Canada is one of the largest agricultural producers and exporters globally. It is also considered among the most pioneering and technologically advanced countries in the world when one talks about agriculture. In 2016, the agriculture and agri-food sector generated $111.9 Billion of GDP and made up 6.7% of Canada’s total GDP.
The Canadian AgTech startups are disrupting the agriculture industry by offering avant-garde innovations to help farmers, consumers, and the planet live a hassle-free and healthy life.
In this article, we talk about the Top 10 AgTech Startups in Canada:
1. Semios
Founders: Michael Gilbert
Founding Year: 2010
Headquarters: Vancouver, British Columbia
Funding received: $112.1 Million
Investors: Sustainable Development Technology Canada, Morningside Group, E-Fund, CIBC Innovation Banking, Angel Forum, Haywood Securities Inc., AgTech Innovation Network
Semios is an AgTech startup that provides dedicated crop management solutions for the agricultural industry. It offers a patented system of in-crop wireless networks attached to remote sensors, pesticide monitoring, and adjustable biological pesticide control. The data collected is provided to the cultivator in an interface that enables him/her to reduce agricultural inputs and increase the quality of the crop produced.
2. Farmers Edge Laboratories
Founders: Curtis Mackinno and Wade Barnes
Founding Year: 2005
Headquarters: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Funding received: $103.6 Million
Investors: Kleiner Perkins, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, Mitsui & Co, Rio Investment Partners and Osmington
Farmers Edge is a leading provider of precision agriculture and autonomous data management solutions. The AgTech startup offers agronomic solutions to increase productivity with a proven record in precision agriculture. It uses scientific tools to identify and outline field variability to optimize crop inputs, ensuring higher yields with better quality and less environmental impact. It also offers a group of agronomy services together with its Variable Rate Technology (VRT, a system that enables farmers to vary the rate of crop inputs) services to provide a complete program.
3. Terramera
Founders: Karn Manhas
Founding Year: 2010
Headquarters: Vancouver, Biritsh Columbia
Funding received: $82.8 Million
Investors: BDC Venture Capital, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, Export Development Canada, Sumitomo Corporation, S2G Ventures, Bold Capital Partners, Renewal Funds, Neue Funds, ArcTern Ventures, Ospraie Ag Sciences, ACA Investments Pte.Ltd., Maumee Ventures and IKEA GreenTech AB
Terramera is a prominent plant intelligence startup that uses green chemistry, machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to develop and provide safe, more effective plant-derived substitutes of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Their mission is to leverage technology to make fresh, clean food affordable and accessible to secure a healthy future for everyone.
Terramera strives to create safe, healthy homes and environments by developing highly-productive natural products for consumers and farmers.
4. Concentric Agriculture
Founders: Ananda Lynn Fitzsimmons and Margaret Bywater-Ekegärd
Founding Year: 2007
Headquarters: Montréal, Quebec
Funding received: $73 Million
Investors: Sustainable Development Technology Canada, Cycle Capital, Desjardins-Innovatech, Pontifax AgTech, Closed Loop Capital, TPG Alternative & Renewable Technologies, Cairn Investment Group and RedMetal
Concentric Agriculture develops innovative advancements in the agricultural technology field. It offers high-performance specialty organic products that naturally improve crop yields and replenish soils. The products offered are safe for people, protect our natural resources and augment agriculture’s capability to feed the world.
5. Ostara
Founders: Edward Jones and F. Phillip Abrary
Founding Year: 2005
Headquarters: Vancouver, British Columbia
Funding received: $56.7 Million
Investors: VantagePoint Capital Partners, Frog Capital, Wheatsheaf Group and Foursome Investments
Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc. operates in the large and rapidly growing wastewater treatment industry. The startup uses its patent technology to eradicate contaminating nutrients from wastewaters and recycles these into a high-value, ecologically-safe commercial fertilizer. The AgTech startup has effectively developed and commercially deployed its nutrient recovery technology.
