Grow-NY is an unprecedented food and agriculture startup competition that identifies, supports, and funds the top food, beverage, and agriculture innovations from across the globe to create opportunity in Upstate NY. The competition includes a $1 million top prize, two $500 thousand prizes and four $250 thousand prizes. In addition to the contributions made by Grow-NY winners, the competition itself has directed the attention of over 1,000 startups to the innovation ecosystem in New York.
Grow-NY Winner Stories
Since 2019, Grow-NY Winners Have:
Increasing performance and decreasing environmental impact for dairy farms
ProAgni, an Australian startup and 2022 Grow-NY grand prize winner, produces antibiotic-free supplements to improve animal performance and decrease the negative environmental impact of agriculture. In October 2023, ProAgni was invited to participate in a three-year, $3.2 million project as a part of the Greener Cattle Initiative, a consortium of research and industry leaders within the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.
ProAgni has set up an office in Ithaca, a part of the Grow-NY region, and is partnering with local dairy farms to expand research and local business development. This year, ProAgni will add to their NY-based team to support paid product trials with New York dairy farmers.
Boosting productivity for egg producers world-wide
Soos Technology, an Israeli-based company and the 2020 Grow-NY grand prize winner, created an incubation platform that mimics nature, increasing productivity for egg producers globally, improving nutritional security, and saving the lives of billions of male chicks in the process.
The company opened a lab in Cayuga County in partnership with Syracuse University to launch the New York Poultry Research Hub that created high-quality research and engineering jobs in the region. Soos Technology closed a $6 million Series A round in 2022 that they will use to further develop their technology both at their home base and here in the U.S.
Creating sustainable, plastic-free insulation
Hempitecture, a sustainable building material company that provides plant-based insulation solutions derived from carbon capture, agricultural industrial hemp, and non-toxic renewable feedstock, won $500,000 in round four of the Grow-NY competition. The startup recently announced its newest consumer product, FiberPad, is on the market. It is a thin material sold as a roll-good that replaces synthetic, unhealthy underlayment for carpets in residential homes.
The amount of support and infrastructure around this ecosystem has been pretty transformational. We’ve spent hours and hours with our Grow-NY mentor, and I think we are in a really strong position to contribute back to the region. - Sam Jactel, Hypercell Technologies – Grow-NY 2023 $1 million winner
Using innovative technology to solve pressing issues in food & ag
Eliminating pathogens & safeguarding lives
AvantGuard, a $250,000 winner during the 2020 Grow-NY competition, develops antimicrobial coating products that make most any surface into an antimicrobial surface that can protect against pathogens for as long as thirty days. Their innovations provide continuous, long-lasting surface protection capable of eliminating pathogens, safeguarding lives, and transforming industries.
In 2023, AvantGuard was chosen as a Hello Tomorrow Deep Tech Pioneer and CEO Ted Eveleth was recognized as the most influential chemical manufacturing CEO in the country. The startup raised a $2.85 million seed round and won a $1 million Phase III award from USDA.
Connecting rural and remote areas
Zetifi, a $500,000 winner during the 2020 Grow-NY competition, designs and manufactures ruggedized wireless network devices that solve connectivity problems in rural and remote areas.
Zetifi recently raised $12M in a Series A round to ready on-farm and remote area connectivity solutions for mass-market launch. The company is finalizing their next generation ZetiRover which will begin field trials in early 2024.
Managing growth, predicting yield, and diagnosing threats
Vivid Machines‘ X-Vision system captures the visible and chemical details of every plant across an entire crop from bud to harvest to manage growth and predict yield, and provide means for early diagnosis of pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies.
After winning a $250,000 prize at the 2022 Grow-NY Competition, Vivid Machines Inc. closed a $5.8 million funding round to further develop the technology and expand into additional fruit crops. CEO Jenny Lemieux, spoke on the “Digital AG Tech on Small and Mid-Sized Farms” panel with experts at the 2024 Grow-NY Summit.
Protecting crops without toxins
Ascribe Bioscience, a $500,000 winner in the 2021 Grow-NY competition, uses naturally occurring signaling molecules from the soil microbiome to produce a novel class of broad-spectrum, non-toxic biopesticides that prime the plants’ immune systems to enhance resistance to pathogens and increase crop yields.
Ascribe Biosciences has entered into a joint development and supply agreement with Loveland Products, Inc. who will commercialize two new crop protection products with Ascribe’s biofungicide.
Expanding the Grow-NY region’s top-notch food and beverage industry
Growing jobs, facilities, and services
Craft Cannery takes cherished recipes from your kitchen to the shelves of grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets and beyond, specializing in the contract manufacturing of sauces, dressings, marinades, and more.
After winning the $500,000 Grow-NY prize in 2022, Craft Cannery has created four new jobs in the Grow-NY region and is expanding their Apple Tree Acres facility by 4,0000 square feet to accommodate more packaging and canning services.
Extending shelf life, minimizing food waste
SoFresh, a $500,000 winner during the 2020 Grow-NY competition, manufactures packaging materials that extend the shelf life of fresh foods such as bread, berries, and cheese. Their innovative packaging products allow food producers, wholesalers, and retailers to naturally extend the shelf life of fresh foods and extend the consumable life for their consumers.
