Startups can apply until August 17th
Startups that develop digital technologies for agribusiness have until August 17th to enroll in the acceleration program promoted by Embrapa Informática Agropecuária (Campinas/SP) and Venture Hub. O TechStart Agro Digital will select up to eight startups that will participate in a structured process, with specialized mentoring, training and opportunities for interaction with large and medium-sized companies, investors and research institutions, as well as support in the legal, intellectual property and accounting areas.
The objective is to contribute to the development and technological escalation of new solutions for agribusiness, offering support to startups in the product testing and validation process, in the evaluation of their market positioning, operating methods and financial projections. The initiative also serves the interests of partner companies in the program that will be able to identify technologies with potential to integrate their businesses and evaluate investment possibilities.
The TechStart Agro Digital program will also offer participants easy access to experimental fields at Embrapa Units and to the coworking infrastructure of the Innovation Hub Campinas, a space for collaboration and open innovation. The selected startups will also be entitled to free access to agricultural information and models generated by Embrapa available on the AgroAPI platform. The pioneer tool in Brazil was launched in April and includes data on cultivars and productivity to agricultural zoning. Information is accessed through APIs (application programming interface, in English translation), useful for the development of software and mobile applications, with cost and time reduction.
The segment of startup companies focused on innovations for agribusiness, the so-called AgTechs, has been growing significantly in Brazil. The estimate of the AgTech Startups Brazil Census is that there are more than 300 companies operating in the country. For at least three years, Embrapa Informática Agropecuária has been intensifying its participation in programs to support new entrepreneurs, acting as a facilitator in the open innovation environment . “TechStart Agro Digital will be the first acceleration program that the Unit enters as main organizer, in partnership with Venture Hub”, explains the deputy head of Technology Transfer, Carlos Meira. The aim is to help drive the arrival of new technologies on the market, which meet the challenges of the farmer and add value to agricultural production. TechStart also has the support of the National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises (Anprotec).
How to participate
Interested startups must submit proposals for solutions to real agricultural problems in eight different themes: Agricultural Risk Management; Identification and Detection of Pests and Diseases; Fruit and Fruit Chain; Automation and Robotization in the Field; Biotech; Management and Monitoring; Precision Livestock; and Nutrition and Animal Health. To participate, simply access the TechStart Agro Digital program website (click here) and fill out the registration form, free of charge.
The selection steps follow a continuous flow and include an initial screening, interviews and participation in a Pitch Day, when proposals will be presented to an evaluation panel. Once this phase is completed, the selected startups will start the acceleration process, scheduled for September. The end of this first round of the program should take place in February of next year, with the final presentation of the products and business models.
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