The Canadian AgTech company just closed a $10 million funding round.
Sustainable agriculture advocates have long been opposed to pesticides, but environmentally friendly crop protection products are often more expensiveshorter-lived and slower-acting than their harmful analogues.
What if farmers could instead use precision chemistry to radically reduce the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers while still protecting crops?
“It has always been incredibly important to me that technology can benefit agriculture.”
Darren Anderson, Vive
This is the goal Vive Harvest Protectionis a Canadian AgTech company that promotes a “development over discovery” model to help farmers provide maximum crop protection while using the least amount of chemicals. The company received $2.3 million in investment from Ottawa through the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) to help it expand its capacity.
In October, Vive Crop announced that it had closed an oversubscribed funding round of US$10 million (C$14 million) with investments from Emmertech, iSelect Fund, BDC Capital and Farm Credit Canada through its investment arm FCC Capital.
At the time, the FCC said in a statement that it was pleased to support companies that ensure a more sustainable and productive food supply in Canada.
“Now, [a] Farmers, instead of driving through a field twice, they do it once, and you get home much earlier in the day, and you and I both know how valuable it would be to get your work done much faster,” Vive CTO Douglas Baumann told BetaKit.
“Precision” chemistry for better plant protection
The theme of increasing individual farmer productivity echoes broader trends in Canadian agriculture. While Canada's economy has shrunk since 2019agriculture stood out.
Work in agriculture every eighth Canadian– more than 2.3 million people – and amounts to almost seven percent of Canada's GDP. Despite fewer farmers overall, production remains strong thanks to innovations such as better technology, automation and soil chemistry.
Founded in 2006, Vive has become part of Canadian agtech history.
“It's always been incredibly important to me that technology can benefit agriculture. And I've always looked for opportunities to use technology to help us improve agriculture's impact on the planet,” says Vive CEO and co-founder Darren Anderson.
The Vive's nanotechnology-based delivery system was developed while the co-founders were studying at the University of Toronto.
Patented as AllospersThe system ensures that active ingredients such as fungicides, insecticides and fertilizers are delivered exactly where they are needed, whether on the plant or in the soil. This reduces reuse, reduces waste and increases productivity.
“When Vive creates a fungicide, otherwise known in the pharmaceutical world as an antibiotic, we need to leave it on the plant because that’s where it does its job,” Baumann explained.
With seven products in the U.S. market, plans to expand to 200 million Canadian acres by the end of 2025, and the opening of a “precision chemistry” lab earlier this year, the Mississauga-based company is growing rapidly.
“We can optimize and improve how this active ingredient stays where it needs to be despite wind, rain, UV degradation and the like.”
Baumann compares this to sunscreen losing its effectiveness after 90 minutes.
“So long-lasting, reliable protection from wind, weather, and anything Mother Nature can throw at the crop is an example of efficiency,” he continued.
Allosperse also allows combinations that were previously not possible, for example: fungicides and fertilizers– says Vive. Farmers save time while reducing overall chemical use.
CONNECTED: Farm Credit Canada commits to investing $2 billion in AgTech by 2030
Anderson noted that by focusing on existing crop protection chemistries, Vive also promotes sustainability.
“Any time you improve efficiency or effectiveness, you almost always get sustainability benefits for free,” he said.
In 2023, Vive commissioned food and agriculture consulting firm Pinion to assess its impact on sustainability.
Pinion analyzed internal Vive data and over 500 field tests, comparing it to standard products.
The study found that using Vive products reduces water use by up to 20 gallons (76 liters) per acre, reduces the use of synthetic active ingredients by an average of 54 percent, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent.
All images courtesy of Vive Crop Protection.
