VETSon, a leading innovator in telemedicine for veterinarians, and farmers, proudly announces its remarkable achievement at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show, where it clinched the coveted award for Innovation in Livestock. This accolade recognizes VETSon's commitment to advancing telemedicine in the veterinary industry through cutting-edge mobile technology and digital solutions.
RH Accelerator Changes Name to RHA Ventures and Welcomes New Partners
London, ON - RH Accelerator is excited to announce that it has changed its name to RHA Ventures Inc. The new name reflects the company’s commitment to providing innovative growth-stage companies with the investment and resources they need to scale their operations.
“We had some confusion with founders and investors around the word “Accelerator”…many public organizations help founders with free educational programming and it does not reflect what RHA does when it invests venture capital in the long term success of our portfolio companies.” Says Joe Dales, Co-Founder of RHA Ventures.
In addition to the name change, RHA Ventures is proud to welcome eight new partners: Nevin McDougall, Brian Cram, Zamir Khan, Lynn Davis, Steve Bolton, Steve Groves, John Pollock and David Brebner. These individuals bring significant private sector experience and expertise in starting and scaling businesses. They will help RHA Ventures to invest in and support more innovative companies. For more information visit https://rha.ventures/ and the Partners page at https://rha.ventures/partners
“We are thrilled to welcome these seven new partners to our team,” said Brian Foster, Co-Founder of RHA Ventures. “Their expertise and experience will be invaluable as we continue to help future growth-stage companies scale their operations and drive considerable sales.”
About RHA Ventures Inc. Founders Helping Founders.
RHA Ventures is a boutique investment company for visionary founders looking for long term capital and a “Founders for Founders” approach to building business. The RHA partners have decades of collective operational experience and bring seasoned, hands-on support in corporate governance, go-to market approaches, commercial development, growth and exit strategies. RHA helps founders and entrepreneurs identify the most valuable market opportunities and scale their companies for sustainable growth. RHA leverages a core group of founders (business owners / entrepreneurs), with an extensive network of mentors and investors to help entrepreneurs gain visibility, establish strategic relationships, and build successful companies.
RHA Ventures a key investor and the General Partner of the 519 Growth Funds.
The 519 Growth Fund I was launched in 2022 to support innovations in early stage, growth-focused companies that are technology-enabled with demonstrated recurring revenue, market acceptance and a defensible market position.
For more information visit our website at www.RHA.Ventures
Contact: Michael Dales, RHA Ventures email: michael.dales@rha.ventures
CAAIN Project Story—Farm Health Guardian
Farm Health Guardian (FHG) CEO, Rob Hannam, grew up on a family farm now operated by his brother. While he has always loved agriculture, Rob realized early on that he was less suited to farming than he was to helping producers. Thirty years later, the life-long learner has enjoyed an extraordinary, diverse ag-sector career that has seen him do everything from selling seed and crop inputs to running Synthesis Agri-Food Network, the highly successful agricultural communications and marketing firm he launched in 2009. Interestingly, it was a Synthesis consulting assignment supporting an animal health initiative that spurred his interest in disease control and was the genesis of Digitizing Fomite Contact Tracing to Mitigate Pathogen Spread in Agriculture, the FHG project CAAIN is funding.
Farm Health Guardian merges with U.S. company NoveTechnologies, LLC to improve on-farm biosecurity
Two industry leading biosecurity innovators, Farm Health Guardian Ltd. and NoveTechnologies, LLC (NoveTech) have come together to bring revolutionary farm biosecurity technology to pork and poultry producers in North America. The company is launching Protocol, a biosecurity management system that utilizes facial recognition technology for controlled access of livestock barns.
brüst, a company born in London, Ontario, is disrupting the coffee industry with Canada’s first functional coffee
BRUST BEVERAGE COMPANY LTD (brüst), is Canada’s pioneer in functional coffee. They are disrupting the coffee industry with ready-to-drink protein coffees that help you feel stronger, gain clarity, and become confident knowing you have the sustained energy to tackle your day. They have crafted their cold-brewed coffees with a balance of taste and performance. Each cold brewed coffee is combined with 20g of grass-fed protein to give you long-lasting energy. Recently, brüst has grown its distribution across the country into retail stores like Loblaws, Walmart, Whole Foods, and this summer Costco. They have seen growth into over 720 retail locations and are eclipsing their competition with faster velocity on shelf.
