LONDON, ON – RHA Ventures Inc. congratulates Western Fair Association and FedDev Ontario on the announcement of an $8 million investment to expand and modernize The Grove Agri Food Innovation Hub at Western Fair District.
The new investment builds on previous federal support that helped establish The Grove as a leading agri-food innovation and entrepreneurship hub serving Southwestern Ontario’s rapidly growing agriculture and food sector. According to FedDev Ontario, Grove 2.0 will provide expanded scale-ready production capacity and cold storage infrastructure to help agri-food SMEs diversify markets, strengthen supply chains and improve resiliency.
RHA Ventures Inc. has been actively involved in supporting early-stage agri-food and ag-tech innovation at The Grove and across Southwestern Ontario through investment, mentorship, founder development and strategic industry connections.
“RHA Ventures has proudly invested in and mentored numerous agri-food and ag-tech startup companies while operating from The Grove at Western Fair,” said Joe Dales. “The Grove has become an important collaborative ecosystem for agriculture and food innovation, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, industry leaders and commercialization partners under one roof.”
“The Government of Canada’s continued investment through FedDev Ontario validates the importance of building regional innovation infrastructure that supports the future of food, agriculture, sustainability and advanced manufacturing,” added Dales. “This expansion will create even greater opportunities for startups and scaling companies to commercialize technologies, access mentorship, attract investment capital and grow globally competitive businesses right here in Southwestern Ontario.”
Since its launch, The Grove has supported a growing number of food, beverage, ag-tech and value-added agriculture companies through incubation, acceleration, product development and commercialization programming. The innovation hub has also played an important role in strengthening the region’s agri-food entrepreneurship ecosystem and attracting new talent and investment to London and the surrounding region.
About RHA Ventures Inc.
RHA Ventures Inc. is a leading early-stage venture investment firm focused on agriculture, agri-food, robotics, AI and sustainability innovation. Based in Southwestern Ontario, RHA Ventures works closely with founders, industry leaders and innovation partners to help scale transformative companies serving the future of agriculture and food systems. For more information visit www.RHA.ventures