SoFresh was named a Packaging Innovation Awards Platinum Winner and endorsed by Oprah Winfrey for Equii Foods, a company that relies on SoFresh packaging to keep their baked goods fresh longer.
Harnessing the power of plant-based nutrition
Sweet Pea, a $250,000 winner during the 2022 Grow-NY competition, is a plant-powered kitchen creating transformative paths to wellness, combining the benefits of its plant-centric food meal service and nutrition coaching to help people to sustain a healthy life. Sweet Pea launched a packaged bar that was served at the 2023 Grow-NY Summit and is available for purchase in select Upstate NY grocery stores.
We can't overstate the importance of the Grow-NY effect. We secured $1 million in the competition and raised another $1 million within two months. The impact and the reputation that Cornell, the state of New York, carries is nothing short of profound for companies like ours. - Lachlan Campbell, ProAgni – Grow-NY 2022 $1 million winner
All Grow-NY Finalists
Agri-Trak
Agri-trak
Williamson, NY
Agri-Trak is a farm management application suite, developed especially for the apple industry. The suite includes customizable modules that provide real-time information in easy-to-read widgets allowing farms to make daily data-informed decisions.
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2021, Finalist
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AgriWater
Agriwater
Champaign, IL, USA
Agriwater uses electrolysis to precipitate contaminants from on-farm manure liquid, resulting in the elimination of odor, toxins, and GHGs from wastewater, maintaining environmental compliance, creating an additional water source, and providing recurring revenue streams from the sale of carbon credits.
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2023, Finalist
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AgTrace
AgTrace
Provides a traceability solution that incorporates farming information and captures, stores, and processes data while connecting stakeholders
Florianopolis, Brazil
AgTrace’s data-driven platform tracks all stages of the food value chain. Its solution provides a real-time analysis of information on planting, harvesting and distribution that guarantees good quality data, connects different stakeholders, and simplifies decision-making and risk prevention throughout the supply chain.
The company’s software enables farmers and brands to potentialize profits through brand equity, reduce costs, and increase transparency in the food production value chain. AgTrace’s customizable easy-to-use platform leverages the power of IoT and blockchain technologies so customers can tell the history behind food products and build long lasting relationship with their clients.
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2020, Finalist
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AGVoice
AgVoice
Enables food and ag workers to use management tools on-the-go
Norcross, GA
AgVoice helps site-specific agriculture professional teams capture and analyze clean, verified, and structured data in real-time. AgVoice is the world’s first voice-driven, hands-free, workflow management and analytics platform for mobile workers in the food and agriculture industry. Its software service enables mobile users to conduct verifiable and fast inspections, capture workflow, and compile reports for the agri-food supply chain quicker and more accurately than other programs. AgVoice recognizes food and agriculture terminology, is user-correctable up to 100% accuracy, and works with no internet connection.
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2019, Finalist
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ARPAC
ARPAC
Creates and integrates heavy-lifting drones that apply pesticides in a fast and localized manner, with uniformity and precision
Porte Alegre, Brazil
Arpac designs and manufactures heavy-lifting drones to provide agricultural services, such as imagery and application of pesticides and beneficial insects for pest control. The company’s scalable business model offers support at every step of operations from providing spare parts, to maintenance, and assistance.
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2020, Finalist
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Asarasi
Asarasi
Katonah, NY
Asarasi recovers the wasted 97% maple water by-products of the maple industry, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional bottled water and helping family farms double their profits on their existing maple crops.
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2020, 2021, Finalist
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Ascribe_Logo_Green
Ascribe Bioscience
Ithaca, NY
Ascribe Bioscience uses naturally occurring signaling molecules from the soil microbiome to produce a novel class of broad-spectrum, non-toxic biopesticides that prime the plants’ immune systems to enhance resistance to pathogens and increase crop yields.
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2021, Finalist
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AvantGuard
AvantGuard
Develops anti-microbial products to ensure the safety of our food supply
Ithaca, NY
AvantGuard develops antimicrobial coating products that make most any surface into an antimicrobial surface that can protect against pathogens for as long as thirty days. Foodborne pathogens, e.g. listeria and salmonella, are part of a $55 billion food safety problem that kills up to 3,000 people a year. Other organisms, like mold, can shorten food shelf life. AvantGuard’s first product, HaloFilm, can be sprayed on any surface and leaves behind a thin film that combats pathogens for as long as a month. Continuous protection on most every surface in food processing environments will reduce the likelihood of product recalls and extend the longevity of produce.
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2019, 2020, Finalist
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Beemmunity
Beemmunity
New York City, NY
Beemmunity uses microparticle detoxification to provide solutions that protect and preserve pollinator species, changing the impacts of agrochemicals, preserving pollinator species for future generations.
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2021, Finalist
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BYG
Big Yield Growers
Endicott, NY
Big Yield Growers is a soil-based vertical farm operation that works with local communities to establish long-term livelihood and organic farming practices while providing the local area with fresh, high quality produce.
