Food Technologies in California and the Upper-Midwest

The thriving food technology (FoodTech) industry offers wide-ranging opportunities for Canadian companies seeking growth in the United States. The Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) global business development program will help guide your growth in the strategic markets of California and the Upper Midwest.

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Important dates

Application deadline	Program dates	Time commitment
Closed	Dec 2023-March 2024	1-2 hours per week virtual + one week in-market

What are the benefits of joining?

Participants in the CTA program gain essential tools for scale-up through exclusive access to educational resources, potential customers, partners and investors in the California and Upper Midwest regions.

Upon acceptance to this program, you will engage in interactive workshops on:

the local market
the regulatory environment
financing
customer acquisition
investor attraction
legal and tax implications
and more!

The CTA also provides 1:1 mentoring and exposure to potential clients and partners via in-market programming.

Who should apply

We are looking for leading edge Canadian FoodTech companies with exceptional teams that can commit the time and energy required to take full advantage of the program. Companies must be raising or have plans to raise a Seed to Series A fund within the next 12 months; technology must be at least at pilot or demonstration stage (TRL 3-7).

We will consider companies that have technologies in the subsectors of the FoodTech industry, such as:

functional ingredients
alternative proteins
cellular agriculture
precision fermentation
food processing innovations
food safety and traceability technologies
surplus & waste management solutions
etc.

Your company must have:

a revenue-generating business with a fully built and validated technology
a passionate and committed team with specific market-entry goals
sufficient resources to target and achieve growth in market

The Trade Commissioner Service supports equity, diversity and inclusion in trade. We strongly encourage companies led by Canadians of all backgrounds to apply.

What you need to apply

How the program works

The CTA will take place between December 2023 and March 2024 with both virtual and in-person activities, including:

networking opportunities
webinars & training sessions
1:1 mentoring
pitch coaching
market education
investor roundtables
participation in the Future FoodTech Summit (San Francisco, March 2024)

Selected companies will have access to resources and connections with US companies based in the California and Upper Midwest regions.

We collaborate with in-market partners to deliver programming and connections, including The Vine and Opengate Partners in California, and Naturally Minnesota and the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute in Minnesota.