12 Agtech startups selected to pitch at AgLaunch 's investor event

Date:02-26-2018

AgLaunch is bringing its Startup Station pitch event back to the Mid-South Farm and Gin Show for a second time on Friday, March 2, 2018. This event will host some of AgLaunch's most innovative agtech entrepreneurs from across the country to showcase how their ideas will shape the future of food and agriculture.

Agtech entrepreneurs are addressing on-farm issues with real-world solutions like irrigation management, farm-level efficiencies, and autonomous equipment. The Startup Station will highlight more than a dozen companies that will receive feedback from an expert panel that includes farmers, investors, and industry experts. This event serves as the culmination of Phase II of the AgLaunch365 programming, a farm-centric model that supports agtech companies by connecting to them farmers early in their development process.

Current AgLaunch365 Cohort:

- EarthSense is developing ultra-compact autonomous robots that use machine-learning to monitor and manage problems in agriculture, specifically to identify weeds and chemical-free methods of reliably eradicating superweeds.

- Rabbit Tractors is building swarm-enabled, autonomous tractors that are approximately one-third the size and one-fourth the weight of normal tractors and spray rigs and capable of pulling implements as well as late-season spraying

- Rantizo is developing an electrostatic spraying system for targeted drone-based spraying.

AgLaunch Alumni Teams:

- Kilimo provides a decision-support tool for irrigation management in agriculture by using satellite, climate, and on-site data.

- Microbiometer is a quick test used to estimate the microbial biomass in soil in 10 minutes for 10 percent of the cost of a lab test.

- Persistence Data Mining is developing a non-intrusive remote hyper-spectral soil analysis to service large tracks of open farmland

- Skycision rapidly identifies field stress through the analysis of aerial imagery.
Additional participating teams being evaluated for investment or participating in

AgLaunch365 Phase III Farmer Network Field Trials and growth-track programming:

- AgHelp is an app and wrap-around services helping ag workers find jobs and resources

- AgriSync is a communication platform connecting farmers with trusted experts

- Global AgSmarte has developed SmarteRoot, an irrigation add-on that increases absorption of water and nutrients for crops to increase yields.

- Harvest Yield is an electronic record-keeping system to ensure accurate invoicing for custom harvesters.

- Stable'N is a nitrification inhibitor process that utilizes electricity delivered into the soil by a retrofit to existing fertilizer application equipment

- SwineTech has developed a farrowing safety device to protect the health of piglets.

During two investment pitch sessions, entrepreneurs will be given 8 minutes to pitch their ideas and 7 minutes to answer questions from a panel of farmers, investors, and agribusiness professionals who will provide feedback to refine these products and prepare the companies for follow-on investment and 2018 farm-scale trials. Participating panelists represent the following organizations:

- Growing Acres Farm
- Indigo Ag
- Innova Ag Innovation Fund IV
- Mid-South Family Farms
- National Black Growers Council
- Ritter Agribusiness
- TechStar

Teams that perform well will have the opportunity for follow-on investment from Innova Memphis and participation in 2018 farm-scale field trials with the AgLaunch Farmer Network.

The AgLaunch Startup Station will be open at the Chickasaw Room on the Mezzanine Level at Booth #4027 for anyone wishing to engage with the startup companies or to learn more about AgLaunch from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The investment pitch sessions will be held from 10:30 am-12:00 pm and from 1:30 pm until 3:00 pm.

The Mid-South Farm and Gin Show hosts more than 400 exhibitors and 20,000 farmers every year. You can learn more about the Farm and Gin Show at their website https://www.farmandginshow.com.

AgLaunch Startup Station
Friday, March 2, 2018
9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Cook Convention Center, Chickasaw Room, Booth #4027
255 N Main St, Memphis, TN
Investment Pitch Session #1: 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Investment Pitch Session #2: 1:30 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Free Registration Here