remain genuinely open to learning from mentors and peers,” he says.
“Entrepreneurship is undeniably demanding, but when your work is mission-driven, the journey transforms from exhausting to deeply meaningful.”
Closing thoughts
Looking ahead, Oxana’s momentum is undeniable. The company has now onboarded clients representing 28 million carbon credits, valued at over $300M, across Canada, LATAM, South Asia, and Europe, translating to a projected revenue of approximately $30M.
But Frederick isn’t stopping there. Beyond the marketplace, Oxana is building Registry-to-Wallet (R2W) infrastructure to address liquidity challenges in the carbon market—a significant innovation in the space. To accelerate this development, the team is currently raising a round of $2 million to $2.5 million.
And through it all, Frederick remains clear about one thing: getting here hasn’t been a solo journey.
“I’m profoundly grateful to the BHive Brampton team for cultivating an environment where founders can grow with confidence and clarity,” he says. “Programs like Brampton NEXT do far more than support individual businesses; they strengthen entire communities and ecosystems.”
That support has already started to show up in real ways. Oxana has recently partnered with IBM, NVIDIA, and Puro.earth, and continues to bring on strategic customers as the team builds and grows.
For Frederick and the Oxana team, the focus remains simple: build something useful, build it thoughtfully, and help organizations take climate action they can actually stand behind.
What's Your Next Chapter?
Frederick’s story is proof: when founders plug into the right community, big things happen. BHive Brampton exists to give ambitious entrepreneurs the mentorship, resources, and launchpad they need to go from promising to unstoppable.
The ecosystem is ready. Are you? Join Now.