For the first time in Canada, crowdfunding has been used to decide if a federal research grant will be awarded through a program called Fathom Fund. SmartShores uses drones and proprietary data analysis to examine the effects of pollution on shorelines and wetlands.

Nathan Vadeboncoeur, President and Founder of SmartShores, is a social entrepreneur who combines science and art to help tell the stories of coastal people and places. A former university instructor, climate change researcher, consultant and motivational speaker, he believes that data alone isn't enough to create change - it needs to tell a story.