The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has revealed the winners and runners-up of EBRD AgVenture 2024, the Bank’s competition for startups that are developing innovative technology to make the agricultural and food sector greener.  The announcement was made today at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit London.

The winners: 

• Proofminder provides an easy-to-use, AI-powered platform based in Hungary and designed to help growers achieve their production goals sustainably. By analysing hyper-precise drone images, Proofminder provides growers with time-sensitive information about each plant and leaf in the field.
• Green Growth is a Latvian startup, that provides food producers with the simplest way to track their harvest and provide proof of carbon capture, sustainability levels and crop origin.
• Algebra Intelligence is a Jordanian startup specialising in an IoT-based approach to optimising energy management and providing software-as-a-service solutions for digitising maintenance management. By implementing real-time monitoring, forecasting and proactive alerts on energy and water resources, agrifood clients can achieve significant improvements in efficiency and reduce their costs.

The runners-up: 

• BeeHold is an innovative Serbian agri-tech startup dedicated to transforming beekeeping through the use of advanced artificial intelligence.
• Farmolog is a Turkish start-up that collects primary data from farms and simplifies the related analysis and reporting around certification and operations.
• Cropsa is a leading Egyptian financial platform that links companies, traders and farmers in the agricultural and veterinary sectors and facilitates the process of buying and selling production inputs.

The winning start-ups will benefit from tailored advisory support worth up to €80,000 through the EBRD’s Star Venture programme. They will also receive a €10,000 grant for additional services, including mentoring sessions with growth experts, and opportunities for networking and visibility at global agrifood tech forums. The runners-up will receive up to €50,000 for tailored advisory services and a further €10,000 grant for business growth needs.

The EBRD AgVenture programme supports early-stage businesses that are developing technology to make the agricultural and food industries greener and more sustainable. It aims to help tackle the major problems that food systems face, such as how to make food production more efficient, address climate change, and include target groups and small businesses in global value chains.