Applications are now open for early stage agritech startups to apply for the 2019 Innov8Agric Challenge. Currently in its 2nd edition, the challenge is aimed at discovering innovative ideas in the Agritech space in Africa as well as support them to scale their operations.
The challenge is organised by Crenov8 Consulting, hosts of the annual Meet The Farmers’ Conference (MTFC). It is a key event at the conference which will host young farmers, agripreneurs, and Innovators in the Agric ecosystem.
The Innov8Agric challenge is for agritech startups operating across all the sectors of the agric value chain. It is offering N1.8 million ($5,000) in funding for the winning startup.
In 2018, the challenge received over a thousand applications from Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya and Ghana. Nigerian Agritech startup, Smart Farms, won that edition.
This year, the pitch competition will hold in several African countries across 4 main regions.
- West Africa – Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon.
- East Africa- Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda.
- Southern Africa – South Africa, Angola, and Congo.
- North Africa – Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
The regional finale will hold in these countries during the media launch and selected businesses will have the opportunity to exhibit and participate in it.
Winners from each region will go on an all-expenses paid trip to Dubai to participate in the Grand Finale holding between 27-28 November 2019. There they will pitch and exhibit their solutions for the top prize of $5000 as well as follow-on funding.
Participating startups will also be open to further investments and partnerships from the pool of investors and stakeholders at the conference.
Applications for the challenge is currently open till June 30, 2019. Interested agritech startups can click here to apply.