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2023, Finalist
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Blue-Cove
Blue Cove Fish, LLC
New York, NY, USA
Blue Cove Fish is a low-volume craft seafood cannery that partners with local and sustainable suppliers of seafood, therefore contributing to the development of local aquaculture and food systems, while manufacturing canned seafood products with artisanal techniques and climate-smart packaging.
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2023, Finalist
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Botaniline
Botaniline
Buffalo, NY
Botaniline creates ground proteins that are lower in salt, saturated fat, and calories, by utilizing plant-based ingredients to replace some of the meat, producing flavorful, more sustainable meat products.
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2022, Finalist
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brytlife-foods
Brytlife Foods
Crafts sustainably sourced, vegan artisanal cheese and yogurt with next level nutrition from 100% plants
Kerhonkson, NY
brytlife foods produces dairy free plant-based cheese and yogurt made from 100% plants and sustainably sourced functional superfood ingredients that enhance the nutritional value of its products without compromising the taste. brytlife use the purest forms of spirulina algae, medicinal mushrooms, phycocyanin-rich spirulina extract, wheatgrass and chlorella for the most amazing, and nutrition packed plant-based foods using sustainable processing, packaging and ingredients.
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2020, Finalist
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Candidus
Candidus
Develops cost-effective supplemental lighting strategies and control systems for commercial greenhouse operations
Hull, Georgia
Candidus’ adaptive lighting control system provides greenhouse growers in NY and the rest of the U.S. a feasible solution to optimize lighting conditions, thus increasing production consistency while reducing operational costs. Candidus optimizes energy use by providing supplemental lighting only when it is needed. It turns any fixed greenhouse lighting installation into a dynamic system that can respond to changing weather conditions, allowing growers to save energy when light is not needed while ensuring crops receive enough light throughout the day to meet their requirements and thrive.
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2020, Finalist
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Capro-X
Capro-X
Upcycles dairy waste into valuable biofuels and bioplastics
Ithaca, NY
Capro-X has created a sustainable fermentation technology to upcycle dairy wastewater. Capro-X processes Greek yogurt’s problematic acid whey waste through its WheyAway treatment systems that are installed at Greek yogurt production plants and produces treated water and “bio-oil”— a sustainable, natural, food-grade alternative to oils sourced from palm oil. Capro-X has a pilot system installed at Byrne Dairy’s Cortland, NY plant and has secured a customer to purchase its bio-oil for food and personal care products.
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2019, Finalist
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Cattle-Scan
Cattle Scan
Toronto, Canada
Cattle Scan’s cattle monitoring bolus allows dairy farmers to facilitate real-time monitoring of individual cattle, improving overall herd health, increasing production efficiency, and helping advance business sustainability and operational excellence.
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2023, Finalist
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Clean-Label-Solution
Clean Label Solution, LLC
Ithaca, NY, USA
Clean Label Solution has proprietary technology that improves protein and fat digestibility and reduces CO2 emissions and energy consumption in the production of soy-based animal feeds for livestock such as dairy cattle, poultry, deer, and fish farms.
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2023, Finalist
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Combplex
Combplex
Eliminates pests that threaten the health of honeybee hives
Ithaca, NY
Combplex solves the primary problem driving honey bee population decline by eliminating the invasive Varroa mite. Combplex builds fully electronic, low-power, and chemical free miticide that specifically targets Varroa mites, while leaving bees unharmed. The device works year-round and does not contaminate the honey – two critical advantages over current solutions. The device seamlessly integrates into a beekeeper’s typical management practices. In addition to treating mites, the device collects valuable colony-wide data that enables beekeepers to prioritize hives that need the most care and helps inform crop yield forecasts and identify local regions of intensive pesticide use.
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2019, Finalist
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Craft-Cannery
Craft Cannery
Bergen, NY
Craft Cannery takes cherished recipes from your kitchen to the shelves of grocery stores, restaurants, farmers markets and beyond, specializing in the contract manufacturing of sauces, dressings, marinades, and more.
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2022, Finalist
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Crover
Crover
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Crover is on a mission to help grain storage operators reduce losses and maintain optimum storage conditions, efficiently and remotely monitoring and maintaining the quality of grain bulks through its “grain swimming” robotic technology.
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2023, Finalist
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Crystal-Creek-Organics
Crystal Creek Organics
Rochester, NY
Crystal Creek has a patented process that converts soluble phosphorus in dairy farm manure into by-product that can be sold to generate additional revenue. The remaining, phosphorus-free liquid is left on the farm, dramatically lowering the farm’s spreading costs.
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2020, 2021, Finalist
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DraughtLab
DraughtLab
Webster, NY
DraughtLab produces high-quality sensory tools for every level of sensory expertise, offering practical and approachable sensory analysis solutions that deliver real-world value to companies of any size.
