Agro Tech Challenge is looking for startups

On July 9, started the acceptance of applications for the Agro Tech Challenge competition, organized by the Moscow Innovation Cluster together with Uralchem Innovations (part of Uralchem) and Timiryazev Russian State Agrarian University.

“Participants will be able to launch pilot projects with corporate customers and potential clients among the partners of the competition, attract investments, and scale their projects, after successfully passing all stages of the competition,” said Alexei Fursin, Head of the Moscow department of entrepreneurship and innovative development.

“We actively use external competitions to find interesting projects with their subsequent implementation at Uralchem and Uralkali. Our own Digital Challenge competition, which we held jointly with Skolkovo, brought a lot of useful technologies that we are now successfully testing. We hope that Agro Tech Challenge will become another successful collaboration with startups in the field of smart and biofertilizers,” said Azat Gafarov, CEO of Uralchem ​​Innovations.

All projects and startups at Agro Tech Challenge will be selected in four areas. The first one — Innovative Solutions for Crop Production — will consider novelties in the development, improvement and use of amino acids, growth regulators and various fertilizers, as well as bio and smart plant protection products.

The second area — Digital Solutions for Agriculture — will consider projects for planning and monitoring agricultural activities, forecasting yields, diagnosing nutritional deficiencies and calculating fertilizer doses, as well as communication platforms and market applications.

The third direction — Agrotech — will consider innovative solutions for agriculture, enterprises, industries and complexes.

The fourth — Foodtech — is dedicated to startups in the field of functional ready-to-eat and synthesized food and drink, plant-based alternatives to animal products, fermented food, drinks and single ingredients, sugar-free products, food constructors, superfood ingredients, personalized nutrition, cellulated animal products, grown in bioreactors and also with the help of gene technologies.

To participate in the competition, the applicant should have a finished product or MVP and have competencies in technology creation and business management. The founder of a startup should be ready to personally take part in the program and become a member of the Moscow Innovation Cluster. A special expert commission will assess the compliance of the product with the declared direction.

The applications are accepted until August 13, 2021. To participate, the applicant needs to fill the form on the website of Moscow Innovation Cluster and attach a description of the project and presentation.