The University of Guelph is linking with Thrive Canada which invests in new ventures, particularly in agriculture.
It might breathe life into the university’s lack-lustre track record in reaping financial rewards from the research it conducts. It has, for example, lagged far behind nearby University of Waterloo which has birthed hundreds of companies worth billions of dollars.
Thrive Canada is the Canadian arm of SVG Ventures/Thrive of Silicon Valley in California.
The parent has connections with about 5,000 agriculture and food companies in 40 countries and said it has made 40 investments in agriculture technology.
Thrive Canada said that makes it the largest agriculture and food startup investor in the world.
It is also a partner with Farm Credit Canada.