In 2019, Ostara acquired Multiform Harvest, a Seattle-based AgTech company that enables a sustainable resource cycle for phosphorus to help prevent phosphorus overflow and wastewater discharge.
6. Resson
Founders: Peter Goggin
Founding Year: 2013
Headquarters: Fredericton, New Brunswick
Funding received: $27.7 Million
Investors: BDC Venture Capital, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, BDC Capital Corporation, Rho Canada Ventures, East Valley Ventures, Monsanto Growth Ventures (MGV), Build Ventures, Mahindra Rise and McCain Foods
Resson Aerospace is an AgTech startup that leverages bioinformatics and data analytics to deliver personalized agriculture solutions for large business clients. Its Resson Agricultural Management and Analytics System, a data-driven agriculture solution, studies crop metrics to evaluate crop state and health. This in turn provides operators with the necessary information required to improve agricultural operations, improve productivity, increase yields, and make the most of profitability.
7. Dozr
Founders: Erin Stephenson, Kevin Forestell and Tim Forestell
Founding Year: 2015
Headquarters: Kitchener, Ontario
Funding received: $13.6 Million
Investors: Ontario Centres of Excellence, VentureClash, Fair Ventures, Juan Carlos Mas and BaseCamp Equity Partners
Dozr is a worker-to-worker equipment sharing platform enabling workers to give their unoccupied equipment on rent. Lenders list their equipment on the platform with equipment details, arrangements and prices. After this, Dozr performs the inspection of this equipment. Borrowers can then pick from the list of equipment given by reliable lenders. The lenders also reserve the right to accept or refuse rent requests. Also provides rental contracts and payment services while charging some fee.
The startup is a part of the Google For Entrepreneurs program based in Waterloo.
8. XpertSea
Founders: Cody Andrews, François Robitaille, Sylvie Lavigne and
Valérie Robitaille
Founding Year: 2011
Headquarters: Quebec
Funding received: $9.2 Million
Investors: Real Ventures, FounderFuel, Obvious Ventures, Bradley Horowitz, Aqua Spark, YUL Ventures
XpertSea provides an artificial intelligence-driven data management platform that offers real-time insights making aquaculture (farming in water) more resourceful and sustainable. It strives to revolutionize the global aquaculture industry that farms seafood to help feed the world. Its platform integrates smart aquaculture equipment with a farm management platform to deliver insights that help farmers and industry specialists to enhance productivity, lessen environmental waste, and take preventive actions against diseases.
It has customers spanning over 50 countries, where it is successfully delivering Canadian ingenuity to make aquaculture lucrative and sustainable.
9. SomaDetect
Founders: Bethany Deshpande, Bharath Sudarsan and Nicholas Clermont
Founding Year: 2016
Headquarters: Fredericton, New Brunswick
Funding received: $8.3 Million
Investors: Creative Destruction Lab, Sustainable Development Technology Canada, New Brunswick Innovation Foundation, Government of Canada, 43North, iGan Partners, Builders VC, The Pearse Lyons Accelerator, Cavallo Ventures, New York Ventures, Western New York Impact Investment Fund and Dairy Farmers
AgTech startup SomaDetect provides dairy farmers with the data they require to produce the best conceivable milk. It leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide real-time, computerized analysis of milk quality without any addition of chemicals or harmful substances. The startup measures every component in raw milk, empowering farmers to identify problems early, manage reproduction, reduce redundant antibiotic usage, and guarantee that only the highest-quality milk reaches the bulk milk supplies.
10. Outcast Foods
Founders: Dr. Darren Burke and TJ Galiardi
Founding Year: 2017
Headquarters: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Funding received: $4 Million
Investors: Joe Thornton, Jamie Bagnell, John-Michael Liles, Stuart Rath and Adam Lowry
Outcast Foods has developed a technology that converts extra/left-over fruits and vegetables into high-quality whole plant powders. Its technology reduces food waste, decreases greenhouse gases (GHGs), and makes nutrients in food survive longer. The AgTech startup works with farms, food agents, food manufacturers and grocers to turn surplus produce into natural health products, pet food and cosmetics.
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