Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator’s fifth cohort is getting ready to graduate, culminating in a demo day showcasing the startups' food and agriculture innovations.
At the event, which takes place Oct. 3 at the Minneapolis-based Machine Shop, the cohort companies will pitch their work, followed up with a showcase and networking opportunities. This year’s class includes 12 startups, based across the U.S. and world, including in locations like Ghana and Canada.
It is the largest class the program has had since it was launched in 2018, the accelerator said when announcing the cohort earlier this summer.
“These founders will be up on stage, the room will be buzzing just with that energy around new things, new ideas and entrepreneurship,” Brett Brohl, managing director for the accelerator program, told the Business Journal. “This is an opportunity for the community to see what founders are working on from literally across the globe.”
The program is operated by Techstars, a global investment company, in partnership with Ecolab Inc. and Cargill Inc., centering on the future of food and agriculture. Techstars also runs another accelerator based in the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Twins Accelerator, which centers on sports tech and live entertainment startups.
A demo day for the cohort is typically held at the conclusion of the program, Brohl said.
These are the graduating cohort companies of the 2022 Farm to Fork Accelerator program, according to the accelerator:
- AgroCenta – a Accra, Ghana-based company looking to accelerate financial inclusion for rural smallholder farmers
- Availyst – a Philadelphia-based custom-search-engine focused on food and beverages
- Borde – a San Ramon, Calif.-based AI company seeking to increase the quality of industrial plants while lowering labor and waste
- CarbonBridge – a San Jose, Calif.-based tech company looking to advance sustainable, carbon-managed farming
- Clockout – a Miami-based platform tailored to restaurant employees, allowing them to cash out on their daily earnings after a shift
- CropConex – a Highland, Calif.-based supply-chain-management platform looking to streamline the sales and export process for specialty crops from emerging markets
- Digiphy – a Los Angeles-based marketing and verification platform allowing consumers to scan a QR code to learn more about a brand, like its story, values and sustainable practices
- EcoBloc – a Newfoundland, Canada-based company using ultrasonic sound to protect assets from rodents in a sustainable way
- Kadeya – a Chicago-based water vending service with smart bottling stations and reusable, digitally identifiable bottles
- Organicin Scientific – a Boston-based biotechnology company developing antibiotic alternatives for the food-production industry
- SRVE – a Los Angeles-based app giving consumers a way to hire professional chefs through its platform
- Transship – a Chicago-based platform automating the coordination and logistics for the international shipments of goods