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2021, Finalist
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Dropcopter
Dropcopter
Leverages drones to pollinate crops and increase crop yield
Syracuse, NY
Dropcopter uses drones to pollinate crops and is the first company in the world to offer automated pollination as a service. One third of the world’s food requires insect pollination and the rapid decline in pollinator insects is threatening the world’s food security. Dropcopter supplements and improves bee pollination and can increase crop set by 60%. Dropcopter’s patented device and method has been used to pollinate almonds, apples, cherries, and pears for paying customers in California, New York, and Washington.
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2019, Finalist
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DAC
Dynamic Air Cooling (DAC)
Elblag, Poland
Dynamic Air Cooling (DAC) is an environmentally-friendly air conditioning and refrigeration technology that uses no synthetic HFC coolants and features no thermal emissions, bringing a breakthrough cooling technology to fight climate change.
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2022, Finalist
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Edenesque
Edenesque
Kingston, NY
Edenesque curates clean, simple, and delicious artisanal plant-based milks that foster health and nutrition, made with whole ingredients that support and strengthen bodies without any fillers or additives.
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2022, Finalist
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EmGenisys
EmGenisys
Houston, TX
Emgenisys is a state-of-art embryo health assessment platform that provides the most comprehensive embryo evaluation system, improving pregnancy outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies in livestock.
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2021, Finalist
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Every-Body-Eat
Every Body Eat
Chicago, IL
Every Body Eat makes, markets, and sells delicious food that is free from the most common 14 allergens, corn, and sugar so that people can enjoy it, together, regardless of dietary restrictions or preferences.
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2021, Finalist
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FaunaTech
FaunaTech
Bangalore, India
Fauna is the first smartphone-connected, hand-held diagnostic platform to measure important biomarkers in meat, poultry, and grains, leading to the early detection of critical herd diseases, reducing antibiotic usage, and monitoring food quality at the farm gate.
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2023, Finalist
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FoodNerd
FoodNerd
Buffalo, NY, USA
FoodNerd creates positively processed plant-based food with a purpose. Their sprouting process maintains and increases the nutritional content found naturally in food, rather than degrading it.
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2021, 2023, Finalist
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Updated Forte-Protein
Forte Protein
Trumansburg, NY
Forte Protein uses a plant-based technology to produce a broad spectrum of meat, fish, and dairy proteins without the need for animals, eliminating the carbon footprint involved in animal agriculture.
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2022, Finalist
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FreshSource
FreshSource
Empowers smallholder farmers by connecting them to fair, modern, and transparent markets
Giza, Egypt
FreshSource is disrupting the agriculture value chain by providing innovative solutions to integrate smallholder farmers into the modern value chain, guaranteeing fair prices while minimizing food losses. FreshSource partners with smallholder farmers to provide a market driven approach to demand planning, giving farmers access to micro-financing and agri-inputs, while also increasing their income by 20%. FreshSource leverages its data to predict market prices and fluctuations in supply and connects farmers to businesses, while providing convenience through last-mile delivery, transparent prices, and reduced costs averaging 15%. FreshSource’s holistic cold chain has garnered a food loss rate of 2% versus the national average of 45%.
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2020, Finalist
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Stilbene
GR8PE by Stil-Bène
Geneva, NY, USA
GR8PE by Stil-Bène transforms grape pomace, the skins and seeds left over after pressing grapes, into a powdered dietary supplement designed to improve digestive health.
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2023, Finalist
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Grape.ag
Grape.ag
Cupertino, CA, USA
Grape.ag gives plants a voice with its sensors and communication devices, allowing for the unique care of each plant in a vineyard and providing valuable atmospheric and soil information that enables vintners to visualize hyper-local conditions in real-time, find trends, and make better decisions.
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2023, Finalist
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Hago-Energetics
Hago Energetics
Camarillo, CA
Hago Energetics uses innovative decarbonization technology to convert animal and agricultural waste into green hydrogen and biochar.
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2022, Finalist
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Heat-Inverse
Heat Inverse
Ithaca, NY
Heat Inverse has developed a photonic metamaterial that offers cooling solutions with none of the energy input or waste heat associated with conventional cooling—it has the power to revolutionize cooling technologies in agriculture and food production.
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2021, Finalist
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Hempitecture
Hempitecture
Ketchum, ID
Hempitecture is on a mission to create healthy, energy-efficient building materials that positively impact people and the planet by capturing carbon dioxide and replenishing farmland. Its biobased insulation makes construction projects more sustainable, healthier, and higher-performing.
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2022, Finalist
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HempWood
HempWood
Murray, KY, USA
Fibonacci’s HempWood Organic Flooring is an engineered hardwood flooring that is sustainable, healthy, durable, and made in America using a plant-based, no added formaldehyde adhesive, which emits no VOCs, is renewable and carbonnegative, and water and scratch resistant.
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2023, Finalist
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Humati
Humatico
Mysłowice, Poland
Humatico technology creates high quality organic fertilizer from any available organic raw materials, including agricultural waste, algae, sapropel, peat, and brown coal.
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2022, Finalist
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Hypercell-Technologies
Hypercell Technologies
Peachtree Corners, GA, USA
Hypercell Technologies provides rapid point-of-care diagnostics for the food chain, ensuring early identification and management of biological contaminants from production to transformation with increased speed and accuracy.
