In a Flash is Accelerate Okanagan’s new video storytelling series featuring quick, human conversations with the people powering the Okanagan tech community. Each edition spotlights a different founder, innovator, or community builder, offering a glimpse into their journey, what drives them, and the lessons they have learned along the way.
In this edition, we are chatting with Ashton Shura, Co-Founder of Nordic AutoFeed. Ashton and her team are building technology that supports healthier feeding patterns for horses while easing the workload for caretakers.
Ashton’s journey blends early-life experiences, a deep care for animals, and a desire to modernize equine well-being. Nordic AutoFeed is early in its startup journey, and Ashton is piecing that puzzle together with curiosity, resilience, and a genuine passion for improving animal care.
Q: Where are you from originally, and what brought you to the Okanagan?
I was born in Winnipeg and moved to Kelowna with my family when I was young. My parents were ready for a change of scenery and fell in love with the valley while visiting friends in Penticton.
Q: What company do you work with, and can you explain your role there?
My sister and I co-founded Nordic AutoFeed. We are in the early startup phase, so my role feels like a 100-piece puzzle. I have an idea of the larger picture, and there are a lot of pieces I am still trying to put together and build on.
Q: How did you get into this kind of work?
When I was 18, my horse colicked and needed surgery if we wanted to give her a chance at surviving. Colic can be caused by many factors, and feeding infrequently is often a contributor. She passed away a couple of days after surgery. It was a tough loss, and it motivated me to find better ways to feed and care for horses. I have always appreciated the practicality of business, so combining my education with my passion for animals felt natural.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your role?
The possibility of making a difference in the lives of animals and the people who care for them. We have cared for horses in traditional ways for so long, and technology is opening new opportunities for better equine health and less work for caretakers.
Q: What is something people often misunderstand about your role?
There is a misunderstanding that without your foot firmly on the pedal of productivity, you will not get ahead. But that is not true. Sometimes things take time to build, whether through conversations, connection, or simply serendipitous timing.
Q: How did you first get involved in tech or the Okanagan tech community?
I went to a tech networking event and started meeting energetic, like-minded people. Coming from a role with lululemon, it was a fun change in direction. I got my introduction to tech with FreshGrade and then landed a great opportunity with Bananatag.
Q: What do you enjoy most about being part of the Okanagan tech community?
Tech is dynamic. There is a lot of adaptability and creativity. You can help customers build exactly what they need from a tool or platform. There is also a lot of cross-functional support, and I enjoyed working on teams that had diverse expertise.
Q: Is there anything you would love to see more of in our local tech community?
It is always exciting to see leaders in manufacturing add new technologies and products to the market. Manufacturing has different challenges than SaaS companies, and seeing how organizations navigate those challenges is helpful.
Q: Who or what inspires you most?
I am inspired by anyone who is in their element. Whether teaching a class or running a call, you can tell when someone genuinely cares about the problem or the outcome. It makes me want to learn from them and share that enthusiasm.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
I once heard positive thinking described as a steady strength, and I think that applies to founders in a startup. There is a lot of self-doubt in the entrepreneurial process. The things you are working on now take more than effort. They take time. Time for opportunities to appear, time to decide how you want to deliver something, time to contemplate direction. The steady strength of optimism helps you move through the natural ebbs and flows of building something new.
Q: When you are not at work or online, where are we most likely to find you?
Somewhere outside, often riding a horse or tackling a chore. Living on a farm gives you lots of opportunities to be outside all year-round.
Q: What is something most people do not know about you?
In grade 3, I was asked to invent something for a school project, and my dad helped me build an automatic dog feeder. It had a cardboard roll handle attached to a box filled with food. You pulled the handle, and food came out one side. You could say I have been in the business of efficiently feeding animals for a long time.
Q: What is one goal you are chasing this year?
Each year, I make it a goal to travel somewhere I have never been. BC has so many great places to visit, and my favourite thing is stopping at antique stores for unique farm finds.
Q: Describe yourself in one word.
Keen. I am up for learning something new, saying yes to opportunities, and eager to build something that has never been done.
Ashton is turning personal experience into purposeful innovation. Through Nordic AutoFeed, she is rethinking how we care for horses and how technology can ease the workload for the people who support them every day.
Want to see more of In a Flash?
Follow and turn on notifications on our Instagram page.
FOLLOW @OKANAGANTECH
