Press | Cannabis Testing - Commercial - Canada - USA

Ekidna x Cropsify: Collaborating to Transform Cannabis Production Efficiency

Cali Barnstead — Thu, 14 Sep 2023 22:01:05 +0000

Ekidna, a leading provider of on-site potency test systems, and Cropsify, a comprehensive all-in-one software solution, are excited to announce their integration aimed at simplifying cannabis production. By combining these cutting-edge technologies, we empower cannabis cultivators, extractors, and breeders to streamline their operations, improve decision-making, and maximize efficiency.

Ekidna’s on-site potency test system offers licensed producers a game-changing solution to assess the strength of their cannabis products within seven minutes. This groundbreaking technology eliminates lab-induced delays and enables producers to make informed decisions based on HPLC-accurate THC potency results. By knowing their grow beyond physical attributes, Ekidna empowers cannabis companies to drive production and enhance quality assurance during R&D, pheno hunts, and the extraction processes.

Cropsify has established itself as a leading all-in-one software platform designed to simplify and centralize cannabis production management. From cultivation compliance to packaging and distribution, Cropsify’s comprehensive suite of tools helps cannabis companies stay compliant and monitor their products seamlessly. By removing the complexity associated with managing multiple software systems, Cropsify enables businesses to focus on growth and productivity.

Recognizing the shared goal of optimizing cannabis production and data management, Ekidna and Cropsify have teamed up to provide an integrated solution for cannabis businesses. Through this integration, Ekidna’s potency test data can now be seamlessly uploaded to Cropsify’s software, creating a unified hub for record-keeping and performance analysis. This integration empowers producers to access a comprehensive overview of their production performance, facilitating data-driven decision-making and enhancing operational efficiency.

You can learn more about this new integration by reaching out to our team!

About Ekidna: Ekidna is a leading provider of on-site potency test systems for the cannabis industry. By offering licensed producers a quick and accurate testing solution, Ekidna empowers businesses to make informed decisions and drive production efficiency. For more information, visit our product page.

About Cropsify: Cropsify is an all-in-one software platform designed to streamline and centralize cannabis production management. With features ranging from compliance monitoring to product tracking, Cropsify simplifies operations and enhances productivity for cannabis companies. For more information, visit Cropsify online.

Ekidna Graduates from the Creative Destruction Lab, University of Calgary’s Agriculture Stream

Cali Barnstead — Tue, 23 May 2023 15:04:37 +0000

Ekidna, a sensor technology company for chemically complex manufacturers, is thrilled to announce their graduation from the 2022/2023 Agriculture Stream of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) program at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business.

Ekidna uses sensor technology to deliver instantaneous insights at the point of production in an easy-to-use fashion, requiring no external qualifications for the user. Their first application is a phytocannabinoid potency test system designed to help cannabis cultivators and breeders understand their plant beyond physical attributes without the bottleneck caused by relying on third-party and in-house labs.

After being selected to join the program from over 2160 applicants in September 2022, Ekidna is among 6 of 24 agricultural stream ventures to graduate.

“Working with CDL and the team of mentors helped us to deeply define what makes Ekidna special and how to best position ourselves in the marketplace. Coming out of the CDL, Ekidna is a refreshed company well on the path to building something massive, and we’re excited to see our growth continue,” said Nic Boileau, Ekidna’s CEO & Co-Founder.

Upon graduating from the CDL, Ekidna has its sights set on growing its team and leveraging the knowledge gained to expand into new industries and verticals.

About Ekidna

Ekidna provides point-of-production testing for chemically complex manufacturing companies, with current applications in phytocannabinoid potency testing. Supporting cultivators of all sizes, focusing on nurseries and phenohunters, Ekidna helps to streamline the production process without sacrificing quality or accuracy in data gathering.

About the Creative Destruction Lab

The Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a seed-stage program for massively scalable, science-based companies. The thirty-six-week program employs an objectives-based mentoring process to maximize equity-value creation. The CDL is particularly suited to early-stage companies with links to university research labs. Launched in 2012 at the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, the program has expanded to Atlanta, Berlin, Calgary, Estonia, Halifax, Montreal, Oxford, Paris, Seattle, Vancouver, and Wisconsin. Companies that graduated from the CDL have generated over $28B (CAD) in aggregate equity value.

All media inquiries are to be sent to:
Cali Barnstead, Sales & Marketing Coordinator
cali@ekidnasensing.com
subject line: Ekidna Media Inquiry

Ekidna Sensing’s Success in ventureLAB’s First HCI Cohort

Cali Barnstead — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 20:44:43 +0000

Ekidna’s CEO, Nic Boileau, spoke with ventureLAB to discuss Ekidna’s journey from a research project for medical diagnostic biosensors at the University of Ottawa into cannabinoid potency tests for the cannabis industry.

As the cannabis industry grows, Ekidna is committed to providing innovative solutions to its challenges and aims to expand its lab-on-a-chip technology into other industries, such as wine and beer brewing and other agricultural applications.

Through collaboration with ventureLAB’s Hardware Catalyst Initiative program, Canada’s first and only semiconductor-focused hardware incubator, Ekidna received support in product development, testing, and access to resources, which helped launch our THC potency test system.

Check out the interview between Ekidna’s CEO, Nic Boileau and ventureLAB’s Kai Lim for the whole story: How Ekidna is Revolutionizing the Cannabis Industry with Accessible Testing Devices.

