A coding hackathon runs for one or two days; a startup accelerator, perhaps three-to-six months.

For Ecoation, the battle lasted three years.

The Vancouver-based food-tech startup trumped rivals from the University of Guelph, Concordia, McGill, and more to win the years-long Deep Space Food Challenge.

The Deep Space Food Challenge, hosted by the Canadian Space Agency, this week announced Ecoation as the winner of the $380,000 prize.

Ecoation won the competition based on its CANGrow Modular Indoor Food Production System, which is designed to operate in remote environments like northern climates and even outer space.

CANGrow uses an innovative approach to producing a diverse range of fresh foods, from strawberries and cherry tomatoes to a mycelial meat substitute.

Each system carries the potential to generate over 700kg of nutrient-dense food annually “with minimal resources,” according to a statement from Ecoation.

“As humanity ventures further into our solar system,” says Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry François-Philippe Champagne, “new challenges, such as access to nutritious food, will arise for astronauts along their journey.”

The Deep Space Food Challenge, launched in 2021 in collaboration with NASA and Privy Council Office’s Impact Canada, aimed to develop new ways of producing food for astronauts on space missions to the Moon and Mars.

“With the Deep Space Food Challenge, Canadian innovators had the opportunity to develop innovative food production solutions to help space explorers that could also apply to people living in remote and harsh environments on Earth,” said Champagne. “Advances in space science and technology can unlock promising solutions to improve food security on our planet.”

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the National Research Council of Canada all also provided support throughout the process.

Cofounded by Dr. Saber Miresmailli (CEO) and Maryam Antikchi (CTO), Ecoation was a finalist in last year’s New Ventures BC Competition.

Following food, the CSA is seeking water-tech innovation for the cosmos.

The post Vancouver Startup Wins Deep Space Challenge to Help Feed Astronauts appeared first on Techcouver.com.

Vancouver Startup Wins Deep Space Challenge to Help Feed Astronauts was first posted on April 11, 2024 at 3:00 am.
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