Disclosure: GROW is backed by AFN’s parent company, AgFunder.
After 20 weeks of coaching sessions, mentor networking, customer introductions and pitching practice, the GROW Impact Accelerator is drawing to a close.
It’ll soon be time for Demo Day – the chance for the 10 startups that have successfully completed the program to showcase their tech and business plans to an audience of investors, corporates, government agencies, and potential customers.
The virtual GROW Impact Accelerator Demo Day will take place on Monday 13 September, 5 pm-7 pm Singapore/China time (11 am-1 pm CET; 5 am-7 am EST.) To attend, sign up here.
GROW, Asia’s agrifoodtech ecosystem catalyst, launched its GROW Impact Accelerator in 2019 with the support of Enterprise Singapore. This year’s program was delivered with the additional support of impact partners UNDP Global Centre, Grow Asia, Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, and Toniic, alongside official media partner AFN.
The 20-week Impact Accelerator is backed by the GROW Impact Fund, AgFunder’s first fund mandated to measure not just commercial growth, but also the social and environmental impact of its portfolio companies. The program, delivered virtually from GROW headquarters in Singapore, provided these teams with the support they need to scale up rapidly and create lasting positive change across the globe. The teams also benefited from bespoke coaching, mentor support, expert sessions, peer learning, and access to AgFunder’s unparalleled industry network.
Selected from over 270 applicants from around the world, the 10 teams that joined the program have developed innovations in areas such as food waste valorization, cell-cultured meat production, plant-based proteins, supply chain rationalization, and more. Each presents a unique solution to transform our food system into one that can sustainably meet the demands of tomorrow.
“The past five months have been unlike any other in GROW’s history, and to observe what these founders have achieved in the face of Covid-19 challenges has been incredible to watch,” says John Friedman, executive director at GROW and AgFunder Asia.
“Our objective with the GROW Impact Accelerator is to catalyze change and push boundaries in the global agrifood system. Demo Day is an important step in this journey and we look forward to launching these incredible companies onto the global stage and onwards to even greater success.”
The 10 teams who will be pitching are:
- ANINA Culinary Art (Israel) – Creating food laminates from unwanted produce to encapsulate ready-to-cook, nutrient-rich meals, cutting both food waste and greenhouse gas emissions.
- Biteback Biotechnology (Singapore) – Insect biorefinery converting agro-industrial waste into a healthier drop-in replacement for palm oil, biofuels, and other functional ingredients.
- Braintree Technologies (Malaysia) – Robotic farming-as-a-service platform that transforms unattended land into agricultural spaces, raising smallholder incomes and reducing emissions.
- Cellular Agriculture (United Kingdom) – Novel bioreactor design for production of cell-based meats, dramatically increasing yields and reducing costs of cell-cultured protein.
- Green Rebel (Indonesia) – The archipelago’s top-selling plant-based protein brand, using local ingredients to create clean-label meat alternatives with distinct Asian flavors.
- Mayani (Philippines) – Ag e-commerce platform helping smallholders access new customers and markets, while digitalizing the supply chain to improve incomes and reduce food loss.
- Rainfed Foods (Canada) – Developing ingredients for plant-based foods using millet proteins – great-tasting and more sustainable than conventional ingredients such as almond, pea, and soy.
- Rubilabs (Nigeria) – Africa’s first cloud-based animal healthcare solution, building an app-powered vaccine delivery service to combat livestock death and disease.
- Science For Society (S4S) (India) – Combining solar-powered dehydration of produce with micro-entrepreneurship to solve social and supply chain inefficiencies in developing countries.
- Seadling (Singapore) – Producing functional ingredients for pet, aquaculture, and animal feed manufacturers from sustainably farmed seaweed.
Several teams from the first cohort of the GROW Impact Accelerator will also be sharing updates on their progress and traction, including Future Fields, IntelloLabs, nanoLambda, Singrow, Tractor Junction, Viridis RS, and Wittaya Aqua.
You can read more from our media partner AFN on the 2021 cohort and the impact they are creating here and here.
To attend the GROW Impact Accelerator 2021 Demo Day on 13 September, please sign up here. We look forward to welcoming you!