Purplefarm Genetics An Ekidna Case Study

Nic — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 19:56:12 +0000

Purplefarm Genetics COO, Jonah Clifford heard about Ekidna’s Testing Kit and welcomed the idea of a time- and money-saving solution for multiple stages of the company’s process and workflows.

The Problem: You don’t know what you don’t know.

Before discovering Ekidna, like many cannabis growers, Jonah’s team was sending representative samples of their product to various testing labs. This process began with collecting the samples, packaging them, shipping them out, and then waiting up to two weeks to receive potency results. As Jonah mentioned, “until Ekidna, we did not have a cost-effective way to conduct potency testing.”

The Solution: A world with Ekidna.

When Jonah received his bright-coloured box containing Ekidna’s minimalistic products and lab-on-a-chip technology, he still needed to make sure the test met their quality standards. In an instant, quite literally, his team tested a cannabis flower sample, received the results, and compared them to a lab-tested sample — all in five minutes. He was pleased with Ekidna’s speed and accurate results.

Ekidna Full Test System

“Ekidna helps you make decisions and be nimble. If you’re conducting research, collecting data, (pheno hunting) or crop steering, Ekidna can be a great tool in your arsenal.”
Jonah Clifford, COO, Purplefarm Genetics

The Results: Maximizing profit.

With the speed in which growing, testing, analyzing, and producing cannabis occurs, Purplefarm was able to save time in multiple ways and reduce overall cost.

The magic number is five, for Purplefarm Genetics five minutes changes everything. Ekidna became their cost-effective solution, consistently meeting quality standards.

As Jonah puts it, “Ekidna allows us to shave off time from pheno hunting and bring products to market in a commercially viable way, while knowing which mom stock to retain.”

Click here for more information about the Ekidna Testing Solution.

Ekidna Wins the Next Big Thing at Best Ottawa Business Awards (BOBs)

Nic — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 14:26:17 +0000

Ekidna is honoured to have received this award and share the stage with Ottawa’s best companies. This award recognizes the amazing work of our team and motivates us to keep pushing forward so that we can be back in future years.

The support of the Ottawa business community these past few years as we started Ekidna, has been greater than we ever thought it could be. There are too many people to thank who contributed to Ekidna’s success, but I did want to highlight one individual in particular who in multiple ways has helped Ekidna from the beginning to even have a chance at success — Richard L’Abbé. Through his support of various programs at University of Ottawa, including the MakerLaunch and the MakerSpace, and taking time to advise us, he has made a great impact on Ekidna’s road to success.

Congrats to all and thanks to Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Business Journal for hosting this event, and to Invest Ottawa and RBCx for sponsoring our award.

And of course, congrats to the fantastic Ekidna team for all we’ve accomplished over the last two years – it’s quite the ride! Nicole Rice, Sahil Garg, Pankaj Bhanderi, Amanda Reed, Jennifer Rett, Hunter McCullagh, Jacob Watkins, Cali Barnstead, Adam Shuhendler, Benôit H. Lessard, and Cory Harris.

We’re so proud of our team and the hard work that got us here.

Nic Boileau
CEO

Innovating with sensors at your fingertips for the cannabis industry

Nic — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 19:43:56 +0000

Three years ago, while Nic Boileau was conducting research on biosensors as a PhD candidate, he got the idea for Ekidna. He started the company with a team of professors and PhD researchers from the Faculty of Engineering and Science at uOttawa in 2019. After leading his company to success, Nic reflects on the resources that he leveraged to start Ekidna as a student.

His company, Ekidna, provides a lab-on-a-chip technology that measures levels of THC, THCa, CBD and CBDa in cannabis plants. This test can be done directly on site, with no lab tech needed. This technology helps licensed cannabis producers reduce operational costs, since they can now adjust their growing conditions for better results and consistency. It also helps them bring their production to the market faster.

The Ekidna test tube contains a chip that uses the electronic sensor to measure THC and CBD levels. The tube is then inserted directly in the analyzer, which is connected to your computer and gives you the results.

To design the patented product, Nic partnered with Benoit Lessard, professor and electronic sensor expert, Adam Shuhendler, chemical diagnostic expert, and Cory Harris, cannabis researcher.

While he was a student, he participated in the Pitch competition and in the Simon Nehme Summer Entrepreneurship School at uOttawa. He then signed up for the MakerLaunch program with his idea, a 9-month accelerator program which provides engineering students and young alumni support to launch their companies and fast track the commercialization of their technologies.

A year after completing the program, the company completed their first prototype and raised $900,000 in investment. They grew their team to 8 full-time employees and moved to a bigger lab located in the BioScience Hall on campus. In June 2022, they achieved a big milestone, selling their first products to Canopy Growth, the world leading cannabis company.

“uOttawa is where Ekidna started. The programs there helped build the foundation for my entrepreneurial journey. Between the classes, pitch competitions, and MakerLaunch, I gained valuable knowledge, connections, and funds to pursue Ekidna. Without the funding from MakerLaunch, I’m not sure if Ekidna would be where it is today.” mentioned Nic Boileau. Thankful for the opportunity that uOttawa has given him, Nic signed the Founder’s Pledge, a nonbinding commitment to support the faculty and next generation of innovators, when the time is right.

With over $1.4 million in investment so far, the future looks promising for this young company as they continue to do research on other sensors, specially designed for the brewery industry, wine production and agriculture.

Author – FACULTY OF ENGINEERING, University of Ottawa