SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TERRA, the leading Food & Agriculture Accelerator, is kicking off its fourth Cohort next week, partnering 13 innovative Food and Ag startups with a consortium of the industry’s most influential companies: Beta San Miguel, GrainCorp, Griffith Foods, OSI, Meat & Livestock Australia, and Tate & Lyle.
TERRA began in 2016 with founding partners RocketSpace, a Silicon Valley-based external innovation consulting company, and Rabobank, the leading provider of financial services in the food, agribusiness, and beverage industry, intended to fuel groundbreaking transformation in Food & Agriculture in order to advance the well-being of our people and our planet. TERRA’s collaborators initially covered a range of innovation areas, including supply chain optimization, food traceability and transparency, waste reduction, and novel ingredients such as alternative proteins to increase production efficiency and meet changing consumer preferences. From Griffith Foods’ investment into upcycling startup Regrained and superfoods startup Kuli Kuli to GrainCorp and TE-FOOD’s blockchain for beer, TERRA has brought to life tangible successes for both corporates and startups to stimulate potential growth beyond the program.
Now, TERRA collaborators hope to test more specialized applications and products within these areas, such as high-tech, biodegradable packaging or generating edible ingredients from air’s upcycled carbon dioxide via newly accepted startups Corumat Inc. (USA) and Kiverdi (USA). Rounding out the fourth cohort are:
Altum Technologies (Finland): Uses software-guided power ultrasound to remove fouling from industrial equipment with no production stoppages and no toxic chemicals.
Burlap & Barrel (USA): Sources unique, beautiful spices for professional chefs and home cooks.
ClearLeaf S. A. (Costa Rica): Designs and commercializes innovative pre- and post-harvest solutions that protect the environment and optimize farmer profits.
DataFarming (Australia): Aims to unlock the potential of Precision Agriculture products and farm data by putting easy-to-use, simple, automated and low-cost digital solutions in the hands of agronomists and producers.
Digested Organics (USA): Converts organic waste into clean water, concentrated co-products, and renewable energy.
Phyto Corporation (South Korea): Creates the future of food with Salicornia, a plant grown by seawater.
Shameless Pets, LLC (USA): Sources edible, safe, and nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste.
SnapDNA (USA): Executes rapid food safety testing through pathogen analysis.
SwissDeCode (Switzerland): Helps food and feed manufacturers transform contamination threats into sustainable opportunities.
The Better Meat Co. (USA): Provides innovative plant protein formulas for foodservice providers and meat processors to make their meat, in a word, better.
Yarok Microbio (Israel): Develops a fast microbiological testing system for the fresh food industry to protect consumers and safeguard producer interests.
These startups beat out over 300 startup applications from over 50 countries. With their corporate collaborators, they will design and implement pilot tests over the next 6 months, focusing on a designated business challenge.
About TERRA
Founded in 2016, TERRA is a leading global innovation accelerator fueling groundbreaking transformation in Food & Agriculture. The program brings together experts, decision-makers and innovators across the entire value chain – fostering connections that catapult major breakthroughs into scalable solutions by pairing emerging growth companies with established multinationals, in a pilot-driven engagement that leads to tangible results. Unlike other accelerators, TERRA does not require equity from startups. Startups must have a product in market/ready to launch and have raised a minimum of seed-funding, better positioning them for productive pilots with corporate collaborators. For more information on TERRA, please visit www.terraaccelerator.com. Since launching, TERRA has brought together 12 corporate collaborators worth over $100B in annual revenue, 51 emerging growth companies and launched 47 pilot partnerships.
About RocketSpace
Founded in 2011 in San Francisco, RocketSpace is a global ecosystem of people and ideas that provide the necessary velocity - both speed and direction - to help the world’s top innovators bring the future to market. By uniting the highest quality corporate innovators, startups and investors across a holistic platform, RocketSpace fuels collective growth for the entire innovation ecosystem. Learn more at rocketspace.com.
About Rabobank Group
Rabobank is a leading global food and agriculture bank providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain. Rabobank believes sustainability and innovation are critical in promoting a thriving food and ag industry that will feed growing global populations for years to come, which is a key focus Rabobank’s Banking for Food vision to feed the world more sustainably by 2050. Rabobank's two global innovation platforms, TERRA and Foodbytes! by Rabobank help turn today’s most promising ideas into tomorrow’s impactful solutions through two global initiatives that are designed to build lasting connections between corporates, investors and the most promising Food and Ag startups.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tina Wung
twung@rocketspace.com