Founders WTF* Forum - February 2nd 2023
Please mark your calendar and register for our February 2nd for a Founders (WTF*) Forum. Join us for a fast but detailed (*where to focus) look at London's entrepreneurial growth ecosystem.
In cooperation with the RHA Partners and our Life Science community you'll hear pitches from 6 local founders: from early stage through well established growth firms. Founders will have 6 minutes to explain what they do, and how they're delivering value to the world from right here in London. We are looking forward to hearing from:
Speaker Companies
Burglar Buster,
Terra Optima,
Vessl,
Local Line,
Vidhug / Punchbowl,
and more to be confirmed
After the presentations there will be time to meet, and learn a little more about the exciting and interesting things happening here. Please register for this event. If you register, we really hope you'll attend since no-shows challenge our catering and planning.
What: Founders (*WTF) Forum / RH Partners / Life Sciences London
When: February 2nd. 4:00 - 6:00pm
Where: Siskinds, 275 Dundas Street
What: Snacks, drinks, 6 pitches from London founders
Why: Spend some quality time with London's entrepreneurial community
RH Accelerator Company Cannabis Wiki Announces Second Cannabis Conference
LONDON ONTARIO - JANUARY 17, 2022 – For the second consecutive year Cannabis Wiki and The Western Fair District have partnered to bring Southwestern Ontario’s regulated cannabis industry and community to the Forest City. Organizers are again planning on hundreds of exhibitors and attendees gathering to move the industry and the region’s economy forward, while continuing to break the stigma of cannabis.
“After a higher-than-expected level of success last year we are excited to be back in 2023! From our location partners to our sponsors, exhibitors, speakers and panellists we will once again pack the itinerary with value, diversity and high level business networking. This is an event where the agriculture and cannabis industry connects and deals get made,” said Derrick Burney, CEO and founder Cannabis Wiki.
RHA Portfolio company Intelliculture announced as John Deere Startup Collaborator
OLATHE, Kan. (January 9, 2023) — Deere & Company has released the names of eight companies chosen for its 2023 Startup Collaborator program. The Startup Collaborator was launched in 2019 and helps John Deere enhance precision technology in its agriculture and construction equipment.
IntelliCulture, a company providing farm equipment management software that helps drive sustainable farming practices through actionable insights, efficiency improvements and risk mitigation.
Can Technology & Innovative Solutions Help Ease The Veterinarian Shortage?
Veterinarian burnout and retirements have resulted in critical shortages plaguing the livestock industry in Canada, United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. Thousands of small farms across Canada cannot access veterinary care at all. Simple tasks, such as getting medication to farms or speaking with a veterinarian regarding treatment protocols, have become a challenge in Canada.
VETSon, a southern Ontario technology start up company, is working on innovative solutions to alleviate the stress that farmers experience when trying to get help from a veterinarian for their livestock.
Founders WTF* Forum - November 10th, 2022
Connect, learn, share and listen to Founder Pitches from London's entrepreneurial community.
Join us on November 10 for a fast but detailed look at London's entrepreneurial growth ecosystem.
