From the ocean to organoleptic products, the 2022 Sprout Cohort VIII has it all.
The 2022 Cohort VIII has landed, and eleven companies have been selected to participate in the eighth Sprout Accelerator....
January 20, 2022Future Food-Tech Announces Two Innovation Challenges in Partnership with Danone North America and Givaudan
Food-Tech Start-Ups are Invited to Submit Solutions that Improve the Texture and Functionality of Plant-Based Cheese OR Natural Ingredients for Use in Foods that Support Immunity, Energy and Sleep. APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN until 31 January. Apply now. Oliver Katz, Conference Producer at Future Food-Tech says “We’re delighted to be working with Danone North America and Givaudan to launch these Innovation Challenges to highlight and scale solutions to some of the most fundamental challenges f...
January 12, 2022Mapping Platform LandKind Wins HortTech Challenge
Landkind, an agriculture mapping software company out of Tauranga has won the first Sprout x AWS (Amazon Web Services) HortTech Challenge....
January 6, 2022Adapting New Zealand innovation for global use.
Innovative farming practices are only going to become more important in coming years as we strive to feed a growing population, face more extreme environments, and deal with increased competition for resources. To deal with this, the global AgTech market will play a massive role. Being expected to be worth US$ 41.5 million by 2027 and growing at a CAGR of 11.3%, the global agritech sector is seeing such a major boom in investment and provides a great opportunity for New Zealand to establis...
November 4, 2021Supporting 'Soil to Stomach' Companies for Over Six Years
From plant-based ‘tuna’, to technology that uses insect odorant receptors to make a device that can smell and taste, Sprout Agritech is boosting agtech and foodtech companies around Aotearoa. Starting as an accelerator based out of The Factory in Palmerston North in 2015, they created their own company in 2019 and now run two cohorts a year and can invest up to $40m in companies in New Zealand. Katherine Blaney found out more....
October 26, 2021Meet the Founders - Clarospec
Worldwide, the consumer demand for meat is forecasted to change, with trends showing that people are now seeking quality over quantity. It’s this demand, and the opportunity for increased meat export values, that has led to the development of Clarospec, ‘the science behind New Zealand’s red meat story’. Introducing Clarospec™, the new AgResearch system that enables real-time meat product quality measurement, through the use of hyperspectral imaging technology. Cla...
October 26, 2021Meet the Founder - Map & Zap
“Once you recognise you have a good idea, the key is to build up a team of people around you with the knowledge and expertise to actually pull it off. I’m very proud of the team we have built; we’ve managed to achieve a lot in a short timeframe, and with a small budget.” Introducing Map and Zap, the team of scientists and technologists striving to make weed control a more sustainable practice, through their new AI-based weed ID and laser technology system. Map and Zap is one of the...
October 20, 2021Meet the Founders - Momojo
Originally hailing from the mountainous regions that divide Asia and Europe, the history of kefir dates back many centuries, having been traditionally used by both the Tibetan and Caucasian cultures. The word kefir comes from a Turkish word ‘keyif,’ which translates as ‘good feeling’ and the drink is designed to support digestive health. Meet Scott Butland and Torben Sorensen, the team behind Momojo, the Puhoi based company producing the traditional, cultured, fermented dairy ...
October 12, 2021Meet the Founders - ProTag
“It allows the farmer to relax, with the understanding that the technology is going to do its job properly.” Meet Baden Parr and Tyrel Glass, the two Massey PHD students behind new smart cattle tracker ProTag. Protag is one of the eleven AgTech and FoodTech start-ups taking part in our 2021 Sprout Accelerator Cohort B....
October 5, 2021Meet the Founders - Nanobubble Agritech
“The world is facing a number of challenges right now, with climate change and food security being two major concerns. If we can help reduce the impact, that would be really cool!” Meet Lauren Oehme and Leon Power, the Taranaki couple behind Nanobubble Agritech, providers of integrated nanobubble technology solutions for the agriculture sector. Nanobubble Agritech is one of the start-ups taking part in the 2021 Sprout Accelerator Cohort B intake....
September 29, 2021Meet the Founder - Borage & Bee
“It’s incredible to see this drink, which has been around for so many years, be made relevant and cool again. Updated to suit the 21st-century consumer”. Meet Chanelle O’Sullivan, founder of boutique meadery Borage and Bee, whose collection of session meads tell the story of New Zealand's regional produce and seasons, by pairing local honey with fruits, herbs, spices and botanicals. Borage and Bee have joined us for our Sprout Accelerator 2021 Cohort B intake, along with 11 o...
September 21, 2021Meet the Founder - Bovonic
“With our product, we have the user in mind, we focus on what the farmer actually needs and wants”. Meet Bovonic, the AgTech company looking to revolutionise how dairy farmers control and defeat disease, through diagnostic platform QuadSense. Here we chat with founder Liam Kampshof about where the idea for Bovonic came from, what sets them apart from the competition and where he sees the company in five years time. Bovonic is one of the start-ups taking part in our three month Sp...
September 8, 2021Meet The Founders: Flipit Foods
“Kiwis are becoming more conscious about the way they eat and how their lifestyle impacts the environment around them; especially with growing awareness on climate change, sustainability, and the effects of biodiversity - not only on our health but also on animals and the planet”. Introducing Flipit Foods, a plant-based and vegan-friendly food creator, that takes traditional meat recipes, and literally flips them on their head. ...
