Maximum Yield Cannabis USA December 2017 / January 2018 | Page 64

learn
Being a start-up in the unstable world of a developing
industry like medicinal cannabis isn’t easy, but with the right
connections and commitment to their strategy, BioAgra’s
Dorian Balshin and Richard Stoner are making it work.
B
Aeroponics Build Solutions
200 Vinyl Court, Unit B
Woodbridge, ON L4L 4A3
1-416-783-7072
WWW
bio-agra.com
1 Year in business
64
grow. heal. learn. enjoy.
ioAgra Technologies is a bio-agriculture technology company for
licensed producers, delivering proven technologies and products
to burgeoning cannabis grow operations.
Dorian Balshin and Richard Stoner, with backgrounds in the medical
and agriculture industries, co-founded BioAgra in Toronto in 2016.
Balshin co-founded Bio-Media Ltd., an international leader supplying
prepared media to the medical and health food industries, while
Stoner, through NASA funding, developed advance high-performance
crop production systems and biocontrols for space and earth.
Despite experience in a similar field, the start-up continues to work
through red tape associated with the medical cannabis industry.
“It’s a big learning curve for our partners understanding we are in
the pharmaceutical business,” says Balshin. “But there are also the
related challenges and satisfaction of implementing strict Health
Canada guidelines with suppliers.”
Balshin adds that he was intrigued by the medicinal cannabis
industry prior to and after networking with like-minded industry people,
including Stoner, who is considered the Grandfather of Aeroponics.
As the only employees of the start-up, Balshin and Stoner wore
many hats, with Balshin taking the title of CEO and Stoner director of
product. “Still, we both had to source unique products and solution,
identify and vet the right partners and alliances, identify go-to market
strategies, and open doors with initial customers,” says Balshin.
The company has since added two more employees, and now
distributes Canada-wide with plans to expand to other countries as
soon as possible. Balshin says the company is able to move quickly
due to its experience understanding challenges licensed producers and
growers face scaling growth in sterile environments. Another strength
BioAgra enjoys is sourcing and building relationships with suppliers,
inventors, manufacturers, and alliance partners, as well as identifying
new technologies and products that are the best in the industry.
Partnering with Stoner, adds Balshin, has given BioAgra a leg-up in
the start-up phase.
“The realization that we have partnered with the Grandfather of
Aeroponics at exactly the right time has been great,” says Balshin.
“He discovered aeroponics and related systems and products through
a NASA-funded project for (International Space Station) fresh food
growth nearly 25 years ago. The new cannabis industry, coupled with
competitive forces, requires growers to maximize yields and quality
in the shortest time at the lowest possible cost, can be delivered most
effectively with a properly implemented aeroponics system.”
Shortly after BioAgra secured a deal to represent Stoner globally,
Stoner finalized a joint venture with the government of India after 15
years of engagement. That deal will allow Stoner to implement his
aeroponic systems at manufacturing facilities throughout the country.
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