National partners

Ag-West Bio

Ag-West Bio can assist entrepreneurs with pathfinding and help in becoming investment ready. Our Technology Commercialization Fund assists early-stage companies and helps established companies expand their businesses.

Services

Ag-West Bio helps move research to the market and grow agri-food business in Saskatchewan by supporting businesses, catalyzing initiatives, creating connections, and promoting science.

Sectors

Agri-Food and Bioeconomy

TRL Stage: 7+

Agricultural Credit Corporation – ACC

Agricultural Credit Corporation (ACC) is a not-for-profit farm organization founded in 1992 by a coalition of farm organizations and is now comprised of 19 producer associations and marketing boards.

Services

ACC offers low cost operating loans to producers across Canada.

Sectors

Agriculture

TRL Stage: N/A

Bennett Jones

With 500 lawyers and business advisors, Bennett Jones LLP delivers an outstanding client experience, a deep knowledge of our clients’ businesses and industries, a history of building long client relationships, and a roster of highly skilled lawyers. We have 7 offices in Canada and the United States, and we serve clients on a global scale in a number of industries, including the Agribusiness sector.

Services

Startups/Scaleups/Accelerators: Bennett Jones offers a full suite of services to startups, scaleups and accelerators in the agribusiness industry. We provide legal partnership across all life cycles of the business, capital raising and M&A support, IP protection, regulatory and trade compliance, international expansion and export guidance, strategic partnerships and joint venture structuring, as well as support through all other areas of law that engage with the requirements of a business.

Sectors

Agri-tech, Food-tech, AI

TRL Stage: All

Canadian Agri-food Automation and Intelligence Network – CAAIN

The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) was created in 2019 to support the development of agricultural technology that solves some of the most pressing challenges facing Canada’s farmers and ranchers.

Services

We support research & innovation that will drive increased precision, productivity, and value for agricultural producers and the primary food processing sector of the agri-food value chain.

Sectors

Agri-Food tech (automation, robotics, data-driven technology)

TRL Stage: 4 – 6

Carrot Ventures by Verdex Capital

Carrot is a venture studio that forms and funds new companies to commercialize high-impact agricultural and food technologies.

Services

Carrot is a venture studio. Rather than fund existing companies, Carrot forms and finances new AgTech companies.

Sectors

Food and Agri-tech

TRL Stage: 7

Cooperathon by Desjardins

As a Canada-wide entrepreneurial program, it helps participants develop an innovative idea to start a business or advance academic research, culminating in a competition offering cash prizes and personalized support to help projects with the highest social, environmental, or economic impact potential come to life.

Services

Cooperathon is a 4-week entrepreneurial training program that extends to 7 weeks for teams selected after Phase I. Sessions are held online twice a week, 1.5 hours each.

Sectors

All

TRL Stage: 1 – 3

Gowans

Gowans is a group of professionals who provide multidisciplinary services and support to the world’s animal production sector.

Services

Animal nutrition, Animal research and Agribusiness analytics

Sectors

Animal production

TRL Stage: N/A

Grand River Agricultural Society – GRAS

The Grand River Agricultural Society (GRAS) is a not-for-profit society supporting innovation, education, economic growth, and community enabling Agriculture and the Environment to thrive.

Services

We are dedicated to supporting our community in their agricultural, environmental, and educational endeavors through bursaries, scholarships, grants, and donations.

Sectors

Agriculture

TRL Stage: N/A

National Circle for Indigenous Agriculture and Food (NCIAF)

The NCIAF will generate positive change by focusing on business acceleration, increasing access to knowledge, strengthening business planning and management practices, and increasing access to capital. The development of training and education programs for Indigenous communities, peoples, and leaders advances awareness of opportunities, policies, and planning. The NCIAF also supports the non-Indigenous agriculture industry to implement reconciliation endeavours within their organizations.

National Index on Agri-Food Performance

A growing coalition of private-public partners are working pre-competitively to present an integrated picture of sustainability for Canada’s agri-food sector from food production to retail — and improve upon it.

Services

Working with coalition partners to advance this work, the Centre for Agri-Food Benchmarking intends to be recognized as the authority for benchmarking Canada’s agri-food sustainability outcomes.

Sectors

Agri-Food

TRL Stage: N/A

Rideau Hall Foundation – RHF

The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is a nonpartisan national charitable organization established to amplify the impact of the office of the Governor General as a central institution of Canadian democracy, and to better serve Canadians through a range of initiatives linked to learning, leadership, giving and innovation.

Services

The work of the Rideau Hall Foundation is built upon four themes that contribute to a stronger Canada: Learning, Innovation, Leadership, and Community-building. Each program fits into one or more of these areas of focus.

Sectors

All

TRL Stage: N/A

SVG Ventures_THRIVE

SVG Ventures | THRIVE is a global agrifood innovation and investment firm headquartered in Silicon Valley and Calgary. Through early-stage programs, corporate innovation initiatives, and venture investing, THRIVE connects startups, corporates, and investors to accelerate scalable solutions across the agriculture, food and energy sectors.

Services

Delivers multi-stage support through the THRIVE Studio, Academy, and Accelerator, alongside global market immersion programs, corporate open innovation partnerships, and access to venture funding.

Sectors

Agri-tech, Food-tech, Climate and Soil health technologies, AI & deep tech, Biotech and Computational biology, Supply chain resilience, Resource efficiency, and Health & nutrition.

TRL Stage: 3 – 9