Throughout the Challenge, our mentors leverage their extensive knowledge and experience to support the teams in developing commercial strategies and achieving market readiness for their innovations.
Mentors meet with grantees throughout their projects to establish goals and address questions or challenges the teams may encounter.
"Canada is a latent powerhouse in the critically important AgFood sector."
Dominic Barton, Chair, Mentor, Homegrown Innovation Challenge
Chairman, ambassador, global business leader
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Dominic Barton is currently Chair of both Rio Tinto and of LeapFrog Investments, the latter being a pioneering impact investment firm for health care and climate solutions in emerging markets. Dominic is also a Senior advisor and partner at Radical Ventures, a leading AI investment firm. He served as Canadian Ambassador to China and spent over 30 years at McKinsey & Company, including nine years as Global Managing Partner. Dominic’s keen interest in developing responsible investing strategies and impact investment metrics stretches back decades. He brings a wealth of global business experience, as well as a deep insight into geopolitics, corporate sustainability, and governance. Over the course of his career, Dominic has authored more than 80 articles on the role of business in society, leadership, financial services, Asia, history, and the issues and opportunities facing markets worldwide.
"The global food, natural resource, and climate challenges we face are big. We need to invest in transformative new technologies to enable more sustainable food production practices."
Dr. David Babson, Mentor, Homegrown Innovation Challenge
EVP, Climate & Energy XPRIZE
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Dr. David Babson has extensive experience in government, academic, and non-profit roles promoting advanced technology programs, evidence-based public policy, and sustainable investments to achieve ambitious climate change mitigation and clean energy aims. He is currently the Executive Vice President of the Climate & Energy domain at the XPRIZE Foundation, where he develops and leads initiatives to address global climate and energy challenges. Prior to joining XPRIZE, David served as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Climate Grand Challenges Initiative, which manages focused programs and grand challenges that seed advanced research aimed at developing impactful solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
David is passionate about finding transformative solutions to global challenges that can scale rapidly for impact while aligning with a vision for a sustainable global economy that meets its climate and environmental obligations to future generations.
"There is a looming climate crisis, and agriculture and food production are responsible for 25% of global emissions. We have to prioritize finding more sustainable ways to grow our food."
Sarai Kemp, Mentor, Homegrown Innovation Challenge
Managing Partner, Agrifood Fund
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Sarai Kemp is an accomplished investment professional with over 20 years of experience in agricultural and consumer goods and high-tech industries. She has been making waves in the agri-food tech investment sector for over a decade, starting at Afimilk, a leading Israeli agtech company, where she played a pivotal role in expanding business across East Asia.
Subsequently, Sarai transitioned to investment positions within venture funds and incubators, primarily based in Israel and Singapore. Her expertise lies in identifying groundbreaking startups and supporting their growth. As an investor, active board member, mentor, and hands-on operator, Sarai collaborates closely with early-stage ventures specializing in agtech, foodtech, and climate tech.
She also serves as a mentor for the Mass Challenge accelerator, the Slingshot competition in Singapore, and judge at other various competitions and programs. Sarai received an MBA from Haifa University and a B.A. from Tel Aviv University and is currently nurturing a new and exciting agtech investment venture.
“There are lots of challenges with the way the technology can be deployed, but there is much potential.”
Alison Sunstrum, Mentor, Homegrown Innovation Challenge
Tech entrepreneur, founder and CEO, CNSRV-X Inc., Founding Partner and Fellow of Creative Destruction Lab
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Dr. Alison Sunstrum is an influential agricultural leader, entrepreneur, and executive. She invests in profitable, sustainable food systems and technologies that minimize agriculture’s impact on the environment. As the former CEO and co-founder of GrowSafe Systems Ltd., she grew its research and development skunkworks from an Alberta garage to global operations receiving international recognition for science-based innovation.
Alison is currently the CEO of CNSRV-X Inc., a Canadian company researching and applying emerging technology in agriculture. She is also the Managing Partner of The51 Food, a trail-blazing Canadian venture capital firm led by women and committed to revolutionizing the agricultural landscape through groundbreaking technology.
Alison is an advisory council member of Ivey Business School’s Centre for Building Sustainable Value, an advisor to the Arrel Institute, the University of Guelph’s Feeding the Future pan-Canadian strategy, and a steering committee member for the University of Lethbridge’s Hub for Neuroengineering Solutions. She holds patents for innovative technology and has published and presented widely.