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2023, Finalist
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Independent-Barley-Malt
Independent Barley & Malt
Growing new supply chains to provide world-class malt for the craft food and beverage market
Litchfield, MI
Independent Barley & Malt (IB&M) creates commercial-scale grain refining supply chains that unite locally-grown barley, locally-produced malt, and local craft beverage and specialty food manufacturers into an integrated ecosystem. These ecosystems provide a local supply of world-class, competitively-priced malt products. In New York, IB&M is building a state-of-the-art grain refining facility demanding over 2.5M bushels of barley and other grains from local farmers, replacing more expensive, imported products with local ones. IB&M’s local malt ecosystem reduces transportation costs and carbon emissions and spurs local innovation and collaboration, while supplying high-demand food and beverage ingredients.
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2019, Finalist
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InnerPlant
InnerPlant
Genetically transforms plants into living sensors to increase yield and reduce agrochemical waste
Davis, CA
InnerPlant codes sensing capabilities into plants’ DNA to turn them into living sensors. By making the plant itself, the sensor that optically signals stress as soon as it appears, InnerPlant shortens the feedback loop from 2-4 weeks with external technologies to 24 hours, helping farmers reduce yield loss and reduce agrochemical waste, all while making their lives easier. InnerPlant’s technology transforms each hectare into a million living sensors. The company’s proprietary data is integrated with field data (weather, soil, genetics, etc.) and analyzed using machine learning to provide farmers with actionable recommendations, unlocking new value across the supply chain. InnerPlant eliminates the tradeoff between efficiency and sustainability.
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2020, Finalist
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KEHO
KEHO
New York, NY, USA
KEHO makes complex science deliciously digestible, curating savory snack bars that are keto-friendly and 100% plant based. With no sugars, sweeteners, or artificial flavors or colors, KEHO packs up real food for real lives.
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2022, 2023, Finalist
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Kyomei-Proteins
Kyomei
Oxford, UK
Kyomei has developed a first-in-class protein production platform using plants as bioreactors to grow animal proteins at scale for the alternative meat industry. Kyomei’s platform is sustainable, carbon negative, and produces proteins identical to those found in meat.
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2021, Finalist
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Labby
Labby
Cambridge, MA
Labby’s technology provides rapid, accurate, and affordable solutions for dairy farms, leveraging AI-enabled optical sensing for raw milk testing that delivers instant insights to your fingertips.
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2022, Finalist
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LeafSpec
LeafSpec, LLC
West Lafayette, IN, USA
LeafSpec is an accurate, affordable, and portable hyperspectral crop leaf imager that provides measurements of a plant’s physiological features such as leaf moisture content, chlorophyll content, nitrogen content, pathogen and insect diseases, and stresses from chemical sprays without damage to the plant.
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2023, Finalist
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Leep-Foods
Leep Foods
Grows premium organic mushrooms using regenerative soil methods on nutrient-enriched American hardwoods for consumers and restaurants
Rochester, NY
Leep Foods uses regenerative soil methods to grow the best mushrooms in the world. The mushroom gurus at Leep Foods grow USDA-certified organic Blue Oyster, Lion’s Mane, and Skiitake mushrooms packed with incredible flavor and healthy nutrients. The company’s latest innovations, beef and mushroom blended burgers and chicken and mushroom blended sausages, help consumers eat healthier without compromising on flavor. Leep Foods plans to continue expanding to shorten the supply chain for large metropolitan cities and to improve access to fresh, local, organic mushrooms.
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2020, Finalist
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Livestock-Water-Recycling
Livestock Water Recycling
Modernizes manure management to improve yield and sustainability
Alberta, Canada
Livestock Water Recycling’s manure management solution reduces the overall volume of manure, concentrates nutrients for better crop yield, and delivers a renewable, high-quality water source. The technology-based solution offers farmers a high return on investment (20-30%) and minimizes the environmental impact of livestock farming. Livestock Water Recycling enables farmers to grow more crops and produce more food using less money and fewer resources.
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2019, Finalist
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Lupii
Lupii
Brooklyn, NY
Lupii is unleashing the power of the small‑but‑mighty Lupini bean and disrupting the snack and meal bar category with its first snack-size line of flavors. Lupii Bars, the most unique, vegan protein bars on the block, offers one of the first whole bean based bars on the market.
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2021, Finalist
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Mi-Terro
Mi Terro
City of Industry, CA
Mi Terro is helping to protect the environment by upcycling agricultural waste and engineering it to replace plastic in the food, packaging, and fashion industries.
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2022, Finalist
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Mush-Foods
Mush Foods
Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
Mush Foods harnesses the power and intelligence of mushrooms with its edible mushroom mycelium, creating a groundbreaking, sustainable, animal-free protein for the food and beverage industry.
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2023, Finalist
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MycoLogic
MycoLogic
Kennesaw, GA, USA
MycoLogic is a comprehensive solution for starting or expanding your specialty mushroom cultivation business. They provide hardware and software for semiautonomous cultivation of specialty mushrooms, as well as biological support and consultation.
