[Lisbon, Portugal, 2025 July 2]

SUSTAERO Chief Executive Officer Keith Gillard took the global stage this week at the prestigious Unicorn Summit, delivering a keynote address entitled "The Future of Fuel." Speaking to an audience of international investors, technology pioneers, and policy leaders, Gillard outlined a vision for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) that decouples energy production from both fossils and food.

In his June 30 keynote, Gillard addressed the dual crisis facing the next generation of liquid fuels: the environmental cost of petroleum and the ethical complexity of using food crops for energy. He positioned SUSTAERO’s platform as the solution to this impasse, utilizing biogenic carbon from forestry residuals rather than agricultural land.

"The aviation industry cannot solve its carbon problem by creating a food security problem," Gillard stated during the address. "The future of fuel belongs to processes that utilize redundant, non-food biomass and renewable electricity. By severing the link between what we burn and what we eat, and between our energy and the fossil era, we create a truly sustainable and sovereign industrial base."

The Unicorn Summit, known for gathering the world’s most influential thinkers, featured a roster of luminaries including Ray Kurzweil, Martine Rothblatt, Naveen Jain, and Sonika Kapil. Gillard’s presence signals SUSTAERO’s emergence as a key player in the global deep tech transition.

Following his keynote, Gillard was invited to join the "Investing in the Future" panel on July 1. Alongside fellow visionaries, he discussed the evolving landscape of infrastructure investment, emphasizing the necessity of patient capital for large-scale industrial projects.

"Presenting alongside heroes like Ray Kurzweil and Martine Rothblatt underscores that SUSTAERO is part of a broader movement to re-engineer the foundational systems of our world," added Gillard. "The reception in Lisbon confirms that the global investment community is ready for a SAF solution that is as ethically sound as it is technically advanced."

About SUSTAERO:

SUSTAERO is building Canada’s first billion-litre wood waste to Sustainable Aviation Fuel capacity, driven by Fortune 100 leadership and a proprietary process, integrating the world’s only TRL-9 wood gasification technology. SUSTAERO’s SAF has the highest security of supply due to simple, sustainable, uninterruptible supply chains. Contact PR@SUSTAERO.ca.

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