Cargill and Ecolab launch second year of Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator
Based in Minneapolis- St. Paul, Cargill and Ecolab's Techstars accelerator is focused on the technology and digital startups who can help bring "critical solutions to scale" within the food and agriculture industries, said Cargill CIO Justin Kershaw.
Techstars accelerator portfolio includes more than 1,700 companies with a market cap of $20m.
"Solving the greatest food and sustainability challenges the world faces today requires partnership and fresh, innovative ideas. These are the two key ingredients of the Techstars Farm to Fork program," said Kershaw.
The accelerator includes early stage entrepreneurs and late stage startups focused on advancing key aspects of the food system, including consumer goods, food security and safety, ag tech, and supply chain management, according to Techstars.
Startups receive mentor support from Cargill and Ecolab executives and access to the companies' market expertise, global connections, and investment capital.
11 Companies Selected for Techstars 2019:
Contain, Reno, Nev.
Founded by an indoor agriculture and investment industry veteran, Contain is an alternate financing company working with the indoor agriculture industry.
Conversight, Indianapolis, Ind.
A technology platform that can understand user behavior, context, enabling more natural human-machine interaction.
EcoPlant, Tel Aviv, Israel
Food for All, Boston, Mass. / New York City, N.Y.
A mobile app that lets users users purchase meals about to go to waste from nearby restaurants at a cheaper price.
Imago AI, Gurgaon, India
Phenox is an AI-powered plant breeding virtual assistant providing instant measurements of the complex traits ofcrops and improving breeder's experiences.
Magic AI, Seattle, Wash.
Magic AI Corp is building a platform through machine learning and computer vision focused on nonverbal forms of data and communication related to humans and animals.
Otrafy, Melbourne, Australia / Vancouver, Canada
Otrafy’ "simple and fast" blockchain-powered platform helps producers address key supply chain challenges such as certification and compliance management, production efficiency, food safety, disease prevention and authenticity.
Phood, Boston, Mass.
Phood's software measures the exact food items wasted on a day-to-day basis, providing valuable insights about loss reasons and staff behavior. These metrics give alter wasteful food purchasing, ineffective food preparation and storage, and create a kitchen operating at max efficiency.
PurPics, Austin, Texas
Trackter, Atlanta, Ga.
Trackter is a total fresh produce supply chain management solution connecting buyers, shippers, and logistics partners. Its system automates communications between industry stakeholders in order to reduce phone calls, emails, and repetitive data entry and to ultimately enable all parties to generate higher profit margins.
Transparent Kitchen, Ottawa, Canada
Transparent Kitchen is creating a digital ecosystem that makes the farm to table movement accessible to all.
"Together we are helping entrepreneurs build their business, secure capital, expand their reach and ultimately have a positive impact on the food industry and society," added Brett Brohl, Techstars Farm to Fork accelerator managing director. "We're excited to build on last year's success, leveraging the expertise of Cargill and Ecolab, Techstars' proven accelerator model, and the entrepreneurial energy of each of the startup companies' founders."
