Jason Trask, the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship, has landed a spot for his new rodent deterrent company in the federal government’s CTA AgTech Accelerator.

A serial entrepreneur, Trask has run companies ranging from sales AI specialist Zambara to Globalstudent.com -- an online book exchange for university students. He co-founded his latest venture, EcoBloc, with engineer Neil Nordeje at the beginning of the pandemic.

The CTA AgTech Accelerator is part of the Trade Commissioner Service’s ecosystem of Canadian Technology Accelerators, which are based outside Canada and target international markets. The AgTech program is run out of San Francisco, Minneapolis and Los Angeles in a partnership with U.S.-based accelerator TechStars.

“What it means for the company is that it's going to introduce us to potential customers, partners and investors that we may not have had access to before,” said Trask in an interview. “Also, they provide training that helps us better understand the markets, so we can better position ourselves when we're chatting with those potential customers, partners and investors.

“I think access to the network is the most important. You know, even in today's digital age, personal relationships are very important.”

EcoBloc makes devices that use ultrasonic noise -- sounds at a higher frequency than can be heard by humans -- to deter rodents from entering industrial facilities and farms.

Consumer-grade versions of ultrasonic pest repellers have long been available to buyers at stores like Canadian Tire. But Trask said EcoBloc is differentiated by its industrial-grade design, which is more powerful and manufactured using more durable materials.

“The cost for us to manufacture one unit is many times greater than you can buy other units at retail,” said Trask. “It’s significantly more expensive to produce because of the quality of the components.

“And then the second thing is our sound algorithm is unique and maintains the intensity over time, which keeps rodents away.”

Trask said EcoBloc is more environmentally friendly than the chemical-based anti-rodent products now commonplace on farms and in many industrial settings. And the ultrasonic noise generated is not harmful to animals -- just irritating.

EcoBloc has already sold its equipment to a handful of customers in four countries, but before the company can commercialize its product at scale, it needs to secure approval from the regulatory bodies in the United States and Canada that govern electronic devices. Trask expects that approval to come early in 2022.

“It's not a significant barrier,” he said. “But if you have an electrical device, you must get certain approvals. And we have to do that before we can start selling with any scale.”

Right now, EcoBloc orders components for its devices from outside Canada and assembles them in-country. Trask said that may change later in the commercialization process, with manufacturing possibly being outsourced, but he and Nordeje remain undecided.

One factor that could influence that decision is the global supply-chain traffic jam brought on by COVID-19, which has seen even Apple struggle to source components for its iPhones and ultimately slash production targets.

Also presenting a potential challenge to Trask and Nordeje is a labour shortage affecting technology companies in Atlantic Canada, which other entrepreneurs and venture capitalists have told Entrevestor is a significant impediment to the growth of new companies.

So far, EcoBloc consists just of its two co-founders, along with a handful of people hired to do contract work. After the company raises its first funding round, though, Trask expects that to change.

“Yes, I'm concerned about it,” said Trask. “But we do have a strategy that we think is going to allow us to attract the right talent... It is a little different than some other companies -- the approach they've taken.

“We have a plan. It’s to be determined if the plan is going to work or not.”