A group of French innovation support structures (Agronov,Vitagora, Le Village by CA and INRAE) have launched a start-up contest with the goal of accelerating innovations that contribute to sustainable agricultural practices. The contest is also partnered with 6 companies and interprofessional associations committed to reducing the environmental  impact of agrifood production: Nestlé Purina, Terres Terrres Univia/Inovia, Dijon Céréales, Atol Conseils & Développements and AgDataHub.
This contest, called the Eco Agrifood Challenge, is open to innovative start-ups and SMEs from anywhere in the world. About 15 applicants will be invited to take part in a pitch contest, and could win cash prizes (up to 5000€) as well as access to the ToasterLAB acceleration program, or other development resources (mentoring, business connections, commercial development support) to help them boost their activities.
The innovations of the start-ups that apply to the challenge can be technological solutions that address the needs of farmers or food manufacturers, sustainable ingredients, tools for promoting the value of agroecological foods to consumers and thus stimulate demand, or even food start-ups that have developed their own sustainable supply chain models.
Applications close on July 20th, 2021, and the final pitch contest will take place in Dijon (France) on September 28th and 29th.