SVG Ventures | THRIVE announces the next iteration of its agrifood-focused technology accelerator and the 12 startups selected to join their THRIVE VII cohort.
The THRIVE Accelerator Program supports early-stage startups from all areas of the value chain whose technologies drive towards a more efficient, sustainable, and secure agriculture future. The selected companies benefit from a three-month program that provides investment, direct access to the largest agriculture companies and farmers in North America, and mentorship from top industry leaders.
The program will culminate at the world-renowned Forbes | THRIVE Demo Day at the Forbes | THRIVE Future of Food Summit on June 30, 2021.
“The importance of our food systems is more apparent than ever before, but the good news is that creative and innovative solutions are in the works from some of the world’s best entrepreneurs and innovators,” said Sherry Phillips, SVP, Forbes Live. “We’re delighted to partner with SVG | THRIVE for our annual Forbes | THRIVE Future of Food Summit which will feature innovative solutions from THRIVE’s seventh accelerator cohort.”
With an acceptance rate of less than 2%, admission to the award-winning THRIVE Accelerator Program is fiercely competitive. This year saw a record-breaking number of almost 700 applicants from across 78 countries and winners from THRIVE’s Regional Challenges held in Australia, Canada, and Africa also advanced to the finals. The competitive selection process, conducted in collaboration with THRIVE’s corporate partners, focused on startups’ potential for commercial success.
To date, THRIVE has graduated a total of 73 startups through its award-winning program and these startups have created more than $1 billion in value. The program has been acknowledged as the #1 AgTech Accelerator by AgFunder and SVG Ventures has been recognized by Crunchbase as the Most Active AgTech Investor.
The 12 finalists, three from the U.S., three from Australia, two from Canada, and one each from Argentina, Israel, Nigeria, and the Netherlands will kick off their three-month accelerator program this month. This year’s cohort also represents THRIVE’s ongoing commitment to investing in diverse teams with 50% of the cohort having either a female founder or at least one woman in their c-suite.
“THRIVE continues to attract the best global startups to our award-winning accelerator program and this year’s cohort is no exception. In addition to investment, the unmatched access to our extensive network and ecosystem is instrumental in elevating and empowering
companies that are innovating to address the world’s biggest challenges. This cohort stands to make a huge impact on the food system of the future and our team at THRIVE are excited to help fuel that growth and support their success,” says Evan Cohen, THRIVE’s Accelerator manager.
The THRIVE VII Cohort is comprised of the following startups:
1. Arva Intelligence provides an advanced AI & ML approach to data analytics in agriculture. Arva’s proprietary technology clusters soils into regimes to match genetics, fertility, and biologicals by environment.
2. Autonomous Pivot develops an intelligent platform for optimizing irrigation, fertigation, and crop-protection in fields irrigated by irrigation-pivot.
3. Bloomfield Robotics crop assessment services relies on a unique and cost-effective combination of ground-based image capture and deep learning-based processing to help farmers efficiently, effectively, and affordably assess crops.
4. Foodlocker is the operating system that optimizes the outcomes and yields of smallholder farmers by supporting and monitoring production activities and opening up big markets using their omnichannel distribution system.
5. Goanna Ag addresses an environment suffering impacts of long-term drought and lack of water access. Using low-cost sensors and connectivity, this company works with growers to optimize water management across the farm and significantly improve onfarm efficiencies.
6. Healthy Cow Corporation products are developed to prevent critical diseases in the dairy sector. Derived from extensive systems biology research, ProPreg™ is an intravaginally applied probiotic that maintains a healthy reproductive microbiome before and after calving.
7. Lucent BioSciences has developed a patented process technology that upcycles low value fiber from food processing residue like pea hulls or rice husk as a carrier for the micronutrients, creating a circular economy from crop to fertilizer.
8. Pheronym, Inc. uses pheromones for eco-friendly pest control solutions. The company’s bio-control process improves plant health and crop yield using a new pheromone to control parasitic roundworms, control insect pests in the soil, and protect crop roots.
9. Rubens Technologies provides a unique combo of sensors and analytics with the quality and provenance intelligence system for the fresh food supply chain.
10. Serket provides livestock farmers with an easy-to-use technology solution to monitor animal health. By detecting changes in animal behavior in real time, this company enables farmers to use less antibiotics, reduce feeding costs, and improve animal mortality rate and welfare.
11. Syocin Biotech is leveraging their Synthetic Biology Platform to revolutionize the way in which plant bacterial diseases are treated and cured to improve world food availability.
12. TranspiratiONal is developing a sprayable, biodegradable polymer membrane to increase water savings in crop production while removing the environmental and financial burden of plastic mulch films.
About SVG Ventures | THRIVE
SVG Ventures | THRIVE is the leading global agrifood investment and innovation platform headquartered in Silicon Valley, and comprised of top agriculture, food & technology corporations, universities, and investors.
