Skip navigation
13th Jan 2023
Press releases

Will you join our fourth cohort of agrifood innovators?

AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator calls for applications for its fourth cohort of agrifoodtech innovators 

  • Join GROW’s fourth cohort of startups advancing sustainability and resilience through technology across global food systems
  • The programme fast-tracks the growth of impactful agrifoodtech startups with US$100,000 cash investment from the leading global VC, AgFunder, in addition to acceleration support
  • Areas of interest include automation and robotics, food as medicine, functional ingredients, waste reduction, circular economies, agri-fintech and marketplaces, synthetic biotech, and decarbonization solutions

SINGAPORE, 12 January 2023 – GROW, the agrifoodtech ecosystem catalyst for impact, is inviting  applications from emerging foodtech and agtech entrepreneurs for its fourth cohort of the AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator programme. This is GROW’s flagship programme that accelerates deep tech agrifood startups from across the value chain tackling the world’s biggest challenges around climate impact and food system sustainability. 

Successful companies will each receive an upfront US$100,000 cash investment from AgFunder in the form of a SAFE, as well as introductions to a global network of co-investors. The 5 month programme, which will commence  in mid-April and culminate in a Demo Day in Singapore, aims to scale the startup’s business model for global growth and plugs founders into the AgFunder & GROW network. Strategic LPs including Meiji Holdings, Asahi, and other prominent global agrifood corporations will work closely with the selected startups to bring solutions to market.

Applicants should have strong technological moats, a proven minimum viable product, established product-market fit, and operating in at least one market. Applicants should be able to  demonstrate a strong business model with scalable solutions that deliver tangible environmental and/or social impact. Areas of particular interest for our 2023 intake include (but are not limited to):

  • Food as Medicine (functional foods/precision nutrition); 
  • Automation and robotics;
  • Waste reduction and circular economies; 
  • Agri-fintech and marketplaces; 
  • Synthetic biotech;
  • Decarbonization solutions.

Since 2019, twenty-nine companies from 16 countries have graduated from the AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator, cumulatively raising over US$60 million of funding. Notable alumni include LYRO Robotics (Australia), Mayani (the Philippines), Future Fields (Canada), Green Rebel Foods (Indonesia), Phagos (France), Cellular Agriculture (UK) and Intello Labs  (India). 

Alumnus of the 2022 cohort Dr. Nicole Robinson, founder and CEO of LYRO Robotics, said: “The programme really helped my business by connecting me to a variety of different corporations. It has given me a fantastic opportunity to refine my business model and get robots out there from Australia into Southeast Asia. The best part of the programme was being able to work with amazingly experienced investors and mentors specialised in agri-tech and agri-food, so they really understood my business, what I was trying to achieve from growth and the opportunity to connect me to clients and corporations.”

Mr. Toru Kawahatsu, Associate General Manager of Corporate Development at Meiji Holdings, said: “We are excited to meet through this event a lot of enthusiastic entrepreneurs and their cutting edge technologies and business models which will greatly contribute to addressing and solving the problems we think are most challenging.”

Applications for Cohort 4 of the AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator are now open until 26 February 2023. For more details, register for the info session on 8 February or visit https://gogrow.co/the-grow-accelerator .

Join the Impact Accelerator