Grainswest - Tech 2025

Tech 2025 Grains West 10 THE FARMGATE BY IAN DOIG • PHOTO COURTESY OF CONEXUS CREDIT UNION Saskatchewan’s strength in agricultural has made it a natural business accelerator hub for Canadian ag tech innovation according to Cultivator director Laura Mock. UNTIL RECENTLY, SASKATCHEWAN attracted less than one per cent of Cana- dian tech venture capital dollars. In 2019, Conexus Credit Union of Regina estab- lished its business incubator, Cultivator, to kick-start the province’s modest tech sector. “Saskatchewan was missing out in a big way because we didn’t have this tech ecosystem,” said director Laura Mock. Because the province is an agriculture powerhouse, Cultivator created a dedicat- ed program to boost tech activity in the sector. Focused on early-stage companies, the annual, three-month AgTech Acceler- ator runs from April to July and welcomed its first cohort of startup business founders in 2021. “It’s created this great opportuni- ty to build a world class tech accelerator that supports farmers,” said Mock. The program even reaches beyond its home province. Ten Canadian and five U.K. early-stage startups can participate each year. “The program vision is to be a global destination for companies to build and scale their ag tech businesses,” said Mock. “We want to do that with world- class programming and unparalleled access to capital, industry, producer and founder connections.” The mostly virtual program includes a week of in-person development. Participating businesses may be mas- saging their business models and product prototypes but are not yet turning over substantial revenue. They aim to use technology to improve on-farm efficiency, sustainability, yield and profitability. This might involve digital applications, products or services and can feature newly created or existing technology with new uses. 2025 participants included AgScout- er, a field scouting app for agronomists, Chariot Command, a thermal sensor system that monitors a combine’s mechan- ical health and EpiHerd, a cattle genetics service. “Our role is to help build strong compa- nies that are investor ready,” said Mock. While the program gives participants access to business development experts and investors, the members of each cohort have complementary goals, which pro- duces valuable connections. “Peer-to-peer mentorship is a big part of the program,” she said. “We try to tailor our program to the needs of each cohort. It helps to improve the quality of the technology our founders come up with.” As well, similar- ities between U.K. and Canadian farming deliver two-way benefits. While U.K. entrepreneurs are exposed to Canadian business opportunities, Canuck startups are shown the European marketplace. The 2025 program concluded with the presentation of working product proto- types at the Ag in Motion farm expo in Langham, SK, in July. AgTech Accelera- tor’s impressive record includes support for 62 companies. As of this spring, the project has helped to raise $119.2 million in private capital and $44.4 million in public funding. It has assisted in the gen- eration of $72.1 million in revenue and the creation of $193 jobs. Tayab Soomro and Ethan Done of PathoScan Technologies participated in 2024. The co-founders met at a 2022 hack- athon in Saskatoon where they developed Done’s concept for PathoBox, a hand-held tool for farmers, agronomists and green- house operators to test crops for disease without time-consuming lab analysis. Their first-place win included cash to buy equipment to create a prototype. The two self-described hardcore scientists surveyed farmers to confirm a market for the product exists but lacked business skills. “Cultivator was a big factor in teaching us the core things we needed to know to take our product out into the world and make it a business,” said Soom- ro. PathoBox is now in its second year of field trials, and the two scientists have since found investment dollars to scale up. The goal of AgTech Accelerator, said Mock, is to support the adoption of these products by farmers. “We have such an opportunity to shape the future of agriculture.” Business incubatorgets results AgTech Accelerator supports product development