New partnership supports startup growth in agrifood sector

Nov 05, 2025
By Farms.com

University of Guelph drives agrifood innovation

The University of Guelph (U of G) has joined forces with the Creative Destruction Lab–Rockies (CDL-Rockies) to empower Canadian entrepreneurs in agriculture and food innovation. Through this new affiliation, U of G’s Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) becomes an official site partner of CDL-Rockies’ AgriFood stream, linking startups with world-class expertise in food, farming, and technology.

The CDL-Rockies program helps early-stage companies transform scientific ideas into commercial solutions. It connects innovators with an international network of mentors and scientists, including U of G’s top researchers, to develop and test products that enhance food safety, sustainability, biotechnology, animal health, and digital agriculture.

“By partnering with CDL, we’re helping startups access the deep scientific expertise, business insight and innovation ecosystem in agrifood that define the University of Guelph,” said Dr. Rene Van Acker, president and vice-chancellor of U of G.

The partnership builds on U of G’s existing entrepreneurship ecosystem, including the John F. Wood Centre, the Research Innovation Office, and Sustainable Food Systems for Canada (SF4C).

CDL, founded at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, operates in 15 global locations. The nonprofit supports startups through mentorship programs without charging fees or taking equity. “This partnership represents an exciting step for CDL-Rockies and for agrifood innovation in Canada,” said Heather Marshall, Site Lead for CDL-Rockies.

“The University of Guelph is one of Canada’s top agrifood universities, and by extending our pan-Canadian reach through this partnership, we’re able to connect startups to world-class expertise, strengthen regional agrifood ecosystems and accelerate the commercialization of technologies that will transform how we grow, process and sustain food.”

Since 2017, CDL-Rockies has supported over 100 ventures, raising more than $3 billion in capital and generating $8.7 billion in equity value.

Photo Credit: pexels-fauxels

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.