Picketa Systems was founded by four engineering students from Northern New Brunswick who looked to their backyards for a problem to solve. With a sixth-generation farmer on their team, they saw the potential to transform plant tissue analysis. Picketa’s LENS solution is the first commercially available real-time tissue analysis device on the market. It is revolutionizing nutrient management by providing in minutes crucial plant health information that used to take days or weeks to get back from the lab. LENS helps growers, food processors, and fertilizer companies optimize their operations. From its origins in New Brunswick potato fields, the company is poised for expansion, providing growers of all kinds of crops with timely access to relevant data for better results and healthier crops. Picketa has grown from a student project to a team of 12 full-time employees across New Brunswick, with plans to keep expanding and exporting.

See the art piece made by Natasha Sacobie for the Most Innovative Startup Winner here.