Startup competitions seeking agtech companies

They include AgSharks Competition, IoT.ATL AgTech Challenge and Future Agro Challenge

If you're a startup seeking opportunities to get funded, educated or connected, startup competitions are a great resource.

Vator has been holding its own competitions, using VatorX, to find and filter for the best startups. We've had some very successful and notable winners in the past that have gone on to raise big funding rounds including Thumbtack, DogVacay, Pokitdok, Grovo, Udemy and Apartment List, to name a few.

Anyone can list their program as VatorX is one of the most comprehensive listing guides to startup competitions, challenges, accelerators and programs. Click here to list your program!

As part of our weekly series, we'll look at top competitions with big cash prizes, as well as competitions that have teed up the most promising startups, to finding popular startup competitions you need to know about. 

Here are some of the startup competitions that are focused on InsurTech companies:

 

• Farmer2Farmer Startup Pitch Contest

Description: "Farmers Business Network launched a startup competition at Farmer2Farmer to showcase the latest in agriculture innovation to our farmer members, and to give startups the opportunity to get exposure and real-time feedback from their target customers, farmers."

Prize: Not specified

Previous winners: Augean Robotics, Rogo 

 

• Innova $100,000 Row Crop Challenge

Description: "The Innova $100,000 Row Crop Challenge powered by AgLaunch will be held December 4th on the AgTech Expo Demo Stage and is open to all early stage AgTech startups focused on new and novel solutions to problems in row crop agriculture or to help farmers take advantage of new opportunities."

Prize: Eligible applicants will vie for up to $100,000 in funding from Innova’s Ag Innovation Fund IV, a $31 million USDA-licensed Rural Business Investment Company backed by 8 Farm Credit Banks, as well as access to the AgLaunch Farmer Network and visibility through the Farm Journal Media family of multi-media platforms.

Previous winners: Kopper Kutter

 

 

• Radicle Automation Challenge

Description: "Seed stage agtech/foodtech startups worldwide are encouraged to apply to participate in the Pitch Day onsite at the 2019 World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit. All companies selected as finalists will benefit from pre-pitch coaching ahead of the Summit. Onsite at the Summit, presenting companies’ pitch will be heard by an audience of over 1,000 global agribusiness leaders and investors and a winner will be selected."

Prize: $450k in up to three companies

Previous winners: Not specified

 

 

• AgSharks Competition

Description: "Western Growers has again partnered with S2G Ventures (Seed 2 Growth) to host AgSharks, a challenge where start-up companies can compete for a minimum of $250,000 in investment capital to support the development and growth of their businesses. Applications are now open, and all entrepreneurs and startups looking to innovate solutions for the agricultural sector are eligible to apply."

Prize: Minimum of $250,000

Previous winners: Augean Robotics, Hazel Technologies, AgVoice

 

 

• IoT.ATL AgTech Challenge

Description: "Food resilience is a global problem and according to the UN, two-thirds of the global population will live in urban areas by 2050. Our ways of growing food must evolve and adapt to provide for our growing population and help address our modern cities’ more difficult challenges; the access, affordability, acceptability, and availability of fresh, healthy foods. To help pave the way for resilient growth, Atlanta is launching the IoT.ATL AgTech Challenge to help identify smart AgTech solutions for the future. Through technological innovations, our nation is experiencing a transformation of how we eat, produce and distribute food."

Prize: Winners will  gain access to a 12-month pilot with the City of Atlanta located on the BeltLine, which has an audience  of nearly 2 million visitors  annually. Selected applicants  will also receive mentorship and guidance from the  Atlanta civic, corporate, and technology community  during the course of the pilot.

Previous winners: None yet

 

 

• FoodBytes! by Rabobank San Francisco

Description: "FoodBytes! by Rabobank is a next-generation pitch competition and networking platform that builds lasting connections between the most promising food and agriculture startups, corporates and investors, helping them pioneer a more sustainable future."

Prize: 

Highly Commended Award

Previous winners: SomaDetect, Winnow, Wasteless

 

 

• Future Agro Challenge

Description: "There’s an agricultural revolution underway. And our passion is pushing the envelope until innovative and fundable food, agtech, and agriculture innovations have spread around the globe, from farm to fork and beyond. The Future Agro Challenge is the leading global competition, bringing together the best of the best to make it all happen."

Prize: Selected agripreneurs will gain access to world class mentors, investors, potential clients, and new market opportunities. Winners will enjoy our genie packages, which caters to each individual startup.

Previous winners: Darling Downs

 

• 2019 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge

Description: "The 2019 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge was the first national business competition focused exclusively on rural entrepreneurs launching food and agriculture businesses. Brought to you by the American Farm Bureau Federation in partnership with Farm Credit, rural entrepreneurs will pitch innovative business ideas to a team of judges with expertise in ag technologies, business development and agribusiness"

Prize: The final four teams will compete to win:

• Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneur of the Year award and $15,000 (chosen by judges), for a total of $30,000
• People’s Choice award and $10,000 (chosen by public vote), for a total of $25,000

Semi-finalist teams in the competition are awarded $10,000.

Previous winners: AgHelp, Elite OviGen, FarmlandFinder, Glean

 

 

• Phandeeyar STARTUP CHALLENGE

Description: "The global agribusiness landscape is shifting. Myanmar need innovative ideas and products for this shifting landscape. It needs to come from entrepreneurs and startups. This track is for those who want to bring unique views and concepts, to assist advance the agricultural field to become smarter, more efficient and more dominant, for the benefit of key stakeholders in farming."

Prize: Each first prize winning team receives$5,000, and each runner-up team will get $2,500. All 11 winning teams will also gain entry into Phandeeyar’s Pre-Accelerator Program.

Previous winners: Taung, Thu Gyi, AgTrade

(Image source: techcrunch.com)