“Canada is an ideal market to enter for startups, because of the high adoption rate in agri-tech, availability of talented people and governmental support to scale the business in North America and all (over) the world.”
Sara Mirshekari, Co-Founder and CEO of Cropinno
As of 2023, there are 189,874 farms in Canada, covering 6.2% of its land area. This is a huge opportunity for companies and startups involved or wanting to enter the industry. The sector is growing steadily despite macro conditions around the world. A couple of Iranian entrepreneurs saw a big gap when it comes to managing crops for farmers in Canada.
Cropinno empowers farmers with satellite and AI technology to monitor and manage their field with precision. The tool uses satellite imagery, which offers farmers a broader view of their farm.
The company’s cloud-based software and data-driven services help farmers who are concerned about declining yields and rising input costs. Cropinno startup initially originated in the Middle East in late 2019 by five co-founders who are experts in the field of satellite engineering, software engineering, agricultural engineering, and marketing and business development. After a successful launch and reaching over a thousand users in three years of operation, Sara and Hamed aimed to expand the business globally.
“Toronto is one of the best startup hubs in the world. LatAm has special skills in aiding foreign startups to enter Canada. In our mission, LatAm Startups helped us to expand our business from the Middle East to Canada and, of course, in North America to get advantage of this ecosystem to boost our business development process”, states Hamed on the importance of having a strategic partner helping them discover the market and opening doors to do business.
Cropinno entered the Startup Visa Path in 2021 and just landed in Toronto in May 2023. The road has had its challenges for sure. According to Hamed, having a guide to overcome the adversities has been key: “… the LatAm Startups team are going out of their way to support the startups so they understand every challenge the diverse entrepreneurs all over the world are facing.”
In the last few months Sara and Hamed have been visiting various farmers in Ontario showcasing their amazing solution to helping them manage their crops in a more efficient and sustainable way, and by doing so achieving their long-term vision for the next five to ten years.
It is important to state that through the City of Toronto’s support, LatAm Startups has been able to provide programming that assists not only Cropinno, but all of the startups in our portfolio.
