Empire State Development and Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement announced those 20 finalists selected to participate in year five of Grow-NY.
In total, 323 startups applied from 49 countries, including Canada, the UK, and Italy.
A panel of 30 judges, reflecting a depth and breadth of regional expertise, knowledge of the region’s agriculture and food production communities, and entrepreneurial experience, reviewed all the applications to determine the top 20 finalists that will pitch their business plans at the Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit in Binghamton in November.
The top winners will receive a top prize of $1 million, two $500,000 awards, and four $250,000 prizes.
The 20 selected finalists are:
- Agriwater Corp
- Blue Cove Fish, LLC
- Cattle Scan
- Clean Labe Solutions, LLC
- Crover
- FaunaTech
- FoodNerd
- FoodREady, Inc
- Grap.ag
- GR8PE by Sti-Bene
- Hempwood
- Hypercell Technologies
- KEHO
- LeafSpec, LLC
- Mush Foods
- MycoLogic
- SomeDetect, Inc.
- TAINR
- We Are The New Farmers
- Wisely, Inc.
“For five years, the Grow-NY competition has showcased the strength and diversity of New York State’s agriculture and food businesses. The program has consistently helped enhance our agricultural economy, attracting exciting, cutting-edge companies that are creating innovative new agricultural technologies and career paths while supporting New York farmers,” said State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball. “I congratulate not only the finalists but all the startups and entrepreneurs who participated in the competition and look forward to seeing all that they will go on to do.”
During the 10-week business development phase, the finalists will receive mentorship from a business advisor, introductions to regional leaders and resources, business tours, development support, and more.
“We saw the Grow-NY effect in action with this year’s applications. The successes of our portfolio of winning companies attracted participation from startups innovating throughout the agrifood supply chain across the globe, addressing main street economic health, the climate crisis, and how we feed our growing population,” said Jenn Smith, Program Director, Grow-NY. “We are thrilled to welcome the 20 startups selected to participate in this year’s accelerator.”