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2023, Finalist
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Neupeak
Neupeak Robotics
Surrey, Canada
Neupeak’s fully autonomous berry harvesters are designed to work in all weather and lighting conditions, alongside human workers, to save farmers money by charging a fixed rate per pound of berries collected.
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2021, Finalist
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Nordetect
Nordetect
Copenhagen, Denmark
Nordetect provides rapid chemical analysis for nutrients in the Agrifood industry. The company’s first product is a lab-on-a-chip test for nutrients found in soil, water, and leaf samples, aimed at optimizing the amount of fertilizer used to cultivate crops.
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2020, 2021, Finalist
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Norwhey
Norwhey Brewing
Ithaca, NY
Norwhey transforms New York state’s yogurt byproducts into a delicious, Nordic twist on hard seltzer by responsibly capturing and fermenting excess whey from the production of strained yogurt and turning it into sustainability you can taste.
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2020, 2022, Finalist
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Nuravine
Nuravine
Maximizes indoor and greenhouse crop yield via water nutrient solutions
New York, NY
Nuravine provides automated water nutrient solutions for indoor and greenhouse cultivators, solving their most common pain-points: inconsistent yields due to variation in nutrient levels, high labor costs due to tedious hand watering, and crop-loss anxiety due to an inability to verify nutrient levels 24/7. Nuravine produces hardware devices that utilize the latest sensor technology to collect valuable environmental data and make automated corrections in real-time. Data is collected by Nuravine’s cloud platform and analyzed by nutrient algorithms to enable cultivators to maximize yields consistently.
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2019, Finalist
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Nutreat
Nutreat
Geneva, NY
Nutreat is a line of low glycemic, healthy sweet snacks that leverage science-driven innovation, 100% natural, real, whole food ingredients, and a commitment to uncompromising flavor, and can be enjoyed on the go.
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2021, Finalist
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Paragon-Pure
Paragon Pure
Creates flavors, colors and nutrients protected within whole grain rice flour
Princeton, NJ
Paragon Pure produces affordable, high performing encapsulation solutions with simple, natural ingredients. The packaged food industry heavily relies on synthetic additives like chemically modified starch to protect sensitive ingredients. Paragon Pure’s first innovation uses whole grain rice flour as a natural replacement for these additives protecting flavors, colors and nutrients, within a broad range of dry foods including fruit powders, snack chips, cake mixes, and beverage blends.
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2019, Finalist
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Persistent-Biocontrol
Persistent BioControl
Austin, TX
Persistent BioControl™ produces biocontrol nematodes that attack, kill, and multiply inside Western Corn Rootworm larvae before they damage crop yield. They are compatible with all CRW management programs, traited corn varieties, soil insecticides, and soil types.
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2021, Finalist
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Pheronym
Pheronym
Davis, CA
Pheronym uses pheromones to control the behavior and development of microscopic roundworms called nematodes, offering a non-toxic, sustainable, and effective path for farmers as they transition away from conventional pesticides.
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2021, Finalist
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PittMoss
PittMoss
Produces a next generation growing media that is proven to grow bigger, stronger plants than most peat-based mixes
Ambridge, PA
PittMoss makes and sells engineered fiber growing media made from reclaimed paper and cardboard and a proprietary mix of organic additives. PittMoss products look similar to peat moss, are light-weight, and offer superior physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Those characteristics include moisture retention, nutrient absorption, and soil aeration. Traditional peat moss has many disadvantages—it can carry weed seed, mold spores, and insect larvae that require chemical treatment, and peat harvesting creates CO2 emissions. PittMoss offers a more natural and sustainable alternative. PittMoss offers multiple branded products for e-commerce, wholesale distribution, and commercial growers.
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2020, Finalist
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Pro-Agni
ProAgni
Lavington, Australia
ProAgni ProTect is a revolutionary range of supplements and feeds for livestock that lowers methane emissions from sheep and cattle without the use of antibiotics, decreasing a producer’s environmental footprint without increasing costs.
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2021, 2022, Finalist
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Purespace
PureSpace
Extends shelf-life and improves food safety by decomposing ethylene gas, airborne mold, and viruses effectively and efficiently
Busan, South Korea
PureSpace produces a nanotechnology device that can effectively decompose ethylene, mold, and viruses. If applied in the cold chain for the fresh food industry, the shelf-life of fresh food can be systematically increased, thus reducing post-harvest losses. The device can be deployed at multiple points of the supply chain including long-term storage, distribution centers, refrigerated trucks, food processing facilities and retail storage. When applied, PurSpace’s technology lowers the ethylene concentration levels and airborne molds to extend the shelf-life of food like fruits and vegetables without needing to chemically treat them.
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2020, Finalist
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Radical-Plastics
Radical Plastics
Developed a patented catalyst technology that renders conventional plastics biodegradable
Beverly, MA
Radical Plastics is creating biodegradable plastic compounds that have the same favorable economics, outstanding properties and recyclability of conventional plastics with the added benefit of complete biodegradability. Radical Plastics compounds are used to produce plastic mulch films that have excellent physical properties and yet, are fully degradable in soil. This technology can also be used to produce other types of films, bags and netting used in agriculture and flexible packaging.
