While Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley is already world-renowned for its apple harvests, a new venture is using years of scientific research to redefine how we enjoy the classic fruit.
Foodimprover is an agricultural technology startup that is using genetics to better understand the apple varieties people commonly encounter in grocery stores and markets. Through developing an advanced gene editing platform, the company is looking to change the landscape of agriculture technology, allowing scientists and producers to enhance the health benefits of crops while reducing their environmental impact.
Using as a home base the Apple Biodiversity Collection, an orchard in Kentville that grows more than 1,000 varieties of apples, Foodimprover aims to create future generations of apples that are hardier, healthier and more delicious.
“We’re developing a platform that finds gene editing targets for crops,” says Tommy Davies, head of technology development for Foodimprover and a PhD student studying agriculture at Dalhousie University. “The beauty of our platform is that it gives us various options and solutions to many different problems.”
Foodimprover has its roots in more than a decade of scientific work at Dalhousie. Sean Myles, founder and CEO of Foodimprover and an associate professor in Dalhousie’s Department of Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences, started the Apple Biodiversity Collection in 2011. But Foodimprover has grown recently, with help from Dal Innovates, Dalhousie’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurship that runs programs nationally.
Myles and the Foodimprover team took part in the Dal Innovates Ready2Launch program this summer, from June to August. The core team included Myles, Davies, PhD student Sophie Watts and recently graduated master's student Tayab Soomro.
Davies credits Dal Innovates and Ready2Launch’s supportive programming architecture for giving the team a needed boost in pushing the new startup forward on the open market.
“They hook you up with multiple connections within the industry, and they give you a sort of pseudo-board of directors as part of the program,” he says. “You get a lot of very experienced professionals who will give you very honest feedback.”
As part of Ready2Launch, Davies and his team were able to pitch their venture at the program’s Pitch Day, which took place on Sept. 22. There, Foodimprover competed against ten other teams of researchers and entrepreneurs gathered from across Atlantic Canada. As part of the program, each team received $15,000 in funding, with an additional $13,000 in prizes awarded to the first-place, second-place and people’s choice award winners.
“Pitch Day was great because you get fresh eyes that haven’t seen your ideas before coming out as part of the judging panel or as industry stakeholders in general,” he says. “You have to be able to succinctly communicate your ideas.
“The most valuable feedback I got was from someone who wasn’t necessarily in agriculture. They gave us very honest feedback on what our idea looked like and general advice on how to move forward as a startup company. That kind of advice for free isn’t easy to come by.”
Before Ready2Launch, Davies and the Foodimprover team were no strangers to Dal Innovates’ programming, having also taken part in its Lab2Market accelerator run by a sister cohort at Toronto Metropolitan University. Lab2Market is an early-stage development program, designed to equip emerging entrepreneurs with the tools they need to assess the commercial viability of their research.
“Lab2Market put a lot of emphasis on customer discovery and industry research,” notes Davies. “Five months after Lab2Market finished, we went to Ready2Launch. I feel fortunate that I did both – and did both in that order – because they complemented each other very well.”
Along with the help of Dal Innovates’ programming, Foodimprover has already enjoyed support within Atlantic Canada’s innovation network. Davies says the team is now gearing up for the next step in its journey to market.
“Very soon, Foodimprover is going to be looking for an angel investment, or to do a round of fundraising,” says Davies, noting that the startup’s current plans are to seek financial backing from potential seed investors or venture capitalists.
While Foodimprover looks forward to growing the startup into a blossoming business, the team is also excited about the myriad possibilities that their research will present for local growers and consumers. While apples are the first step in Foodimprover’s work, other crops may also benefit from similar research.
Different crops have unique needs, benefits and possibilities, and genetic research will be a continued focus for the agricultural sciences well into the future. And that’s where Foodimprover’s adaptable platform can cater to a specialized, emerging market.
“Some growers will need more climate-adaptable crops, with earlier flowering times,” says Davies. “Other growers will need fruit that can store longer.”
With a solid foundation supporting the venture, there are exciting possibilities ahead for Foodimprover, as it works to ensure a healthier future not just for people but for a changing environment as well.
Ready2Launch cohorts run annually June through September, with Lab2Market cohorts running sporadically throughout the year. Applications for the Dal Innovates Lab2Market Health program, which kicks off in January, are open until Nov. 4, 2022. Interested applicants can learn more at dalinnovates.ca.
For more information on Foodimprover Inc. and their agricultural innovation efforts, contact them through Foodimprover.com or follow them on Twitter @Foodimprover.
