Incubator and Investment
$500,000.00
Incubator, Investment
Description:
The Global Agri-Food Advancement Partnership (GAAP) is a new entity resulting from collaboration between Ag-West Bio, the Global Institute of Food Security, the Food Industry Development Centre, Innovation Place, and private sector partners. GAAP was created to support early and rapid growth stage companies within all areas of agriculture and food.
GAAP combines the benefits of significant investment capital (up to $500,000), long-term incubation in a world-class facility (up to three years, with access to laboratories, greenhouses, and offices), along with guidance and training from sector-specific experts. It supports early-stage companies working on promising, disruptive technologies in the early stages of development, with applications in agriculture, food, or food processing; and domestic and international clients looking to establish a presence in Western Canada.
Comments on Funding:
GAPP provides up to $500,000 in investment capital.
Continuous Intake
Eligibility:
Applicants must be:
1. early-stage technology companies – companies working on promising disruptive technologies in the early stages of development (post proof of concept) with application in agriculture, food, or food processing.
2. rapid growth stage companies – companies that have already demonstrated large scale commercial application for their technology; often they have been successful in securing a considerable amount of investment, and in many cases, they are already generating revenue.
3. In most instances these companies are located and operating outside of Canada or North America (but not exclusively) and have traction and or success in overseas markets. GAAP allows them to access the North American marketplace with lower entry costs, reduce capital expenditure, a tailored concierge services, and an expedited path to market.
Application Steps:
Documentation Needed:
Other Things to Note:
GAAP offers a novel platform designed to address the unique challenges of agri-food companies and technology developers during the start-up/expansion phase. Benefits include:
1. Access to state-of-the-art greenhouses, laboratories, and office space for up to three years: This means portfolio companies do not have to spend money on renting, operating, and maintaining such facilities and infrastructure. Instead, they can allocate their capital towards innovation and commercialization building tangible value.
2. Up to $500,000 in investment capital: Many early-stage companies have limited access to capital, in part, due to high upfront costs and a long timeline to market entry, and revenue generation typical in this sector. By providing significant investment we enable the most promising companies to focus on technology progression and market adoption.
3. Commercial volume scale-up opportunities: Most early-stage and rapid growth stage companies encounter considerable hurdles when looking at mass production. Many face the daunting task of financing their own build, along with operation and maintenance. GAAP provides scale up opportunities, offsetting the need for capital.
4. Training and Mentorship: GAAP provides mentorship from sector-specific experts who provide firsthand advice on business development, regulatory pathway, product development, fund-raising, marketing, logistics, export, and more. Entrepreneurs can also access training on specialized equipment (such as qPCR). All this helps companies avoid costly and time-consuming mistakes, expediting the path to market and lowering the capital requirements.
About the author
Maurice