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2019, Finalist
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Re-Nuble
Re-Nuble
Transforms food waste into industrial-grade, water soluble, organic hydroponic nutrients for soilless farming
New York, NY
Re-Nuble is an agtech company that uniquely uses organic cycling science and proprietary technology to convert food waste into industrial-grade, water soluble, organic hydroponic nutrients for soilless farming. Re-Nuble’s solution aims to decarbonize the global fertilizer supply chain and help soilless farms obtain 20-60% in profit margin by producing food in the organic category while lowering their carbon footprint. Re-Nuble’s proprietary nutrient delivery system produces organic hydroponic nutrients that are 2X more cost-effective than the dominant, conventional mineral salts.
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2019, 2020, Finalist
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RealEats
RealEats America
Delivers fresh, healthy meals, while minimizing food waste
Geneva, NY
Building a healthier food future with healthy, responsibly sourced meals that minimize food waste.
RealEats is a mission-driven, innovative food-tech company that develops products to make it simple for people to access and enjoy the benefits of real food. The company’s first product innovation is a highly successful line of healthy, hyper-convenient meals that minimize food waste. RealEats meals are delivered directly to consumers and are available in RealEats branded, healthy smart fridges in corporate office locations.
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2019, Finalist
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Ripe-Technology
Ripe.io
Provides a platform to access transparent and reliable information on the origin, journey, and quality of one’s food
New York, NY
ripe.io is one of the leading forces in introducing and deploying the Blockchain of Food. The company provides visibility across the food supply chain. Through collaboration, ripe.io is able to showcase and verify traceability, authenticity and sustainability claims by utilizing IoT devices and blockchain among other technologies such as machine learning and AI. These tools allow the company to address food safety issues, supply chain tracking, labor practices, proof of origin, environmental impact, food waste reduction, growing practices, and certification validity while amplifying issues like financial inclusion and equal pay. ripe.io has been recognized by Forbes as one of the “25 Most Innovative Ag-Tech Startups.”
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2020, Finalist
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Seneca-Farms-Biochar
Seneca Farms Biochar
Odessa, NY
Seneca Farms Biochar’s technology produces biochar, pyroligneous acid (wood vinegar), and activated carbon at scale, sequestering carbon, reducing dependency on chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and optimizing financial outcomes.
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2022, Finalist
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Simply-Good-Jars
Simply Good Jars
Expands access to sustainable, restaurant quality meals in a convenient, pre-packaged format
Philadelphia, PA
Simply Good Jars is a Certified B Corporation that produces and distributes chef-crafted meals in convenient ways. Founded by a chef in the fall of 2017, the company is driven to provide fast on-the-go food that is tastier, healthier, and better for the environment. Currently, Simply Good Jars is distributed through retail and food service partners in the Mid-Atlantic States, Cincinnati, and Chicago. All products are inspected by on-site USDA inspectors and have exceeded the highest standard for food safety.
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2019, 2020, Finalist
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Slate
Slate Chocolate Milk
Crafts better chocolate milk in cans for adults
Boston, MA
Chocolate milk has always been perceived as a high-in-sugar kids’ drink. Through significant product enhancements and a unique packaging style, Slate is crafting the world’s first all-natural, lower sugar, higher protein line of canned, lactose-free chocolate milks for millennials and adults.
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2019, Finalist
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SoFresh
SoFresh
Manufactures a unique packaging material with an organic vapor to extend the shelf life of fresh bread
Pleasant Prairie, WI
SoFresh manufactures packaging materials that extend the shelf life of fresh foods such as bread, berries, and cheese. The company is committed to mitigating food spoilage and dedicated to fighting food waste in the U.S. and throughout the world. Their innovative packaging products allow food producers, wholesalers, and retailers to naturally extend the shelf life of fresh foods and extend the consumable life for their consumers. Their company’s organic mold inhibiting packaging technology allows food to stay fresh longer with no preservatives and less refrigeration therefore saving their customers money while reducing Green House Gas emissions.
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2020, Finalist
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SomaDetect
SomaDetect, Inc.
Halifax, NS, Canada
SomaDetect’s cutting-edge sensor and software system provides farmers with the information they need to make the best milk possible, offering dairy producers automatic and reliable milk-based data directly from their milking line to streamline day-to-day operations of dairy farms.
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2023, Finalist
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Soos
Soos Technology
Mitigates male-chick culling by transforming male chickens into egg-laying females
Kidron, Israel
Soos Technology develops sex determination technology to solve the biggest challenge the egg-production industry has today, male-chick culling. Every year around 7.5 billion male chicks are killed and about 50% of the industry production (incubated male eggs), wasted incubation capacity, electricity, water, and staff efforts are lost in the process. The company’s solution is an incubation system (AI-driven software controlling a customized incubation cell) that affects the sex development process in chicken embryo and results in more functional female chickens that lay eggs.
