Government of Canada invests in innovation in Saskatchewan to bring leading-edge products and technology to market Français
Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) provides funding of $1.3 million for innovation and job creation
REGINA, SK, Jan. 24, 2022 /CNW/ - Driven by innovation and backed by a community of supporters, Saskatchewan is home to a rapidly growing tech sector, which includes many start-ups that are capturing national and international attention.
Today, the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, announced an investment of $900,000 to support Regina's new Agtech Accelerator, and an additional $400,000 to support Jobbox Software Inc. (Jobbox) as they expand functionality and markets for their technology.
Canada's first venture-backed Agtech Accelerator was established by Economic Development Regina (EDR), Cultivator powered by Conexus and Emmertech. The Accelerator supports early-stage agtech companies to scale-up and grow by providing critical access to resources, programming and capital investment. The Accelerator builds globally competitive agtech start-ups and supports a long-term vision of further solidifying Regina and Saskatchewan as a global agtech hub that is focused on the agri-food value chain. It is a key part of EDR's agriculture and food strategy, which builds on regional strengths and unique assets, while reducing barriers to growth.
Jobbox, also supported by Cultivator, has built an innovative platform, ServiceBox, to assist field service companies to manage their business workflow digitally in real time. The Government of Canada is delivering additional investment to this growing firm to support further economic growth and innovation. This support will enable Jobbox to expand its platform and increase sales and marketing of its services throughout Canada and the United States.
Quotes
"For many start-ups, access to capital and business support services are significant hurdles to success. The Government of Canada is supporting Canadian entrepreneurs and ensuring they have access to the resources and investment they need to take their innovative ideas to market. We have everything we need right here in Canada to thrive in global tech innovation. By investing in Regina's Agtech Accelerator and Jobbox Software, we are investing in Saskatchewan, and in Canadians."
- The Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
"The Greater Regina Area has the innovation ecosystem in place to support the expansion of our city as a global agriculture and food powerhouse. Many of the pieces are already in place. Regina is located at the centre of 80% of Canada's farmland, with sound logistics, a robust financing and venture capital system, global ag companies, and an Agtech Accelerator that will help our start-ups grow and scale to meet the challenge of feeding the world sustainably. The challenge will be to meet the demand for skilled labour. With this PrairiesCan investment and our post-secondary partnerships, we're meeting that challenge head-on."
- Tina Beaudry-Mellor, Chief Economic Growth Officer, Economic Development Regina
"We are proud to be a part of the growing tech community in Saskatchewan and it's exciting to see more investment into the tech space here. The funding provided by Prairies Economic Development Canada is going to have an immediate effect on our already rapid growth. With this funding we plan to expand our customer base and continue to develop a product that is helping service-based businesses across North America improve their operations and increase business revenues."
- Jon Clifford, Chief Executive Officer, Jobbox Software Inc.
Quick facts
- PrairiesCan's $900,000 investment in the Agtech Accelerator is made through the Regional Innovation Ecosystem (RIE) program. RIE supports non-profit organizations in serving business needs to create, grow, and nurture inclusive regional innovation ecosystems.
- PrairiesCan is investing $400,000 in Jobbox Software Inc. under the Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program. BSP supports high-growth businesses that are scaling up and producing innovative goods, services or technologies.
- Saskatchewan's tech sector has grown 38% since 2010 to reach $5 billion GDP in 2020 and it continues to grow.
- Saskatchewan is well-positioned to be a leader in agtech innovation due to its wealth of agricultural expertise, world-leading agriculture and food companies, and vibrant start-up and tech communities.
Associated links
- Cultivator | Agtech Accelerator | Cultivating Canadian Agtech
- Economic Development Regina
- Emmertech
- Jobbox Software Inc.
Stay connected
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Toll-Free Number: 1-888-338-9378
TTY (telecommunications device for the hearing impaired): 1-877-303-3388
SOURCE Prairies Economic Development Canada
Contacts: Ryan Cotter, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, [email protected]; Craig Henry, Communications Manager, Prairies Economic Development Canada, ; [email protected]; Chelsea Low, Senior Communications Manager, Economic Development Regina, [email protected]; Jon Clifford, Chief Executive Officer, Jobbox Software Inc., [email protected]
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