If there is one thing Saskatchewan is known for, it’s agriculture. We’ve been known as the breadbasket of the world for generations, or more recently a global grocery store—and while our economy fires on many more cylinders now—we’re still a primary source of food for millions. Good business sense tells us to lead with your strengths, and we are doing just that.
Showcasing Saskatoon
SREDA has launched new programs to build on Saskatchewan’s reputation as an agricultural leader and set the stage for even more growth in agtech. Earlier this year, we launched the Agriculture Technology HARVEST Program to attract new agtech companies to Saskatoon. Three companies—the U.K.’s SoilWater Ltd., Lavie-Bio from Israel, and Manitoba’s Bushel Plus made their way to our city in July to see what our city offers for their budding ventures.
“Over the last year, we have ramped up our business attraction efforts with the goal of attracting more international investment to Saskatoon. The fact that these three companies were in Saskatoon on a business development mission shows our efforts are having success,” says Alex Fallon, SREDA’s President and CEO.
The same month, SREDA and Ag-West Bio partnered on another business attraction program called Voyage, that brought international companies to Saskatoon to participate in the Global Agri-food Advancement Partnership (GAAP) incubator. Two Australian firms, BioScout and Smart Paddock, and Drone Ag from the U.K. met with SREDA, Ag-West Bio and other industry partners during their stay in Saskatoon. All three intend to work toward a permanent presence in Saskatoon in partnership with GAAP.
The Agriculture Technology HARVEST Program connects agtech solutions to the Saskatchewan agricultural industry. Through this program, SREDA provides financial support to companies with technologies that are applicable to the agricultural industry. This program supports companies in their travel and attendance at the Ag in Motion Western Canada’s Outdoor Farm Expo.
Pitching Saskatoon
In September, SREDA headed to New York, Boston and Chicago as part of a United States Business Attraction Mission with Global Affairs Canada and Invest Canada to meet companies interested in expanding to Canada. “As Canada’s largest trading partner, and biggest source of Foreign Direct Investment, attracting investment and businesses from the United States is key to growing our economy,” says Fallon. “With Saskatoon’s strong natural resource sector, science and innovation strengths, and an emerging tech sector, Saskatoon deserves to be showcased on the global stage. By working with the Federal Government on this mission, we can do exactly that.”
“As Canada’s largest trading partner, and biggest source of Foreign Direct Investment, attracting investment and businesses from the United States is key to growing our economy,” says Fallon. “With Saskatoon’s strong natural resource sector, science and innovation strengths, and an emerging tech sector, Saskatoon deserves to be showcased on the global stage. By working with the Federal Government on this mission, we can do exactly that.”
There has never been a better time for Saskatoon, and Saskatchewan, to rise the occasion and show the world what we have to offer, and SREDA is doing just that.
Learn more about SREDA’s business attraction and investment work at sreda.com.
The SREDA – Ag-West Bio program, Voyage, offers funding for travel to Saskatchewan and discounted enrollment in the Global Agri-food Advancement Partnership (GAAP) incubator. GAAP – an Ag-West Bio partnership with the Global Institute for Food Security, the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre and Innovation Place – provides a soft-landing incubator for agri-value companies looking to develop their technologies in Saskatchewan. The three-month incubator program supplies greenhouses, labs, offices and concierge services to help agtech startups with networking opportunities, training, pathfinding and financial investment.
