Non-profit urban innovation hub, Mars Discovery District, is helping Canadian food and agtech companies across the agrifood supply chain establish themselves in the country, Tyler Hamilton, senior director of climate at Mars, told AgTechNavigator.
Historically, Mars supported companies across a range of different industries, including cleantech, fintech, and health, but is now turning to agtech and foodtech with the help of Farm Credit Canada (FCC).
Mars’ Food and AgTech Mission focuses on three key components, designed to accelerate innovation, move capital to promising startups, and reinforce Canada’s food system, the organization shared in a press release. These three components include:
- Venture accelerators: Over the next several years, Mars will host three different cohorts of 8-10 start-ups that will span from “the farm all the way to the shelf,” focusing on resilient infrastructure, logistics and traceability, waste and circularity, and automation, Hamilton said. The first cohort will focus on the digital supply chain, and start-ups are encouraged to submit applications by Oct. 17, 2025.
- National coalition: This component will bring together various experts and stakeholders from across the agrifood chain, including big food producers, startups, investors, and potentially the government to discuss pain points to adoption and prioritize how they can address them, Hamilton noted. Currently, representatives from The Arrell Family Foundation, NYA Ventures, S2G Investments, Telus Agriculture & Consumer Goods, and Wittington Ventures are part of the advisory body for Food and AgTech Mission activities.
- Corporate adopter cohort: Additionally, Mars will work with 5-10 large corporations based in Canada to help them address their specific challenges by matching them with technology companies that can solve that problem, Hamilton explained.
Innovative start-ups are crucial not only to securing Canada’s food system but also to combat agriculture’s carbon footprint, Hamilton pointed out. The ag sector was the fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada in 2021, accounting for approximately 10% of all emissions, according to the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.
“We know that food and agriculture industry accounts for a big chunk of total emissions in Canada and globally. So, the more innovation can be applied to help develop efficiencies and reduce impacts in the sector, the better,” Hamilton elaborated.
Can agtech unlock economic opportunities for Canada?
Additionally, Canada is looking to bolster and reinforce its agrifood supply chain as the country looks for opportunities to develop its export markets, Hamilton noted. The Trump administration levied a total 35% tariffs on Canadian goods, except for goods under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement and steel and aluminum, as the U.S. works on a trade negotiation with one of its largest trading partners.
Agtech and foodtech innovation can help Canada develop its export markets, while securing the food chain for Canadian citizens amid climate change. Additionally, Canada’s cold weather and vastness mean that innovation is needed to get food to the eventual end consumer, Hamilton explained.
“We are a country that has pretty cold winters, and there are lots of regions of Canada that cannot do year-round growing. So, exploring things like all-season growing and keeping a stable supply of fruit and vegetables without having to rely on imports is an area of focus,” he elaborated.
He added, “We are competing against other countries, so we need to produce this stuff more efficiently, more affordably. Where can digital technologies, as an example, help to introduce those greater efficiencies and increase productivity?”
