TrendiTech, a Canadian robotics startup focused on innovative food waste and up-cycling solutions, has earned an $85,000 investment from the Canadian Food Innovation Network.
The CFIN recently announced investments in four projects across Canada, including one in BC—Burnaby-based startup Trendi.
“The CFIN team is energized by innovative activity we’re seeing nationally as demonstrated in the applications received for the booster,” said CEO Joseph Lake. “This further validates the need to support and invest into Canadian food innovation and continue to catalyze activity in the food sector.”
Trendi’s project is “From purees to powders: Using rescued foods for healthy soups,” which will demonstrate “new avenues for repurposing ingredients through the evolution of The Smoothie Machine,” an automated vending solution that will create a full circle economy utilizing up-cycled fruits and vegetables.
“The funding from CFIN means we can jump start the design for a hot soup kiosk, which will use our own freeze-dried products,” says Trendi CEO Craig McIntosh. “While making it easy for people to get nutritious food on the fly, we will begin to create a circular economy.”
The CFIN made the investment through its Innovation Booster funding program, which supports startups and businesses tackling sustainability, waste reduction, and food safety. The Innovation Booster is supported by the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund and is designed to help firms address food innovation challenges or technical hurdles that have created barriers to achieving commercialization goals.
“Canada has endless potential in the food innovation space, and we’re tapping into this potential like never before thanks to the work of the Canadian Food Innovation Network—a dynamic and collaborative nationwide network of businesses and innovators,” stated The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.
“The funding announced today will help drive innovation and give Canadian companies a leading edge in the global food sector,” he added.
In June, TrendiTech secured funding led by WGG Capital Canada and Florida’s Vestech Partners, which raised Trendi’s accumulative seed round total to over $8 million.
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