Seven New York businesses were among eighteen companies selected to take part in the first round of the state-funded Grow-NY food innovation and agriculture technology business challenge.
The finalists were chosen from nearly 200 startups that had submitted applications to the contest, which seeks outstanding ideas for new food, beverage or agriculture businesses.
An additional two rounds of competition will ultimately select seven winners who will be awarded a total of $3 million, paid in stages based on business milestones. The finalists will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges and a live audience on Nov 12-13, 2019, at the Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. The competition is being administered by Cornell University, through their Center for Regional Economic Advancement. The winners will be required to establish their companies within a 22-county area that includes Binghamton, Ithaca, Rochester and Syracuse.
NY based winners are Dropcopter, a startup that uses drones to pollinate orchards; Capro-X, increasing sustainability in the dairy industry; Combplex bee-keeping problem solving; Halomine, food safety; Whole Healthy Food, food mindfulness consumerism; Nuravine, maximizing hydroponics; Re-Nuble, creating goods that empower plants with vegetative waste.