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JOIN AG AND ENVIRO TECH INNOVATORS AT SPARK V4 IN ELORA

SPARK V4 Symposium is presented by Grand River Agricultural Society (GRAS). This year we are continuing to showcase new high-growth potential emerging companies. This is our 4th annual SPARK Symposium designed to accelerate Canadian Ag Tech and Green Tech companies who are seeking to expand their businesses and add new product lines!

EVENT DETAILS:

DATE: Tuesday, April 15, 2025

LOCATION: The GrandWay Events Centre (7445 Wellington County Rd. 21, Elora)

TIME:
11:30 am - Doors open, networking, booths in The GrandWay Lounge
12:00 pm to 12:45 pm - Lunch available
12:45 pm to 5:00 pm - Pitches and presentations
5:00 pm - Meet and greet

SEE THE FULL AGENDA HERE.

$25 attendance fee. All of the funds raised will be matched by GRAS! Live at the event you will have a chance to vote for your favourite pitch, via a poll, and one of the pitch companies will be awarded the funds.

Pre-registration is required, tickets will not be sold at the door.

**No refunds will be issued for this event.**

MENU:
Herb Rubbed Chicken with sun-dried tomato cream sauce (GF)
Pasta Aglio - Linguini, cherry tomato, confit garlic, and chili flakes in a white wine beurre blanc. (Vegetarian)
House Salad - Baby spring mix with cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, English cucumber, crispy apple chips, and watermelon radish. dressed with cider vinaigrette.(GF, Vegan)
Harvest Crunch Salad - Arugula, feta, pomegranate, diced apple, pumpkin seeds, and avocado with an apple cider vinaigrette.(GF, Vegetarian)
Chopped Salad - Iceberg lettuce, radicchio, red onion, bocconcini, cherry tomato, chickpeas, and pepperoncini, with black garlic lemon vinaigrette. (GF, Vegetarian)
Classic bread pudding with coffee vanilla syrup (Vegetarian) OR Golden Maple Fruit Cup (GF/VEGAN)

Please ensure you share your dietary requirements in the registration form. Or contact our Events Team at bookings@thegrandway.com to provide details.

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OUR SPEAKERS:

Emcee: Dr. Deb Stark, Independent Director

Deb calls herself a leader and a learner with a lifelong interest in Canadian agriculture and the people who feed us. She is a former Deputy Minister of OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) and Chief Veterinary Officer for Ontario.

She spends her time volunteering and sitting on boards including the University of Guelph (Vice Chair), Ontario Genomics (past Chair), the Golden Triangle Angel Network and most recently, the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network.

Keynote Speaker: Evan Fraser, Director, Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph

Evan is Director of the Arrell Food Institute and a Professor of Geography. An award-winning author with five books and 150+ academic publications, his work on food, sustainability, and climate change makes him one of Canada’s most cited experts. He advises the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council and the UN’s High-Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition, shaping national and global food policies. 

As Vice Chair of the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security and a leader in the Canadian Alliance for Net Zero Agrifood (CANZA), he works with government, industry, and communities to drive sustainable food systems. He mentors agri-food startups through Creative Destruction Labs and has held key roles, including Canada Research Chair (2010–2020), Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. 

He has also served as a scientific advisor to Genome Quebec and Protein Industries Canada, contributing to research and innovation in sustainable agriculture. Read more about Evan here: https://arrellfoodinstitute.ca/experts/evan-fraser/

Dr. Shari van de Pol - CATTLEytics

As the winner of the 2024 Spark V3 Pitch Competition, Shari and her team at CATTLEytics have had impressive milestones, awards, and funding over the past year. Their journey stands out as one of the great success stories from our SPARK events and she'll be sharing more on their successes. CATTLEytics offers dairy farmers and cattle owners tools to farm smarter. They design and maintain software and data systems that enable proactive animal health management. Their hardware solutions, such as cattle thermometers and automated dosing devices, further elevate efficiency. Their dairy management software will empower farmers to manage their operations seamlessly while promoting sustainability metrics. www.cattleytics.com

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PITCH COMPANIES:

1) VETSON

VETSon is veterinary telemedicine platform, specializing in helping rural and large animal veterinary practices reach their clients more efficiently through video consultations, direct to client shipping of medication. VETSon also helps practices maintain case records, manage medication and invoice while innovating how animal health information can get the veterinarian without travelling hours.

VETSon is supporting practices from the Yukon to PEI and now into the US, with over 450 farms connected. www.vetson.ai

2) CSTAINABLE INC.

Cstainable Inc. is a Canadian precision ag-tech & climate-tech company dedicated to optimizing the growth of greenhouse vegetable crops with our Cstainable™ Crop Enhancement technology. We enable greenhouse growers to increase yields, double profits, reduce CO2 emissions and make more money. www.cstainable.com

3) FARM HEALTH GUARDIAN

Farm Health Guardian is a biosecurity management technology (hardware and software) to help farms and food companies improve animal health and protect against the devastating impact of animal disease. The patented system controls barn entry using facial recognition technology and provides real-time alerts when people or trucks breach biosecurity protocols. www.farmhealthguardian.com

4) FLONERGIA SYSTEMS INC.

FloNergia Systems, an Ontario corporation spun off from the University of Guelph and based in Hamilton, Canada, provides innovative FloMov™ airlift pumps. The company has been selling its products since 2018, successfully penetrating key markets such as water/wastewater, aquaculture, and agriculture systems for water circulation and aeration. FloMov™ pumps reduce energy consumption by 50-70%, improve aeration efficiency by up to 40%, effectively strip CO2, and handle solid waste—all with no moving parts and minimal maintenance. www.flonergia.com

5) HAGGERTY ROBOTICS

Haggerty AgRobotics is a leader in the emerging agriculture robotics and automation industry. For several years, Chuck Baresich, Founder and President, has been researching and testing various technologies on the Haggerty Creek farming operation. Haggerty AgRobotics is proud to offer a wide range of cutting-edge technologies that can help farmers increase efficiency, reduce operational costs, and improve crop yields. The farming operation is part of Haggerty Creek Ltd. owned & operated by Chuck & Justin Baresich and AGRIS Cooperative since 2001. www.haggertyagrobotics.com

Questions about the event? Please contact DKey@grandriverag.com