U of C launches agriculture and food startup stream
Program seeking applicants from both near and far
A program at the University of Calgary that aims to commercialize early stage technology has launched a new stream focused on agriculture and food.
Creative Destruction Labs — which started at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management in 2012 and was expanded to the U of C’s Haskayne School of Business in 2017 — offers startups, scientists and inventors working on promising technological innovations access to coaching from a group of experienced, successful entrepreneurs, as well as U of C faculty members with scientific and technical expertise. The startups work with the mentors to achieve business objectives and raise capital.
The program already has a “Prime” stream that encompasses diverse fields, as well as an energy-specific stream. The new agriculture and food stream will be aimed at startups working to harness new ways to enhance the productivity of growing, distributing, securing and managing food and other agricultural products.
“Calgary’s location at the centre of Canada’s agricultural heartland makes it an important nexus for Ag,” Jim Dewald, dean of the Haskayne School of Business, said in a news release. “Through Cdl-rockies, we look forward to tapping into the leading research being developed on the Prairies.”
The Ag stream is looking to attract startups from across the Prairie provinces and around the world. In addition to the University of Calgary, the stream will be supported by the University of Alberta and the University of Saskatchewan, further bolstering its academic strength.
“When it comes to agriculture, the Canadian Prairies are home to world-class academic and business expertise as well as some of the largest agriculture companies in the world,” Alice Reimer, site lead at Cdl-rockies, said in a news release.
The Cdl-rockies Ag stream accepts ventures from all over the world. The ideal candidates are those based in North America that have technology or science-based applications in biotechnology, farm tech, automation or food tech.