MARS Discovery District of Toronto has picked nine people to lead its investments in agriculture technology companies which are launching new ventures.
MARS is best known for investing in medical technologies. In its early stages it was led by Ken Knox who was deputy minister for the province’s agriculture department.
Farm Credit Canada is supporting MARS’ entry into the agriculture sector. Lisa Ashton of RBC bank’s Thought Leadership is also involved at MARS.
The nine people chosen are:
- Luke Scales, co-founder of Arbia (Formerly known as Stocky AI)
Arbia is an AI-powered operating system for food suppliers that automates workflows, optimizes sales channels and buyer discovery through a B2B marketplace. - Corey Ellis, CEO and co-founder of Growcer
Growcer is a manufacturer of modular hydroponic farms that provides a simple solution to locally grow and sell fresh, profitable crops year-round, regardless of the climate. - Pierre-Xavier Roy, COO and co-founder of Hydro Cool Systems
Hydro Cool Systems is developing an intelligent, zero-carbon, mobile refrigeration system optimized for delivering food. - Lourdes Juan, CEO and founder of Knead Tech
Knead Tech is a software company that enables scalable food recovery solutions, helping food rescue organizations track and co-ordinate donations, ensure food safety and measure impact. - Francois Menard, CEO and founder of PULR Technologies
PULR Technologies provides foundational infrastructure for Industry 5.0 with AI-enabled regenerative electronics to improve traceability and optimize shelf life of ingredients and products. - Marcia Woods, CEO and founder of Purchs
Purchs is a B2B SaaS platform that automates the entire order-to-cash workflow for brands, distributors and retailers working in consumer-packaged goods. - Wayne McIntyre, CEO of Relocalize
Relocalize has developed autonomous micro-factories to create packaged ice and water cold packs that cut both costs and carbon emissions. - Yun Yao, CEO and co-founder of SoraLink
SoraLink provides a predictive maintenance service for industrial machines using AI and machine learning to analyze data and prevent equipment breakdowns for food processors. - Gaurav Tewari, CEO and president of Tewari De-Ox Systems
Tewari De-Ox Systems has invented and patented packaging technique for extending the shelf life of meat and poultry.