An international contest for the best mobile solution for agriculture has kicked off in Ukraine
The winner will receive $10,000, expert support and potential pilot launch
Kyiv, December 05, 2017 – AGRITECH Challenge, a competition for innovative business solutions for agriculture, has started in Ukraine. The goal is to gather ideas and implement projects that will help solve pressing problems of low-income farmers with the use of mobile applications. The winner will receive a $10,000 grant and initial funding for a pilot launch of his or her solution. Apart from the opportunity to turn the idea into reality, the team will be provided with mentoring and technical support.
AGRITECH Challenge is the initiative of Chairman of the Ukrainian-Dutch Business Council, ex-minister of Ukraine’s agro-industrial complex Oleksiy Pavlenko and the team of the UNIT.City innovation park. The partner of the project was the Asian venture capital fund, Forum Capital.
Residents of Ukraine and other countries can compete. Applications will be accepted until January 31, 2018. Projects should offer scalability and have a clear monetization mechanism. Solutions should be designed for the countries of Southeast Asia. Given the international level of the competition, it is important to indicate the potential effect of a project for both the domestic and international agricultural sectors. To apply and learn more about the competition, please follow the link.
“Agriculture is the main engine of the Ukrainian economy. Even in times of crisis, it was perhaps the only industry that demonstrated compelling growth. Today, the agro-industrial complex accounts for 18% of the country’s GDP, and agricultural products account for 42% of total exports. For the sphere to develop, new solutions are needed. AGRITECH Challenge is designed to find exactly needed solutions. Innovations will bring the agro-industrial complex to a new level. And I’m glad we can witness these transformations. AGRITECH Challenge is an investment in the future of agriculture,” Oleksiy Pavlenko, the Chairman of the Ukrainian-Dutch Business Council, Agriculture Minister (2014- 2016)
“All participants have two months to come up with an idea, gather a team, create a high-quality application and submit it for the competition. In early February, the best teams will be able to speak before the jury at the final of the competition in Kyiv, where the winner will be chosen. It’s not the first time our talented entrepreneurs have a real opportunity to help low-income farmers around the world.” Max Yakover, CEO and Managing Partner of UNIT.City
“The agro-industrial sector needs fresh ideas. New technologies can make agriculture highly effective and investment attractive. We are absolutely sure that the market is ready for more effective solutions in agriculture at all levels. The synergy between IT and agriculture, as engines of the economy, can bring large dividends. That is why we want our new direction of AgriTech.UNIT to become a real engine of innovation in agriculture.” Max Yakover adds
UNIT.City has recently reviewed the industry of agrarian innovations in Ukraine. In partnership with SmartFarming, the innovation park’s team has conducted research on the agrarian innovation market in Ukraine and presented the first agritech project map. The map was created together with the AgTech Ukraine Association.
About UNIT.City
UNIT.City is the first innovation park in Ukraine. The place where the infrastructure and ecosystem are created for the development of businesses in the field of high technologies and creative industries. The mission of UNIT.City is to build a unique innovation center where progressive companies, start-ups and professionals will be able to cooperate with each other quickly and qualitatively.
UNIT.City’s plans for the next five years:
- 500,000 square meters designed for business, education and innovation
- An area of 25 hectares
- 1,500 places in coworking
- 10 labs
- $200 mln in investment
AGRITECH Challenge Website:
http://agritech.unit.city/challenge/ua
Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/agritechchallenge/
Contact for AGRITECH Challenge:
Contacts for the media: