Innovators Across Water Risk Analytics, Genetic Detection, Early Disease Detection, Autonomous Robots and Soil Microbes Chosen as Finalists from the Largest Ever Pool of Applicants to a Radicle Challenge; to Pitch at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – February 19, 2020 – Radicle Growth, an acceleration platform for early-stage ag and food technologies, today announced the five entrepreneurs who have been invited to compete at the Radicle Challenge by Corteva Pitch Day competition taking place March 16, 2020 in San Francisco at the World-Agri-Tech Innovation Summit.
The Radicle Challenge by Corteva at World Agri-Tech called on entrepreneurs with technologies across the agricultural landscape who are solving problems with breakthrough technology solutions. The winner will be awarded a$250k investment, access to Radicle’s company-building platform, and the opportunity to engage with Corteva technology leaders to help shape, validate and refine their technology using virtual or actual on-the-farm assessments. It will also present on stage at the summit’s acclaimed Technology Showcase, to an audience of 1,500 agribusiness leaders.
“In just five weeks, we had our largest pool of applicants ever for a Radicle Challenge from across the globe. This confirms that entrepreneurs are hungry not only for the funding to advance the development of their technologies, but also for invaluable coaching and hands-on refining of their technology from some of the biggest names in agriculture,” said Kirk Haney, Managing Partner, Radicle Growth. “Where traditionally we see the highest concentration of applicants in digital ag technologies, we saw more entries than ever before in novel farm systems and biologicals and close to 65% from outside of the U.S. We look forward to having all of these rising stars in one room next month to pitch to our panel of judges.”
The finalists are:
- Aquaoso: a SaaS water risk analytics company dubbed the “credit score for water,” which helps ag lenders, investors, growers and shippers understand the financial impacts of water risk on operators.
- Holganix: a liquid soil treatment that contains a consortium of 800+ microbes to drive yield, soil health and reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers.
- Nanobio Designs: a handheld device that uses self-assembling nanoparticles to test for the presence of GMOs.
- Scanit Technologies: An in-field platform (for indoor or outdoor growers) to detect plant pathogens when they are airborne and before they infect plants.
- SwarmFarm Robotics: Commercially available robots for autonomous agriculture.
Companies will be evaluated by a panel of esteemed judges, including: Corteva’s CTO, Neal Gutterson, Nutrien’s Chief Corporate Development and Strategy Officer, Mark Thompson, Corteva’s Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer Debra King, Microsoft’s Director of Agriculture, Claudia Roessler, Fall Line Capital’s Co-Founder and Managing Director, Clay Mitchell, DCVC’s Managing Partner, Kiersten Stead and Radicle Growth’s Managing Partner, Kirk Haney. The winner will be announced March 17th at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit, the day after the Pitch Day Competition.
For more information on the Radicle Challenge by Corteva, visit www.worldagritechusa.com/radicle-challenge.
About Radicle Growth:
Radicle Growth selects innovative, early-stage companies for investment, ensuring that disruptive agtech & foodtech companies reach their full potential. In addition to providing seed-stage capital, Radicle Growth provides a fertile environment for visionaries in the ag and food space to flourish. Their proprietary platform is one of a kind in the ag and food industry, filling a huge void in the market by identifying the most innovative technologies and accelerating them with a range of value-creation initiatives. To connect and learn more about Radicle Growth follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About Corteva:
Corteva Agriscience is a publicly traded, global pure-play agriculture company that provides farmers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry – including a balanced and diverse mix of seed, crop protection and digital solutions focused on maximizing productivity to enhance yield and profitability. With some of the most recognized brands in agriculture and an industry-leading product and technology pipeline well positioned to drive growth, the company is committed to working with stakeholders throughout the food system as it fulfills its promise to enrich the lives of those who produce and those who consume, ensuring progress for generations to come. Corteva Agriscience became an independent public company on June 1, 2019 and was previously the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont. More information can be found at www.corteva.com.
Follow Corteva Agriscience on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
About World Agri-Tech:
Held annually in San Francisco, London and São Paulo, the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit has established itself as the most influential meeting place for international stakeholders dedicated to advancing sustainable agriculture in both developed and developing markets. Focused on identifying the best models for successful technology commercialization, the summits bring together experts from around the world to share best practices and case studies and to identify the most exciting opportunities for innovation and investment.
Now in its 7th year, the San Francisco summit will welcome 1500+ global agri-food corporates, innovators and investors who will uncover the most exciting innovations in the agri-food sector, forging the right partnerships to take those solutions from the laboratory to the field. www.worldagritechusa.com
