Arieli Capital, a multi-faceted investment firm, has officially launched the long-awaited second cohort for its venture scale-up program called START AgriTech. Powered by Frontier RNG, the stated program will be realized through a partnership with Utah Tech University, Haifa Group, and Exit Ventures, and it will all be sponsored by The World Trade Center Utah. Talk about the whole program on a slightly deeper, START AgriTech basically leverages global resources to help climate-focused ventures commercialize their solutions, as they try to mitigate some of the most severe environmental challenges currently on our horizon. According to certain reports, this year’s cohort will feature a total of 11 startups, each led by teams in their Seed to Series A phases. Between them, these startups have raised $44M and generated $4.7M in revenue. The list of enlisted startups includes Agri-Light Energy Systems, a company focused on developing solar tracking system with a proprietary agri-voltaic algorithm. This combination, in turn, will allow dual usage of land so to optimize both electricity generation and crop cultivation. Next up, we have Arruga AI Farming who is working on a setup where you can use ground robots to treat and monitor individual plants. The core idea here is in replicating pollination among greenhouses, something which should lessen the need for chemicals, as well control the spread of crop disease. Then, there is a startup named BioLeaf. BioLeaf has its utility rooted in developing natural, eco-friendly, postharvest solutions that prolong the shelf life of fresh produce.
“Our first cohort showcased just how much value can be created through this program, and we knew from then that we’d return with another group.” said Or Haviv, partner and head of innovation at Arieli Capital. “Utah is an exceptional environment for us in every sense, with an outstanding entrepreneurial ecosystem and great local organizations who share our values and vision. We’re thrilled to work alongside our Utah partners on this impactful program deepening Arieli’s existing Utah activity and investments.”
Moving on to Bioplasmar, it is a company that converts compost into completely biodegradable planting pots. Once converted, you can plant these pots directly into the soil, and therefore, eliminate the need for plastic alternatives. Joining the same is Contact Organics. The stated company is constructing innovative methods to create a non-toxic product range which effectively takes on the problem of weeds and their tendency to ruin crops. Hold on, we still have a few bits left to unpack, considering we haven’t yet touched on the likes of Eden Technologies, a new-age startup working towards an aim of revolutionizing water purification to make affordable drinking water accessible across the world. Furthermore, we haven’t covered the work being done by Projini Agchem. This particular company is redesigning chemistry for health, and it is doing so by developing new pesticides that can support a greater quality food production at higher volumes, thus making us better equipped against the world’s growing population. The START AgriTech’s new cohort also features Saffron Tech, a company cultivating premium saffron year-round in indoor vertical farms to support sustainable agriculture and saffron-based products. Among other startups, there is TomGrow that empowers people, communities, and organizations to grow diverse and healthy plants anywhere in the world, in any climate, and for any purpose, including for food, medicine, cosmetics, and wellbeing. Rounding up highlights is Vexxel Biotech’s healthy and sustainable food options, along with Bactelife Industries’ bid to make nutrients available to plants, enhance soil, and conserve water.
