Interface Fluidics (Techstars 2018) is an Alberta-based energy technology company that has transformed how the industry tests and analyzes fluid behavior under extreme reservoir conditions. Founded in 2015, the company utilizes microfluidics and nanotechnology to provide faster, cheaper, and more accurate data than traditional testing methods.

Emilie Vallauri, Global Program Manager at Techstars, spoke with Tom de Haas, CEO and co-founder, about the company's journey from academic research to global commercialization, and how they are helping the energy sector reduce environmental impact through precision science.

Emilie Vallauri: To start, could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background?

Tom de Haas: I’m Tom de Haas, the CEO of Interface Fluidics. I studied mechanical engineering and did my master’s at the University of Toronto under Professor David Sinton, who is now one of my co-founders. Before starting the company, I worked at Suncor Energy, where I saw firsthand the industry's inability to effectively test new sub-surface technologies before they were deployed in the field.

Emilie: Who are the other members of your founding team, and how did you all meet?

Tom: The founding group includes David Sinton, who served as the original CTO and is now a board member and executive advisor. My former undergraduate roommate, Stuart Kinnear, joined as our first CEO in 2015, while I initially started as the COO. We also have Ali Abedini, our current COO, who was a post-doctoral fellow in David's lab before joining us nearly eight years ago. Dawna Polson joined us three years ago as Finance Manager, bringing critical experience from previous venture-backed startups.

Emilie: You’ve been in several roles throughout your time at Interface Fluidics. What is the story behind your own transition from COO to CTO and finally to CEO?

Tom: I’ve always had a deep fondness for tiny technology; I even told my parents in kindergarten that I wanted to be a "microtechnologist." I started as COO, David was CTO, and Stuart was CEO. I eventually took over the CEO role in July 2024 to lead our next phase of growth. Stuart, who was CEO before me, went on to new adventures but remains an advisor and an amazing sounding board for me.

Emilie: Simply put, what does Interface Fluidics do and why is it important for the energy industry?

Tom: We build advanced tools to analyze how fluids — like oil, gas, CO2, or hydrogen — behave under real reservoir conditions. Traditionally, companies use "mouse models" for rocks — taking large core samples that are expensive and highly variable. We mimic that rock using silicon microchips, allowing us to observe fluid performance under a microscope in miniature versions of the reservoir. This de-risks multi-million dollar projects by predicting if fluids will interact poorly, such as forming salt crystals that could block a well.

Emilie: What were the largest challenges you faced building the company in such a specific niche?

Tom: Our first market in the Alberta oil sands was quite small with very long sales cycles. We had to pivot to the US market, where companies move faster, which accelerated our growth. 

Communicating our high-pressure microfluidics technology was also a challenge because it’s so niche and far from what people do every day. There are healthcare applications to microfluidics (in gene sequencing use-cases for example), and it can be easier for most people to understand microfluidics through that lens. Illumina, the company that manufactures the gene-sequencing machines for companies like 23andMe, has been a source of inspiration – we strive to emulate their success.

Educating the market has also been a challenge. It took multiple years for stakeholders in the energy industry to learn to trust us through our publications, case studies, and most importantly, word of mouth. Thankfully, now that we have our foot in the door in a large fraction of the leading oil and gas companies, we are seeing the pace of adoption of our technology accelerate.

Emilie: What sets Interface Fluidics apart from competitors?

Tom: We were the first company to offer these high-pressure microfluidic tests commercially. We are vertically integrated, handling everything from chip fabrication in "bunny suits" to software and equipment design in-house. We also have a massive first-mover advantage and a deep patent portfolio.

Emilie: You’ve achieved a lot since your participation in the Techstars Accelerator in 2018. What is your proudest recent milestone?

Tom: We completed a three-year joint industry project with ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Equinor to validate our measurement methods. Getting buy-in from the highest-level technical experts in the world was huge. More recently, we became profitable, which allows us to control our own future and decide when we want to raise money.

Emilie: What are the next steps for the company in 2026?

Tom: In late 2026, we plan to raise our next round of funding to expand our manufacturing and global marketing. Only about 10% of our business is in Canada; the rest is international, with exciting growth in Brazil and France. We are also expanding into carbon sequestration, hydrogen storage, and lithium extraction. All great developments for the next few months!

Emilie: Being a founder is hard… What motivates you on the hard days?

Tom: Seeing our technology become core to our customers' operations. As a "fluids nerd," I love seeing academic papers published using our technology for things that literally couldn't have happened without us. Plus, I genuinely enjoy the group of people we’ve built here. It makes going to work every day and tackling hard problems a lot easier.

Emilie: What advice would you give to aspiring founders starting out?

Tom: On a light note: don't go out and buy a motorcycle — save your money because you might not get paid for a while! On a serious note: think big from day one. Canadians can sometimes have a reserved outlook, but if you want to change the world, you need a vision that justifies venture-scale investment. 

Emilie: Why did you decide to join Techstars, and how did it help you grow?

Tom: We joined the Equinor program in Oslo in 2018 because there was a direct link between what we do and their core business. It gave us three months to practice our messaging and build relationships with technical experts who could help us tell our story more effectively. It also gave us the initial link to Equinor, who subsequently became our partners. We had the great advantage that our business was closely related to Equinor’s core business — throughout the program, we could speak to technical experts in our very specific area and build a technology that would make a real impact. Our collaboration with Equinor has led to the development of many new technologies, and even to the sale of one of our SapphireLab systems to Equinor in Bergen.

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