What: Founders (*WTF) Forum / RH Accelerator / Life Sciences London When: November 10th, 4:00 - 6:00pm Where: Siskinds, 275 Dundas Street What: Snacks, drinks, 6 pitches from London founders Why: Spend some quality time with London's entrepreneurial community
Companies presenting are:
The Brust Beverage Company Ltd. (“brüst”) Joins RH Accelerator (“RHA”)
IntelliCulture closes $1.7 million Emmertech-led seed round to scale farm management platform
Kitchener-Waterloo farm management software startup IntelliCulture has secured $1.7 million CAD in seed financing led by AgTech-focused Saskatchewan-based investor Emmertech.
The all-equity March round also drew participation from London, Ontario’s 519 Growth Fund, and a group of undisclosed strategic investors and industry experts that IntelliCulture founder and CEO Cole Powers described as technology and SaaS experts with a lot of product development experience.
Haggerty AgRobotics, RH Accelerator and WFA to host AgRobotics Open House at The Grove
The Grove at Western Fair District is pleased to announce the successful collaboration of three local agri-business entities to host an Agrobotic Open House for farmers in Southwestern Ontario.
Haggerty Creek, along with RH Accelerator and The Grove at Western Fair District will share some AI and robotic innovation with the public, at an Ag-Robotic Open House, March 25th, 2022 at The Grove at Western Fair District. Three robotic models will be showcased for attendees. The Open House will be held from 1:00 – 4:00 PM, beginning with a hybrid presentation by Haggerty AgRobotics, followed by a Q&A and on-site driving of robots.
Register Now!
New Cannabis Industry Event Arrives at the District in 2022
November 24, 2021, London, Ontario: The Western Fair Association has partnered with CannabisWiki to organize a first-of-its-kind agricultural cannabis event in our region. CannabisWiki Conference & Expo is set to be hosted at the Western Fair District, Agriplex, June 15 & 16, 2022. Cannabis is changing Canada’s agriculture landscape, with revenues on par with the Canadian Dairy industry. CannabisWiki is proud to bring a cannabis show to Middlesex-London, Ontario - the agricultural hub for Southwestern Ontario. The two-day event will showcase cannabis industry innovations in the region, across the country and help to bring awareness about London and Middlesex as a world-leader in agriculture, agribusiness, and plant derived medicines. The goal of the show is to foster regional and national B2B networking opportunities and to bolster Middlesex-London’s reputation as a diversified agricultural hub.
Lynn Smurthwaite-Murphy joins RH Accelerator as a Senior Advisor.
Brian Cram joins RH Accelerator as a Senior Advisor.
Grand River Ag Society & RH Accelerator make an Impact Investment in IntelliCulture
Punchbowl® Acquires Platform to Record & Preserve Memories, Launches Memento.com
Punchbowl® (www.punchbowl.com), the Company behind the critically acclaimed technology platform for online invitations and digital greeting cards, today announced the acquisition of VidHug, Inc., a privately held company known for its best-in-class group video technology. Punchbowl has leveraged this acquisition to springboard into a new market. Today, the Company announced the launch of Memento.com—a platform to record, make, and preserve memories from the most meaningful life celebrations and milestones. Technology from VidHug provided the foundation for Memento and is the beginning of the vision for the new platform.
Ag Robotics & Automation: The Future is Closer Than You Think.
Interested farmers, agri business professionals, robotics industry staff and investors will want to hear presentations from 14 ag robotics leaders and interact with them virtually on the powerful www.MienTzu.com events platform which enable direct face to face interaction in the separate tradeshow booths during the event. The most current agenda can be found and to register for free at the website link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ag-robotics-automation-event-the-future-is-closer-than-you-think-tickets-146422356209
Black Entrepreneur Program To Announce Incubator for BIPOC Canadian Entrepreneurs At Free, Virtual Black History Month Summit on Feb 25th
The Black Entrepreneur Program will announce an Incubator for BIPOC Canadian entrepreneurs on February 25th at a free, virtual Black History Month Summit. The Summit runs February 25th from 4 to 6 pm (Eastern Time) and features talks from various levels of government and black-owned business-owners across Southern Ontario, as well as Q&As and face-to-face digital networking "rooms."