Lucky for some: Why TERRA picked these 13 growth-stage agri-foodtech startups

TERRA, the growth-stage accelerator, has announced its fourth cohort and it’s a diverse list of businesses tackling key problems in the food chain including food waste and safety.

For the 13 chosen startups, this is the beginning of a game-changing process whereby they will have the chance to work with TERRA’s corporate partners, Beta San Miguel, GrainCorp, Griffith Foods, OSI, Meat & Livestock Australia, and Tate & Lyle.

(It’s also game-changing for the corporates involved – find out how GrainCorp is working with TERRA alumni in our previous post here. Griffith Foods has invested in two TERRA startups since joining the program too.)

The selected startups come from seven countries globally after the accelerator program received applications from over 300 companies across 50 countries.

The 13 lucky startups are:

Altum Technologies (Finland):  Uses software-guided power ultrasound to remove fouling from industrial equipment with no production stoppages and no toxic chemicals.

Burlap & Barrel (USA):  Sources unique, beautiful spices for professional chefs and home cooks. 

ClearLeaf S. A. (Costa Rica):  Designs and commercializes innovative pre- and post-harvest solutions that protect the environment and optimize farmer profits.

Corumat Inc. (USA): develops high-tech, biodegradable packaging

DataFarming (Australia):  Aims to unlock the potential of Precision Agriculture products and farm data by putting easy-to-use, simple, automated and low-cost digital solutions in the hands of agronomists and producers.

Digested Organics (USA):  Converts organic waste into clean water, concentrated co-products, and renewable energy.

Kiverdi (USA): generates edible ingredients from air’s upcycled carbon dioxide

Phyto Corporation (South Korea):  Creates the future of food with Salicornia, a plant grown by seawater.

Shameless Pets, LLC (USA):  Sources edible, safe, and nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste.

SnapDNA (USA):  Executes rapid food safety testing through pathogen analysis.

SwissDeCode (Switzerland):  Helps food and feed manufacturers transform contamination threats into sustainable opportunities.

The Better Meat Co. (USA):  Provides innovative plant protein formulas for foodservice providers and meat processors to make their meat, in a word, better.

Yarok Microbio (Israel):  Develops a fast microbiological testing system for the fresh food industry to protect consumers and safeguard producer interests.

TERRA launched in 2016 by founding partners RocketSpace and Rabobank to fuel groundbreaking transformation in food & agriculture in order to advance the well-being of our people and our planet. So each startup needed to have that mission as core to its business to be considered for the program.

RocketSpace is a Silicon Valley-based external innovation consulting company, and Rabobank is the leading provider of financial services in the food, agribusiness, and beverage industry. Rabobank also promotes sustainability and innovation in the industry by running innovation platforms like TERRA and FoodBytes! FoodBytes!, the pitch competition, focuses on earlier stage companies, many of which have go on to join the TERRA program. In fact, in this fourth cohort, 46% of the selected companies took part in FoodBytes!

Since the corporate partnerships are key to how TERRA operates, startups that were most suitable to corporate partner objectives were the most successful. As you can see from the list, agri-food corporates are particularly focused on themes around food safety, and sustainable ingredients. In food safety, SnapDNA, SwissDeCode and Yarok Microbio were selected for their rapid food testing capabilities, while on the sustainable, healthy ingredients and sourcing front, Better Meat Co, Corumat, Phyto Corp and Burlap & Barrel were attractive. 

“Food and ag corporate leaders today are focused more than ever on listening to what consumers want and what our planet needs. Through TERRA, corporates have made significant strides in bringing healthy, transparent, safe, and sustainable products mainstream and instituting more efficient and environmentally friendly operational practices, while increasing top-line growth and profitability.  In our fourth Cohort, this is showcased with our corporates’ strong focus on food safety and sustainability, and we look forward to helping them bring actionable solutions to life,” says Carin Gerhardt, manager of the TERRA Accelerator at RocketSpace.