Client Spotlight: Elaine Liu, founder of Infinity9 Cycle

Using a paper cup instead of a plastic one may seem like the better choice for the environment, but looks can be deceiving. Many paper cups are lined with polyethylene (PE), a petroleum-derived plastic, to prevent leaks.

While a small portion of the five hundred billion cups used worldwide are recyclable, the majority of these cups often end up in landfills. In Canada alone, an estimated 1.6 billion plastic cups are thrown away each year.

Infinity9 Cycle founder Elaine Liu has developed a biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based single-use plastics. Infinity9 Cycle produces cups and other single-use items using a polylactic acid (PLA)-based material derived from renewable resources, such as corn starch or sugarcane.

“Plastic pollution is extremely harmful to both human health and our planet,” Liu said. “One of my main goals in founding this company was to do something meaningful for environmental protection by replacing traditional petroleum-based plastics with a range of products made from new, green, biodegradable materials to serve as sustainable alternatives.”

From Cisco to compostable coffee cups

Liu is quick to say she is not an engineer by training. Before founding Infinity9 Cycle, Liu worked for network hardware leader Cisco in supply chain management and strategy planning.

“My background is not in engineering. I’m simply a passionate, environmentally conscious person,” Liu said.

Starting Infinity9 Cycle meant finding the right team to bring her vision to life. The startups' C-suite brings years of experience to create a strong team that can bring her vision to life.

Today, Infinity9 Cycle is focusing on the Canadian market. Liu said they plan on becoming a global company with European and U.S. markets on the horizon. While the production and distribution processes are working well, Liu added that consumer adoption has been slower than they expected.

“People agree that we should reduce plastic, but their actions haven’t caught up with that mindset. In other words, our products are ready, but widespread market uptake is still a work in progress,” she said.

Tackling plastic pollution one kitchen at a time

Infinity9Cycle already produces cutlery, packaging, and plates in China, but Liu is taking a focused entry approach. She said the startup’s technology can replace most high-use plastic items.

But entering the Canadian market requires meeting specific regulations, certifications, and design requirements.
“We offer a wide range of products, but since Infinity9Cycle is a new Canadian startup, we’re starting small here. Our first two items for the Canadian market will be a reusable coffee mug and a compostable cling wrap,” Liu said.

Choosing Canada and the AC:Startup Visa

Her daughter inspired Liu’s decision to plant Infinity9Cycle in Canada.

“My daughter is in high school here in Canada,” Liu said. “Whenever I visited, the beautiful natural scenery and the kindness of the people made a deep impression on me.”

That personal pull soon met professional purpose. A friend, who is a PhD in environmental science from the University of Waterloo, suggested that she pitch Infinity9Cycle to the Accelerator Centre’s AC:Startup Visa program.

“I didn’t know much about the Startup Visa at first. I just wanted to build something meaningful,” Liu said. “So I applied, interviewed, and won the spot. From thinking about it to getting the offer took only a few weeks last October.”

The smooth path convinced her Canada was the right launchpad. A place where environmental, sustainability, and governance (ESG) values run deep, supply-chain expertise is prized, and protecting those “very impressive nature views” feels like a collective mission.

Leading with “small changes, big difference”

Liu keeps the company’s purpose front and centre. On the startup’s website, there is a section titled “What our CEO believes.” On the page, Liu writes from two perspectives: a woman founder steering a growing team and a mother thinking about the world her children will inherit.

“Money isn’t what I want to pass down,” she writes. “The real legacy is showing the next generation what the right thing looks like.”

Friends sometimes remind her she can’t eliminate every piece of plastic on the planet. Liu’s reply is the motto that guides both her family and her startup: “Small changes can make a big difference.”

She pointed to the ripple effect she has already witnessed, switching her household to compostable products has inspired neighbours to do the same, which in turn nudged a local café to trial biodegradable cups.

Now, with Accelerator Center mentors in her corner and permanent-residency paperwork in motion, Liu is ready to swap petroleum plastics for PLA—one coffee mug and cling wrap roll at a time.