A Vancouver-based startup has won a $285,000 award from U.S. telecom giant Verizon for its pesticide-free pest management system for farms.
Semios Technologies was the only Canadian finalist in the Verizon Powerful Answers Award, which was presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas which ran from January 7 to 10, 2014.
Semios' system uses farm-based weather systems, camera enabled traps and wireless networks to help farmers effectively use pheremones to control insects.
The system is an alternative to using pesticides to kill crop infestations.
"In the past two years of field testing in North America and Europe, we have proven that better information from the field improves a grower's ability to manage pests across their crop," said Michael Gilbert, CEO of Semios.
Semios is currently taking part in VentureLabs, a high-tech business accelerator program jointly run by Simon Fraser University, the University of Victoria, the British Columbia Institute of Technology and Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
- Business Vancouver, by Jen St. Denis