HyVida selected to the 10 startup finalists for a Food & Bev Innovation Cohort

Plug and Play Alberta Announces 10 Startups for First Cohort of Food and Beverage Program

CALGARY, ALBERTA, March 16, 2023 - Plug and Play Alberta has announced 10 startups selected for the first batch of their Food and Beverage program. The goal of this program is to promote innovation on a global scale in Alberta by creating channels for business development, mentorship, and the testing of pilots and proof of concepts between selected startups and the program's founding partners.

An advisory panel has been established to jointly select and guide the participating startups, including representatives from Bioenterprise Canada, Coca-Cola Bottling, Agropur, Sobeys, Sodexo, Pepsico, Calgary Co-op, and the Canadian Food Innovation Network.

“We’re kicking off the Food and Beverage program in Alberta with an incredible display of startups joining us,” said Lindsay Smylie, Director of Plug and Play Alberta. “These cutting-edge companies are driving innovation, from waste reduction to supply chain to biotech they are leading the way at every step of the food value chain. We’re looking forward to accelerating their innovation journey and connecting them with our ecosystem partners and advisory panel.”

The Plug and Play Food and Beverage program focuses on the technology behind farm-to-table processes and innovations. This program connects the best and brightest startups with some of the world's largest food and agricultural institutions to reach new heights in the industry.

The first Food and Beverage three-month program officially launched on March 6, 2023, and will run until the next Plug and Play Alberta EXPO from May 29-30, 2023 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada which marks the highly anticipated graduation of Plug and Play’s Spring 2023 cohort.

Learn more about the 10 startups participating in the program:

Earthware Reusables
Earthware is a reusable packaging as a service company that eliminates harmful single-use takeout containers.

GrainFrac
Pioneering next generation plant-protein extraction technologies to further accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable food system.

HyVida
Produce better for you beverages infused with molecular hydrogen gas and magnesium. HyVIDA launched the World’s first hydrogen infused sparkling water and gaining traction. Additionally, HyVIDA has multiple licensing opportunities with its platform technology.

Liven Proteins
Starting with collagen, Liven produces animal-free functional protein ingredients to empower a nutritious and delicious future.

NuVessl
NuVessl is a nanotechnology company that specializes in product development and research development in the food tech space using it's patent protected and all-natural nano-encapsulation technology to enhance health and wellness.

Opalia
Opalia is developing a technology to make milk outside of the cow for functional, nutritious, and sustainable dairy products.

Savefruit

We have 100% organic, no residue, proprietary solutions to keep fruits fresh 130% more time.

Syzl
Transforming kitchen real estate to empower the next generation of mind-blowing food makers.

Techbrew Robotics

We take the labour pain out of commercial mushroom harvesting.

Trendi
We use robotics to help the farm and food industry rescue and upcycle food waste into valuable products.

Visit the Plug and Play Alberta website for more information.

About Plug and Play Alberta

Plug and Play Alberta is building a world-class innovation platform to attract top technology and investment to the region and support Albertan entrepreneurs to scale and grow, hire tech talent, and propel digital transformation across the province. Plug and Play is part of the Alberta Scaleup and Growth Accelerator Program that is run by a consortium led by Alberta Innovates. The consortium, which also includes Technology and Innovation, Edmonton Unlimited, the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, and Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), allocated $35 million over three years to retain business accelerators. It’s part of the Alberta government’s goal to help create 20,000 jobs and increase technology firm revenue to $5 billion by 2030.

About Plug and Play Tech Center

Plug and Play is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we're present in 50+ locations across 5 continents. We offer corporate innovation programs and help our corporate partners in every stage of their innovation journey, from education to execution. We also organize startup acceleration programs and have built an in-house VC to drive innovation across multiple industries where we've invested in hundreds of successful companies including Dropbox, Guardant Health, Honey, Lending Club, N26, PayPal, and Rappi. For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com.

Plug and Play Contacts

Carly Beckman
Program Manager, Food & Beverage
Plug and Play Tech Center
c.beckman@pnptc.com

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