Innovation is at the core of agribusiness and every enterprise, from producers to processors and retailers, need to continually innovate to stay competitive and adapt to emerging and pervasive issues such as climate change, supply chain disruptions and sustainability.
Our multidisciplinary team of lawyers across Canada supports technology clients in all stages of growth. We have experience assisting a variety of players in the AgTech space, including vertical farms, farming software, precision farming, robot pickers and smart watering systems.
Our deep background in life sciences has helped us support our clients in the FoodTech space, including in developing and commercializing protein alternatives (including cultured meat, insect proteins and mushrooms) bringing us into the future of food.
Members of our team lecture and publish regularly on emerging legal issues pertaining to AgTech and FoodTech. We are active and engaged with key industry associations such as the Agri-Innovation Council, and attend important industry conferences throughout the year.
Emerging Technology
Our clients are high growth emerging technology companies, their investors and their acquirors, which we support throughout the life cycle of a company, from start-up, to scale-up and all the way to exit. Over the past year, our Emerging Tech team advised on in excess of 180 venture capital funded equity financings and tech M&A with aggregated deal value in excess of $13.5 Billion.
ESG
Environmental as well as food and water issues are often high profile and raise important social considerations. Fasken was one of the first Canadian law firms to develop an ESG and sustainability practice. We support our clients on the frontline of sustainable agriculture as we take on the today’s challenges head-on, including climate change, water management and food supply issues.
Intellectual Property
The AgTech and FoodTech market is extremely competitive. Our knowledge in intellectual property (IP) impacting the agri-food sector includes: IP portfolio management, product and brand development assistance, package and label review, registering, licensing and selling IP assets (patents, trademarks, geographical indications, plant breeders’ rights). This specialized area of law requires experienced counsel who understand the current and future value of our clients’ assets and who will skillfully assert and protect those assets in Canada and abroad.
