Our Challenges
We´re looking for startups that have solutions to these challenges.
Smart Agriculture
Help farmers produce high yielding, high quality crops – sustainably – by leveraging science, technology and financing.
As some of the world’s leading companies, 100+ Partners purchase millions of tons of crops each year. We seek collaborative partnerships with the farmers who produce the ingredients that distinguish our Partner’s brands.
By 2050, global agriculture production will need to increase by 60 percent to meet the demands of more than 9 billion people. We know that transforming agriculture at scale – and the resilience of diverse farmers – depends on leveraging science, technology, and financing. We aspire to empower farmers to produce high yielding, high quality crops – sustainably – for generations to come.
Farmer Training, Engagement & Support
- Easily accessible, scalable and convenient training for farmers across multiple topics – business management, sustainable farming and financial literacy. Focus on an e-learning company that can apply to agriculture
- Remote training for agriculture extension teams focused on providing locally relevant and up-to-date advisory services to farmers to produce quality crops sustainably
- Systems and tools that strengthen the farmers' commercial decision-making and enables alliances and information sharing among farmers
- Affordable, accessible financial products (e.g. low-interest loan products, crop insurance, credit rating system) designed for smallholder farmers
- Technology that enables a system of payment for ecological services (i.e. carbon credits) to increase farmer adoption of sustainable practices
- Renewable energy solutions for standalone farming and manufacturing equipment (harvesters, C-forklifts, water pumps, tractors, etc.).
- Solutions to facilitate farmer associations and/or creation of farmer collectives to reduce transaction costs
- Low-carbon footprint farm input application (fertilizer, chemicals...etc)
Crop Quality & Productivity
- Identification, prediction and/or prevention of plant disease and pests, as well as alerts on the changing level of disease pressure and recommended mitigation actions
- Tools and technologies to improve harvest and post-harvest processes to improve crop quality and farmer productivity, as well as quality parameters (DON, protein) and yield prediction
- Crop damage prevention or mitigation during bad or erratic weather patterns
- Rapid low-cost soil testing. Tool that supports our agronomy teams to give advice on soil.
- Simulation technology to speed plant breeding
- Tools and technologies to improve harvest and post-harvest processes to improve crop quality, minimize post-harvest losses and ultimately improve farmer productivity
- Cost-effective precision irrigation technology for crop sprinkler or drip irrigation systems
- Environmentally friendly fertilizers (land or ocean) or fertilizer use optimization with high adoption/ low churn
- Technology for the selection and sorting of individual crops based on quality parameters to ensure zero waste and improved crop acceptance rates
- New solutions or structures for carbon market incentives for farmers contributing to net zero ambitions
- New technologies to monitor crop growth and optimize yield and efficiencies
- Drought-resistant agriculture production system
Other / New Innovations Testing & Analysis
- Solution in the regenerative agriculture space (no platforms). Modeling capability is a preference.
- New technology applications for predicting & identify areas of risk before contamination in food or beverage production
- Supply chain transparency for agriculture e.g. organic certification, provenance and chain assurance
- Third party evaluation/monitoring process (GHGs, water usage)
- Use of novel raw materials for beer production that are proven to be more sustainable than traditional brewing ingredients e.g. barley, corn and rice
- Internet access solutions for farmers in rural areas/regions without mobile devices
