AgSharks pitch competition seeking applicants with innovations
Western Growers and S2G Ventures are accepting applications for the 2023 AgSharks Competition.
The event features startup companies pitching their innovations in front of a live audience of the world’s largest specialty crop producers to win a $250,000 minimum investment, according to a news release. Impact-driven entrepreneurs and startups developing technologies that promote a more healthy and sustainable food and agriculture system can apply for the AgSharks Competition online, the release said. The application period closes July 28 at 11:59 p.m. PT.
“As our partnership with S2G Ventures to host the AgSharks competition at the Western Growers Annual Meeting enters its sixth year, we look forward to finding finalists who can bring real-world technology solutions to solve the issues impacting the specialty crop community,” Western Growers President and CEO Dave Puglia said in a news release. “2022 AgSharks winner NutJobs earned a record $6 million equity investment — and this year we invite entrepreneurs to apply who have a similar bold vision.”
Nutjobs transforms nutshell waste into bio-benign plastic alternative products that are compostable, according to the release.
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Three startups will be selected to pitch their solutions to a panel of growers, shippers, processors and venture capitalists in front of more than 300 fresh produce farmers and industry leaders during the Western Growers Annual Meeting in Kauai on Nov. 12-15. The AgSharks finalists will be the only presenting startups featured on stage.
In addition to potential investment capital, the winner(s) will receive international recognition, mentoring from S2G and Western Growers, potential access to farm acreage to pilot their technologies and access to Western Growers’ expansive network of leading fresh produce companies, according to the release.
"It takes an ecosystem of stakeholders working together to unlock better outcomes for consumers and producers," Audre Kapacinskas, principal of S2G Ventures, said in the release. "Western Growers has been a tremendous partner, serving as a bridge between growers, innovators and investors to accelerate innovation in agriculture. As an investor, we bring capital to the table, and having an open dialogue with growers allows us to have a better understanding of industry needs and how we might work together to meaningfully move the needle on innovation in agriculture. We look forward to collaborating again this year."
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AgSharks was first held in 2017. Past winners Hazel Technologies and Burro have since brought their products from development to market.
Hazel Technologies has raised over $87.8 million in funding over six rounds and is advancing the industry with sachets that extend the shelf life of fresh produce by as much as three times. Burro raised a $10.9 million Series A round in September 2021 led by S2G Ventures and Toyota Ventures and continues to help solve farmers’ labor woes with the expansion of its fleet of autonomous robots to farms across the West, the release said.
