Ask An Expert: Ag Tech’s Hottest Topics For Investors

Emmet McGonagle

June 17, 2022

Remi Schmalz, director of North American Business Development at TELUS Agriculture, has hailed broadacre ag tech as “the hottest thing that's going on” for investors in the sector.


Speaking to moderator Marty Seymour, director of industry and Stakeholder Relations at Farm Credit Canada and “cowboy at heart” as part of Valhalla Private Capital’s “Ask An Expert” series, Remi described ag tech as a “very broad” umbrella of technological niches, including different farming systems, softwares, IoT, sensors and marketplace content.


The self-proclaimed “expert” in broadcare crop farms explained: “The world is certainly very focused on carbon emissions and ESG-related efforts, and broadacre agriculture is one of the components of that. 


“Right now, if someone looks up ‘broadacre ag tech companies’, almost every company would have some sort of flavor around the topic on their website,” he continued.


On the other hand, Alison Sunstrum, founder and CEO of CNSRV-X - a Canadian company which researches and applies emerging tech in agriculture - cited food processing as the “biggest opportunity” in Canada’s ag tech industry.


With a focus on robotics, packaging and waste repurposing, Alison remarked that new innovations in food are bridging gaps within the ag tech world. This is achieved through endorsing a "one health approach" within the sector, in which "healthy animals, plus healthy plants, equal healthy humans".


However, while Alison warned that ag tech outside of crop farming is becoming difficult to invest in as an angel, the Conserve X founder deemed livestock “an area to invest in, particularly if you can figure out what regenerative agriculture is”.


Do you have a question about angel investing? Get in touch with Valhalla Private Capital via our contact page.

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