EBRD AgVenture Challenge

EBRD AgVenture is a competition supporting innovative early-stage agribusiness technology ventures. Eligible agri-tech start-ups are those that operate in the economies where EBRD invests and that address one of three key themes:

• food, production and efficiency;
• greening the agri-sector; and
• improving value chain inclusion.

EBRD AgVenture will assist these start-ups to enhance their competitiveness and growth, which will contribute to the major problems faced by food systems today including but not limited to food security, rising input costs, intensified climate change, and fair inclusion of minorities, and small businesses in global value chains.

The Offer

The competition winners and runners up will receive the follow:

• a tailored advisory service through the dedicated EBRD Star Venture experience in value of EUR 80,000 for winners and EUR 50,000 for runner-ups. This includes:
  • A systematic business diagnostics workshop
  • Customised consulting support
  • Online/in-person mentoring sessions
  • Access to finance/market
• a 10,000 EUR grant for additional services
• visibility at global forums
• links to EBRD and other networks

All short-listed start-ups will be offered a business-matching to Taipei China, and visibility opportunities.

Are you eligible?

• Your enterprise’s main areas of activity falls under the agri-tech sector and have an aim to improve:
  • Food, primary production and efficiency, including digital solutions that improve primary or food production, and aim to address food security issues.
     
  • Greening of the agri-food sector, including reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, climate resilience, or resource efficiency related to food, water and agri-waste.
     
  • Value chain inclusion in the agri-food sector, including linking companies of all sizes into value chains, and creating economic opportunities for women, rural, youth and other minority groups in the agri-food sector.
     
• You must have the majority of operations in the EBRD Countries of Operation and should have implemented, or should be implementing or should have reached a formal agreement in order to implement the product/service in the EBRD countries. Alternatively, start-ups should have the majority of its product/service implementation of their product/service in an EBRD Country of Operation, and should have some operations in the EBRD Countries of Operations.
• You have an annual turnover of up to €1 million
• You have been in business for less than 5 years