Cultivating global success: World Agri-tech 2023

In late September, Cultivator embarked on a journey to London, England alongside AGTECH ACCELERATOR companies and partners, for a global gathering in alignment with World Agri-tech Summit. This mission was made possible through a dynamic global partnership with Innovate UK, with the overarching goal of facilitating a reciprocal value-added relationship between Canadian companies, creating investor connections and cultivating global collaborations — and vice versa for UK companies to do the same when they take part in AGTECH ACCELERATOR programming.

The partnership with Innovate UK is the primary catalyst in the creation of Saskatchewan as a global agtech hub. Through this partnership, 5 UK-based companies join the AGTECH ACCELERATOR Cohort through the Global Incubator Programme. In two cohorts, we’ve seen firsthand the collision between UK and Canadian founders and we’re eager to see further reciprocal partnerships being established through efforts like this mission.

On Mon. Sept. 25, Cultivator kicked off the week by hosting an Investor Day at Canada House located in Trafalgar Square, the heart of London. What better location than Canada House to facilitate global connections between Canada, and beyond? This prestigious building symbolizes the strong and enduring ties between Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as innovation and economic collaboration. This day was made possible through support and partnership from the High Commission of Canada. Together, we brought together investors, founders, supporters and partners from across the world for an afternoon of pitches, 1:1 meetings and networking. With 15 venture capital funds represented and a combined 17 (Cohort 1 and Cohort 2) companies in attendance, Cultivator facilitated 45+ 1:1 sessions with investors and founders. These international connections are pivotal for future investment and partnership.  

His Excellency, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, High Commissioner for Canada in the UK, opened up the program with greetings on behalf of the Government of Canada and the High Commission. Honourable Ralph Goodale has deep roots in Saskatchewan and agriculture; he was raised on a family farm near Wilcox and attended both the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan. Attendees also received greetings from Honourable Jeremy Harrison, Minister of Trade and Export Development and Minister Responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan, as well as Stella Peace, Executive Director for Healthy Living and Agriculture at Innovate UK. AGTECH ACCELERATOR founding partners, Emmertech and Economic Development Regina were also represented to welcome guests and set the atmosphere for the day.

On Tues. Sept. 26 + Wed. Sept. 27, the delegation attended World Agri-tech Innovation Summit, a leading event for agriculture innovation and agtech investment. As an Innovation Partner, Cultivator had the opportunity to feature and position AGTECH ACCELERATOR companies on stage during a breakout session to pitch in a room full of investors and industry leaders. We also lead an engaging panel to highlight the pivotal role of strategic partnerships, support and collaboration in cultivating the success of agtech ventures on a global scale through the AGTECH ACCELERATOR program.

Panel: 
Rebecca Franklin, Agtech Program Lead, Cultivator 
Kyle Scott, Managing Director, Emmertech
Chris Lane,  President + CEO, Economic Development Regina
Kevin Chung, Director, Innovation Saskatchewan

Founder Pitches:
Michael Riedijk, Founder & CEO, Lucent Bioscience
Darren Anderson, CEO & Co-Founder, Vive Crop Protection 
Jenny Lemieux, CEO & Co-Founder, Vivid Machines 
Mokah Shmigelsky, CEO, OneCup AI
Samuel Fournier, CEO & Co-Founder, ChrysaLabs
Maxime Dumont, COO, Picketa Systems
Dan McCann, CEO, Precision AI 
Kyle Folk, CEO, GroundTruth Ag
Minshad Ansari, CEO & Founder, Bionema
Ben Scott-Robinson, CEO & Co-Founder, Small Robot Company
Imtiaz Shams, CEO, Flox

Cultivator’s presence at the World Agri-tech Summit was marked by a bustling booth that served as a hub of innovation and connection. The booth showcased the AGTECH ACCELERATOR companies in attendance, highlighting the cutting-edge technologies to all attendees. Showcasing at the summit allowed us the opportunity to engage with industry leaders and organizations who share our passion for transforming agriculture. We had many meaningful connections that broadened our global networks and laid the foundation for future partnerships and innovations to drive our program forward.

“Collaborating with Innovate UK has opened doors for Cultivator and Saskatchewan, creating high-impact opportunities to establish a global presence and drive forward our mission of agtech innovation and economic growth. The connections made during this journey will undoubtedly shape the future of agtech in our region and beyond, and we’re just getting started.” – Bre Walkeden, Cultivator Manager of Community + Partners

“World Agri-Tech London draws top-tier investors and startups from across the UK, EU, and the world, allowing Cultivator companies to showcase Canada and Cultivator as a premier Agtech Hub encouraging further investment into the ecosystem and opportunities for global partnerships.” – Rebecca Franklin, Cultivator Program Coordinator

Thank you to Innovate UK and the numerous other partners and supporters in attendance for making this trip a success. We look forward to continuing to build and position Saskatchewan as a global agtech hub and feature Canadian companies on world-class stages.

Thank you to the Cultivator team for organizing an awesome delegation! – Darren Anderson, Vive Crop Protection

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AGTECH ACCELERATOR PROGRAM LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR AGTECH ACCELERATOR PARTNERSHIPS

LEARN MORE ABOUT COHORT 1 + COHORT 2 AGTECH ACCELERATOR COMPANIES