Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology (WGCIT), a California-based AgTech incubator, announced July 30 the government of Canada as its first international partner. The WGCIT, which is located in Salinas, California, is one of the first agricultural technology centers in the United States that is dedicated to bringing innovative entrepreneurs together with farmers to facilitate creative solutions to the biggest challenges facing agriculture.
Since first opening its doors in 2015 with just six start-up companies, the WGCIT has housed more than 75 companies all striving to develop cutting-edge technologies that will benefit the specialty crop industry.
“As our technology center continues to advance solutions for farmers across the nation, we are elated to expand our global reach through this collaboration with Canada. We strive to move the needle on the development of agtech worldwide and look forward to serving as a destination for innovation on a global level.”
Dennis Donohue, Director, WGCIT.
WGCIT Center was created to help identify industry priorities, discover technologies to address those priorities, set up testing, facilitate industry feedback and communicate progress to California, Arizona and Colorado fresh produce farmers. WGCIT offers platform to:
- Meet WGA Members: You’ll engage with companies (from almost 1,000 companies) growing fresh produce in California, Arizona and Colorado.
- Monthly seminars: You’ll understand market intelligence, business planning, intellectual property and anything else that might help you grow your ideas.
- Network: There are regularly scheduled events. It’ll provide plenty of opportunities to connect with the right folks.
- Present your ideas: You can share your creative intelligence. Industry professionals will share impactful feedback to help guide you.
- Connect: Conjure up things with other companies in the AgTech space for collaboration. It’s a special niche and you’ll be right in the heart of it.
- Training and mentorship: Leaders in agriculture and technology will dedicate time to your betterment. You can consider it a growth opportunity.
As part of the partnership through the Consulate General of Canada, the Canadian Technology Accelerator, a business development program that helps early-stage Canadian technology startups, will have full access to the WGCIT.
“We are thrilled to be the first international partner of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology. Through this partnership, we are strengthening the agtech ecosystems on both sides of the border and helping to build a sustainable future for North America.”
Rana Sarkar, the Consul General of Canada in San Francisco/Silicon Valley
Additionally, the partnership will encourage collaboration between the Canadian Technology Accelerator and WGCIT resident startups in an effort to introduce and rapidly deploy innovative technologies that help farmers feed more people with fewer inputs.
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