Five Rwandan based Agri-tech start-ups have been selected to pitch at the Innov8Agric Challenge. They will do this during the Meet the Farmers Conference (MTFC) which will hold on October 5, 2018 at Radisson Blu Hotel, Rwanda.
The selected start-ups include: BazaFarms, SMAgri, Agrigo, Spiderbit, and KizaAgriLab. The start-ups were picked based on their originality, viability and the innovativeness of their ideas.
The challenge is a part of MTFC, an agro conference organised by Crenov8 Consulting and it is targeted at connecting large scale agro commodity producers to buyers and investors in the Middle East.
The challenge is aimed at promoting ground-breaking ideas for early stage Agric entrepreneurs from all sectors in the agricultural ecosystem, using creative and innovative methods to change the landscape of its value chain in Africa. The competition will guide Agri-tech entrepreneurs around their way in the industry and will open them up to funding and investment opportunities in Africa and the GCC region.
Qualitrace, a Ghana-based traceability and anti-counterfeiting start-up that uses track and trace technology to authenticate product farm inputs and outputs won the Ghanaian edition of the Innov8Agric Challenge, while AgriQ & Automations of Kenya won the Kenyan edition of the challenge.
Here are the shortlisted startups:
BazaFarms Technology
BazaFarm Technology is a digital service using Internet of Things (IoT) to gather real-time data from the farm and allowing the farmer to visualize it on an online dashboard using a smartphone or PC.
SMAgri
SmAgri Ltd is an agricultural company that develop precision-farming solutions which incorporate low cost, low-power sensors that allow for optimized irrigation and increased productivity across Rwandan farmland.
AgriGo
AgriGO is an agritech advisory organisation aiding access to a monthly income rather than on a harvest-to-harvest (biannual) basis.
They digitize agriculture through their application AgriGO designed to boost agriculture productivity by allowing a farmer to receive and following crop calendar practices while recording the monetary cost involved through mobile.
Spiderbit
Spiderbit is a technology firm that designs and builds custom software solutions specialize in: software development, web & Mobile apps development, Data analysis, Technology consulting, UX design and other professional IT services.
KizaAgriLab
Kizalab is a tech start-up which is working on food supply chain management from the input use to the last consumer, by helping wholesalers know where they can find agricultural commodities.
The winner from Rwanda will get an all-expense paid trip to Dubai for the Grand Finale of the challenge which will hold on the 4th and 5th of November 2018 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
There, they stand the chance to win a $5000 grant as well as investment opportunities from numerous African and GCC investors, opportunities for business expansion and access to experts and mentors in agribusiness.
One winner from the shortlisted candidates will move on to pitch before a global audience at the MTFC Grand Finale
The five start-ups were selected based on the innovation, originality, and viability of their ideas and were vetted by top-notch entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders across Africa.
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