Last year, Innovate BC and the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program provided $2 million in research and development funding to help regional companies pilot technologies and create new jobs across British Columbia.
The B.C. Fast Pilot invested in 14 companies at the time—including SkyAcres Agrotechnologies, which was recently named one of the most innovative technology startups in the province.
Launched from a Surrey basecamp in 2021, SkyAcres is building a network of scaleable vertical farming operations, aiming to deploy turnkey farms through franchise-like partnerships.
“At SkyAcres, we are committed to pioneering a new era of agriculture through our state-of-the-art, energy-efficient aeroponic vertical farming systems,” the BC company states online. “We strive to make sustainable farming accessible and profitable for all, transcending the limitations of traditional agriculture.”
The company hopes to convert existing commercial infrastructure, “including neglected and under-utilized spaces, into smart indoor farms and sustainable green building systems.”
“By creating a decentralized network of small-scale, low-cost farming operations, we aim to revolutionize the food supply chain, alleviate food insecurity, and empower communities with food sovereignty,” states the ag-tech.
Google has unveiled for International Women’s Day its latest cohort of the “Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders” program, which first launched in 2020—and Surrey’s SkyAcres is among them as the sole representative from British Columbia.
“Here in Canada, women entrepreneurs . . . make up only 17% of small and medium-sized business owners,” says Iran Karimian, Head of Startup and Developer Ecosystem for Google Canada.
Thus a 10-week equity-free program brings together the best of Google’s products and people to help women-led tech startups scale and grow their business, according to Karimian.
Startups receive mentorship and technical support as well as workshops targeting areas such as product design and customer acquisition.
“Over the past four years, we’ve worked with 47 women-led startups across North America, who have collectively raised US$93 million since graduating from their cohorts,” Karimian noted.
Waterloo-based B2B SaaS health-tech firm MedReddie and Calgary’s Nimble Science round out the three of 15 startups from Canada who will be participating.
“We’re excited and inspired by the work these founders are doing and can’t wait to support them in their growth journey when the 2024 Google for Startups Accelerator: Women Founders program kicks off this spring,” said Karimian.
Leave a Reply