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2020, Finalist
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Sweet-Pea
Sweet Pea Plant-Based Kitchen
Rochester, NY
Sweet Pea is a plant-powered kitchen creating transformative paths to wellness, combining the benefits of its plant-centric food meal service and nutrition coaching to help people to sustain a healthy life.
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2022, Finalist
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Tainr
TAINR
Los Angeles, CA, USA
TAINR modernizes the grocery store’s outdated bulk aisle with a smart refill kiosk that moves inventory efficiently, reduces restocking times, and eliminates product losses and single-use plastic packaging waste.
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2023, Finalist
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The-Perfect-Granola
The Perfect Granola
Crafts locally-sourced granola for NY schools while giving back
Victor, NY
The Perfect Granola produces allergy-free, locally sourced, single-serve granola for NY schools. The company purchases raw ingredients and “seconds” from local farms, providing them with new revenue streams. These products are New York State’s first NYS Grown & Certified Ready-To-Eat Grain Product and NYS’s First Grain Process that is part of the Farm-to-Institution Program. The Perfect Granola business model is designed to give back to the community. The company shares profits and food with homeless shelters, outreach centers, and food banks; hires at-risk youth; and recently built a production line at Foodlink to expand their workforce development training program for adults living in poverty.
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2019, Finalist
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Tiliter
Tiliter
Identifies products at supermarket checkouts with AI—no bar code needed
Munich, Germany
Tiliter installs artificial intelligence technology at supermarket checkouts to recognize products, like fruits and vegetables, without barcodes. Tiliter’s AI technology software identifies products in less than one second with 99% accuracy and can be integrated into any checkout, without the need for an internet connection. Tiliter’s scanning technology also eliminates the need for plastic packaging that has historically been used to adhere barcode information.
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2019, Finalist
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Tomgrow
Tomgrow
Tel Aviv, Israel
Tomgrow provides a programmable growth medium that can be customized for specific crops and plants, enabling plants to access water and nutrients on demand and combatting the wastefulness and environmental impact of traditional growing.
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2022, Finalist
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Tropos-Technologies
Tropos Technologies
North Tonawanda, NY
Tropos uses patented air control and state-of-the-art environmental controls to offer a superior climate management system, improving sustainability, operations, and food safety standards for greenhouses and indoor farms.
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2021, Finalist
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Unnico
Unnico Food
Mamaroneck, NY
Unnico Food offers plant-based yogurts and creams that taste and feel like a yogurt, but are jam-packed with probiotics and fortified with fiber, creating a vegan, dairy-free treat that tastes as good as it is for you.
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2022, Finalist
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Vivid-Machines
Vivid Machines
Toronto, Canada
Vivid X-Vision system captures the visible and chemical details of every plant across an entire crop from bud to harvest to manage growth and predict yield, and provide means for early diagnosis of pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies.
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2022, Finalist
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We-Are-The-New-Farmers
We Are The New Farmers
Brooklyn, NY, USA
We Are The New Farmers brings the benefits of microalgae straight into smoothies with its fresh, frozen, farm-grown spirulina cubes that are packed with dense micronutrients and loaded with antioxidants.
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2022, 2023, Finalist
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WeRadiate
WeRadiate
Buffalo, NY
WeRadiate has a turnkey solution to improve soil quality using hardware, software, and data technology, offering a complete array of tools to create high-efficacy and high-quality compost end products at all composting sites.
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2021, Finalist
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Whole-Healthy-Food
Whole Healthy Food
Develops new food ingredients with therapeutic benefits
Ithaca, NY
Whole Healthy Food creates therapeutic food ingredients and is currently focused on producing a white kidney bean protein that can be added to foods and beverages. Clinical studies have shown that the protein can efficiently block starch enzyme activity—allowing it to reduce blood glucose spikes and caloric intake. The protein, currently produced in a powder, is a natural way to reduce the human body’s carbohydrate and calorie intake without changing diet. Whole Healthy Food plans to build a plant protein processing factory in New York state to produce its food ingredients.
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2019, Finalist
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Wisely
Wisely, Inc.
Wilmington, NC, USA
Wisely has developed a smart food storage system that reduces waste by allowing users the ability to track the time and conditions in which their perishables are stored. The system includes a Wisely Smart Sensor Disc integrated with Wi-Fi connectivity to give the user detailed and personalized insights through the Wisely Mobile Companion App.
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2023, Finalist
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Zalliant
Zalliant
Amsterdam, NY
Zalliant’s IoT and artificial intelligence technologies provide value and efficiency to farmers through improved decision making and management.
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2022, Finalist
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Zetifi
Zetifi
Enables farmers to access fast and reliable connectivity across the entirety of their property
New South Wales, Australia
Zetifi designs and manufactures ruggedized wireless network devices that solve connectivity problems in rural and remote areas. Lack of connectivity is holding back the ag tech revolution. Farmers around the world desperately need fast and reliable communications not just to their houses but across their entire farm to make use of technologies that increase productivity, profitability, safety, and quality of life. Zetifi is bridging this digital divide with patent pending ‘sleepy’ wireless infrastructure that enables on demand connectivity across farms for voice, video, and data.
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2020, Finalist
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