Following a four-phase rigorous and competitive selection process, 10 dynamic and innovative Agritech startups have been selected to partake in the AgriTech Investment Readiness Accelerator Program. The program is hosted by Innohub in partnership with the Tech Entrepreneurship Initiative, ‘Make-IT in Africa’, Wangara Green Ventures, ABSA Bank Plc, and the Accra Angels Network.
All 10 startups are leveraging technology in their value propositions addressing challenges in agriculture and show strong potential for growth. The structured 8-week accelerator program will help increase their investment-readiness by closely working with experienced technical business coaches. In a blended-learning approach, the program will focus on providing the participating agribusinesses with the support to meet three clear fundamentals; Assessment of investment readiness and definition of investment ask; Identification of the type of capital and investors suited to each unique venture; and building the investor relationships, advising on deal terms.
The participating startups in this edition include the following:
AB Precision Solutions provides precision agricultural solutions to farmers as a service, including the deployment of drones. This is to improve yields and reduce post-harvest losses.
AF Map Works uses GIS software such as ArcGIS, ERDAS, and Global Mapper for data analysis mainly rainfall or temperatures for a designated location to build up geographic maps indicating the changes in vegetation and weather condition in a certain period of time.
Agro Innova does research to identify challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Ghana and develops farmer-centered innovation solutions that can easily be adopted by these farmers.
AIScarecrow helps cereal farmers successfully ward off pest birds, cutting their losses to these birds by 90-95% and saving 8-10 hours of their time.
Agro Kings is focused on agro-processing, farming, and agri-tech. With the vision to feed the future, empower smallholder farmers and innovate using technology, they produce Ghana’s premium rice brand, Nana’s Rice.
Commodity Network utilizes proprietary software app, to collect, maintain, and analyze smallholder farmers online/offline profiles, generating data to support innovative farm solution distribution, whilst enabling rural smallholder farmers’ convenient and cost-effective access to modern farm inputs and farm management technologies, as well as market.
Eazz Foods is set out to dry eggs to make them easier to use, easier to transport, and best for industrial purposes.
Grow for Me is a web and mobile-based Agricultural crowdfunding and crowd farming platform, that sponsors farmers in growing more crops to solve hunger problems in Africa.
SAYeTECH combines the advantages of IoT and Artificial Intelligence with robust hardware, ideally suited for smallholder farms in Africa. They design, manufacture, provide maintenance and training and empower farmers with data that help increase their efficiency.
WamiAgro offers input supply in the form of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. Also, in collaboration with partners, they offer smallholder farmers mechanization services on credit.
About Innohub
Innohub is a Business Accelerator and Impact Investment Platform that helps Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) with high growth and impact potential to become investment ready, sustainable, and scalable to achieve profitability and social impact. Innohub focuses on bridging the existing gap between SGBs and impact investors and seeks to address this through integrated innovation. Innohub is the sponsor of SME finance vehicles such as Wangara Green Ventures Capital Fund and the Accra Angels Network. For more information, please visit www.innohub.com.gh
About GIZ
As a provider of international cooperation services for sustainable development and international education work, GIZ is dedicated to building a future worth living around the world. GIZ has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and the environment, and peace and security. The diverse expertise of our federal enterprise is in demand around the globe, with the German Government, European Union institutions, the United Nations, the private sector and governments of other countries all benefiting from our services. We work with businesses, civil society actors and research institutions, fostering successful interaction between development policy and other policy fields and areas of activity. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is our main commissioning party.
Currently, GIZ promotes sustainable development in Ghana via about 50 programs and projects. Our activities cover currently four priority areas: Economic Development, Agriculture, Governance and Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency. Additionally, our portfolio extends to other areas such as the environment, peace and security. Another focus of GIZ’s work is linking business interests with development-policy goals. Most of the programs and projects we support in Ghana have successfully brought together national and international private companies, the public sector, and civil society groups to collaborate on development initiatives. For more information, please visit www.giz.de/ghana
About Make-IT in Africa
The Tech Entrepreneurship Initiative ‘Make-IT in Africa’ promotes digital innovation for sustainable and inclusive development in Africa. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) implements this project on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as part of BMZ’s Digital Africa Initiative.
In its four-year project phase, Make-IT supports tech start-ups in their early growth phase, and strengthens public and private intermediaries of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Key focus areas: Better access to finance, Capacity building for growth, Better access to markets, Innovation ecosystem support.