The Grand River Agricultural Society (GRAS) is excited to announce that after two successful years of delivering the Rapid Response for Business Development (RRBD) initiative, it is doubling the annual funding to $100,000.

Launched in April 2022, RRBD was designed to support the GRAS commitment to impact investing by helping to fuel innovation in agriculture and the environment. It will provide up to $10,000 to enable young Ontario companies in ag-tech, green-tech, and agri-food to seize market opportunities and secure sales of their products or services.

Over the last two years, the initiative provided funding for 10 Ontario companies to respond rapidly to global market opportunities.

“Rapid Response for Business Development provided $50,000 last year which led to $3.5 million in new sales, which is an outstanding ROI,” says Deborah Whale, VP and Chair of the Outreach Committee. “We are committed to continuing this support of Ontario entrepreneurs so they can showcase their products, sell them worldwide and continue to thrive right here in Canada!”

The RRBD allows innovative companies in ag-tech and clean-tech, agri-food, and other agri-products to move quickly to take advantage of market opportunities and secure sales. The money supports eligible travel and associated costs required to “close the deal” with established business connections.

Working with CanLead Solutions, the next round of applications will open on April 1, 2024. The application criteria can be found at: https://grandriveragsociety.com/philanthropy/ 

Learn more about GRAS’s impact investing here: https://grandriveragsociety.com/impact-investing/

Looking for a way to support ag-tech, clean-tech, or agri-food start-ups? Join GRAS Thursday, April 4, 2024, for their SPARK V3 Symposium! This is their third year hosting this agriculture investor event. It is your opportunity to be introduced to fascinating companies operating in agriculture and environment-related spaces. If you have never considered agriculture as an asset class, the time is now to discover more.

Register for SPARK V3 here: https://grandriveragsociety.com/event/the-spark-v3-symposium/