ACADEMY COHORT
The below companies are part of the THRIVE Academy III cohort.
Algi is the first company creating purpose driven food products centered around algae. They are creating proprietary blends of chicken feed centred around algae that will allow farmers to increase the yield and quality of their eggs and meat at a cost comparable to current feed prices while reducing the emissions from the animals.
Bactery makes electricity from soil. Their bacteria-powered batteries, a.k.a. bacteries, self-recharge from microbial processes in soil, providing a 24/7 source of clean electricity, regardless of the weather or location. The remote and renewable energy generation makes them the ideal power source for field sensors and IoT devices, emerging in smart agriculture.
Benjamin Metcalfe (CSO)
Beekeeping Innovations pioneers sustainable beekeeping solutions with a focus on their revolutionary ‘Bee Cube.’ In response to climate-induced challenges and a concerning 50% bee colony loss in 2021/22, the Bee Cube offers a managed environment for up to 24 bee colonies. This innovative system continuously monitors temperature, humidity, CO2, and sound, aiding beekeepers in precise colony management.
Carbon OxyTech collaborates with clients to transform carbon-based materials into valuable products, offering innovative solutions across all development stages. Using eco-friendly methods, they convert domestic residuals like coal and biomass into high-value items. Addressing the demand for humic substances, they propose a green manufacturing process using underutilized wheat and barley straws, aligning with climate and economic goals.
Arif Mohammed, CIO
Ajibola Oladele, CTO
CropMind’s comprehensive agricultural AI platform offers three distinct models for efficient crop load management throughout the growth cycle: tree segmentation, fruit abscission, and apple counting with harvest prediction. These services, available in basic or comprehensive packages, enhance yield quality and economic value for orchards.
Albert Evdaev, Chief Nutritionist
Andrey Nayman, CFO
Green Feed Solutions is implementing a hydroponics vertical farm solution to grow natural animal feed. They are providing not just the feed, but solutions that can have positive impact to livestock health, dairy yield and methane emissions. Their solution’s benefits include stability in price, reduction in water waste, no use of fertilizer use, no crop loss.
PikAssist is revolutionizing mushroom farming with a game-changing solution. Labor scarcity has plagued the mushroom industry, particularly during manual harvesting in growing rooms. Addressing this, PikAssist, a lightweight semi-robotic device, accelerates picking by 2-3x, optimizing precision while collecting crucial cultivation data. Its attachable design seamlessly integrates with existing lorries, enabling workers to navigate stacked beds efficiently.
Steve Pickering, Software Developer
Mike Gardiner, President
ReEnvision Ag introduces a ground-breaking solution for modern farming challenges. With a patented Ultra-Low Soil Disturbance planter, they address the 27% loss of optimal spring planting days reported by Iowa State University. This innovation aids farmers in the soil health era, enabling wider planting windows, reduced compaction, and regenerative yield potential.
rZERO Labs transforms recyclable plastics into protein-rich biomass, serving as a potent biostimulant for enhanced plant growth in challenging environments. Catering to farmers, growers, and horticulturists, they develop protein-based biostimulants from plastic waste to supplement nutrient-based fertilizers.
Nabil Sardar, CTO
Thinai is focused on building data-based, ML solutions to predict crop quality, to help food processors proactively source amidst a changing climate. They are building a SaaS enterprise platform to predict crop quality for future harvests using ML. Their first model crop is malting barley where we are saving over $500M for maltsters, brewers and retailers in helping them source effectively for climate change.
Threshold UAV addresses the gap between expensive aircraft imagery and limited satellite imagery resolution. Overcoming legal constraints and weather disruptions, the company utilizes multiple small drones to offer cost- effective, high-resolution imagery. Through software innovation, consumer microdrones are transformed into a coordinated swarm system, ideal for capturing detailed visuals of expansive regions.
Chris Lemmon, CTO
Typha Co. pioneers a game-changing approach by harnessing runoff nutrients to craft innovative horticulture products. Through engineered wetlands and phytoremediation, they transform cattails into eco-friendly soil amendments, flowerpots, and cutting-edge grow media substrates, promoting a circular system of nutrient capture and recycling.
Uproot Food Collective is a versatile platform fostering local brands’ growth, equipped with infrastructure, marketing, and sales for nationwide expansion. With a vertically integrated approach, it boasts three pivotal channels to connect products with consumers. The dominant 65% thrives through Uprootfoodstore.ca, an e-commerce hub showcasing both their ‘owned brands’ and emerging local labels, catering to Alberta’s market.
Ray Ma, CMO
Jamie Scott, CXO
Wild Genomics helps farmers detect pests at an early stage through the analysis of samples collected from the air. Their approach involves automated sampling and rapid analysis to replace the labor intensive and slow practices of manual sampling and visual inspection that farmers are using today.