September 1, 2021Meet the Founders: Split
“We wanted to provide another investment class that Kiwis could access; but not just rich Kiwis, all Kiwis”. Meet Gabriel Dykes and Alex Thompson, two University of Otago students making it easy for Kiwis to invest in the horticulture sector, through new online investment platform, Split. Split is one of the start-up companies joining our Sprout Accelerator 2021 Cohort B intake....
August 24, 2021Meet the Founders: Hivesite
Meet the team behind Hivesite, Vijay Prema, Gareth Bell, James Emslie and Alistair Bell, four AgTech innovators who are helping New Zealand beekeepers alleviate one of their biggest challenges, the fight against the varroa mite. The concept behind Hivesite was developed while the team was working on another project using machine vision, a technology that uses sensors to provide imaging based analysis....
August 16, 2021Meet The Founder: Ralf Klis
Introducing Mussel Farm Application, the brainchild of co-founders Ralf Klis and Lucas Tracewski, and one of the AgTech start-ups joining our Sprout Accelerator 2021 Cohort B intake. Here we catch up with Ralf to discuss all things Mussel Farming Application - where the idea came from, how their innovative solution actually works and what their plans are for the future....
August 11, 2021Maori Innovation - Fostering Sustainable AgTech Practices
There has been an enormous shift toward the term "regenerative agriculture" over the past few years, as we start to feel the effects of decades of unsustainable farming practices. This has impacted the current quality of water, soil, and animal health alongside the future of te Papatūānuku (or mother earth).Regenerative agriculture is described as "more than a system of farming: it is a mindset that questions the status quo" in this white paper by Our Land and Water. Currently, our ...
July 20, 2021Breaking New Ground with the latest in AgTech and FoodTech - meet Cohort B.
It wasn't an easy day at the office when it came to selecting Cohort B for our 2021 Accelerator year. However, we've identified 12 companies, one of our biggest cohorts to date, to put through our intensive three month Accelerator.These companies are tackling everything from weed management, to meat quality, animal health problems, as well as creating alternative food products for consumers. We've even got a company in the FinTech space - this cohort really has it all!Check out who they are...
July 8, 2021Meet the Founders: VORTÉ Technologies
Meet Tim Moor, Christopher Bean and Nikko Patten Weinstein, - the team behind VORTÉ Technologies (VORTÉ), one of the companies in our 2021 Cohort A.Founded in 2019, VORTÉ is a passionate group of technologists and entrepreneurs from across the world, who are collaborating to develop an innovative Clean Tech cooling system. Initially meeting through the Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF) the shared vision of the three team members is to mitigate the human impact on climate change, helpi...
June 22, 2021Meet the Founders: Cropsy Technologies
Meet the team at Cropsy, one of the companies in our Cohort A, Leila, Ali, Winston, and Rory. Cropsy are developing a vineyard management system that uses machine vision cameras to auto-detect pests, disease, help estimate yield, and general vineyard management practices to help reduce labour costs....
June 8, 2021Meet the Founders: Tau Research
Meet Sophie Chen and Rahat Hasan, two of the team behind Tau Research, one of the companies in our 2021 Cohort A. Driven by innovation, Tau Research is focused around a data platform that helps farmers and growers make better decisions when it comes to tech adoption. Aiming to improve farming practices through innovation and increased availability of technology through lower price points and improved usability. The company focuses their time on agritech research and development, data ...
May 21, 2021Meet the Founder: eClean Technologies
Meet Ngārie Scartozzi the founder of eClean technologies, one of the companies in our 2021 Cohort A. eClean Technologies, founded by Ngaire, has developed a bioreactor device that works to remove nitrates, phosphates, and other chemical and biological contaminants from waterways, Ngaire has extensive knowledge in this space, which she’s accumulated during her time completing her PhD and while developing filters for different applications over the past 15 to 20 years. While in Australia, she w...
May 7, 2021Meet the Founders: Vince
Meet Debbie and Nigel Stowe, co-founders of Olive and Ash and their consumer product, Vince - one of the companies in our 2021 Cohort A. Serial entrepreneurs, the team met at University where Nigel was earning his degree in business management, and Deb was about to begin her degree to become a Chef. The team has since owned and operated a cafe, which they successfully ran and exited before starting Olive and Ash (named after their children Olivia and Ashley)....
April 27, 2021Meet the Founders: YieldTec
Meet Laurence and Khalid, the team at YieldTec, one of the companies in our 2021 Cohort A.Dr Kahlid Salah is the Founder and CEO of YieldTec. From Yemen originally, he came to New Zealand to complete his PhD studies in mechatronics at the University of Canterbury. Laurence Gresham is the CTO and lead developer of the software. Before YieldTec, he graduated from Ara Institute in Canterbury, where he and Khalid met....
April 6, 2021Climate Change: How New Zealand’s food and fibre sector needs to adapt
By 2050 it is estimated that there will be 10 billion people on the planet. That's 10 billion people to feed - something that the agriculture sector will play a huge part in making happen. However, with extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and destructive sea surges becoming a more frequent occurrence, it is clear that climate change is and will continue to affect our farming environment drastically. Changing the conditions we farm in and have become familiar with over decades.Meaning that...
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