Brent Zettl donates $300K to Ag-West Bio’s ABIC Foundation to fund Beyond Entrepreneurship training program

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brent Zettl, President and CEO of ZYUS Life Sciences Inc., has donated $300,000 to the Agricultural Bioscience Innovation Centre (ABIC), managed by Ag-West Bio, to establish a fund that will help aspiring entrepreneurs through training, seminars and resources. Launching in fall 2020, Ag-West Bio will make live streams of lectures and in-depth training courses on entrepreneurship free to members and non-members.

Zettl’s belief in the power of science to transform lives is what inspired him to give back to the community where he gained his success and help empower emerging leaders. In 1990, Prairie Plant Systems Inc (PPS), Zettl’s first bioscience company, received funding from Ag-West Bio as a start-up. CanniMed Therapeutics Inc., a subsidiary of PPS, was acquired by Aurora Cannabis Inc. in 2018. This was the largest acquisition of a cannabis company at the time. Shortly after, Zettl resigned and started his new venture, ZYUS. Zettl says he feels compelled to help others by sharing the knowledge he gained in his thirty years in business. “Business can be a rough road, but with the right information and access to resources, it can be made just a little smoother.”

Karen Churchill, President and CEO of Ag-West Bio says Zettl’s donation was a very welcome surprise. “This is an incredible gift. It enables us to help so many more entrepreneurs develop the skills that they need and gives them a better chance of success. We are so pleased that Brent has entrusted Ag-West Bio to manage this fund.”

Entitled Beyond Entrepreneurship: Building an Agri-Value Business, the training program includes two in-depth learning modules: Building Entrepreneurial Leadership and Building a Winning Plan: Agricultural Processing Business Plan Training, as well as a seminar titled The Big Picture: a program to help you think like a CEO. The program will launch in the fall of this year, beginning with the inaugural ABIC Speaker Series.

The first lecture will be a webinar presented by Zettl himself. He says his lecture, Business 101, will appeal to a wide business audience and provides information that is largely unavailable for entrepreneurs in the early stage of their journey.

“Saskatchewan is a research hub for agriculture and bioscience. Innovations that have shaped and built our country – and world – have been developed right here,” says Zettl. “Saskatchewan is home; it has been good to me, and I want to give back to this great community.”

To learn more about the ABIC Speaker Series and the Beyond Entrepreneurship training program contact Ag-West Bio. www.agwest.sk.ca

About Ag-West Bio

Ag-West Bio is Saskatchewan's bioscience industry association and catalyst for industry growth. Our goal is to move research to market and grow bio-business in the province. Membership-based, we support commercialization of technologies in the areas of sustainable crop production, value-added processing, health, environment and bioproducts. We aid strategic alliances, provide seed capital for early-stage businesses, and disseminate information. Our many events help create connections between research and business and build a sense of community. Ag-West Bio is funded by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada's Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) program. Visit www.agwest.sk.ca

About ABIC

The Agricultural Bioscience Innovation Centre (ABIC) is a charitable foundation with a mandate to promote science and business education. Major ABIC activities include the ABIC Speaker Series and Beyond Entrepreneurship, a bioscience business training program. ABIC is managed by Ag-West Bio.

About ZYUS Life Sciences Inc.

ZYUS is a Canadian-based life sciences company focused on the global development and commercialization of innovative cannabinoid-based therapeutics and product candidates. Through clinical research and IP development, we intend to deliver high-quality oils, gel-caps, topical creams and other cannabinoid-based therapeutics and product candidates to patients worldwide. The ZYUS vision is to elevate cannabinoids as a standard of care and expand the potential of protein-based formulations in pursuit of a transformational impact on patients’ lives. ZYUS: Advancing the Science of Well-Being. Visit www.zyus.com