Supporting innovation is an important element of REAP, and many of the early stage companies who presented in last year’s agri-tech Start-Up Showcase benefited from the profile it gave them.
We are delighted that Rothamsted Centre for Research and Enterprise (RoCRE) is sponsoring Start-Up Showcase 2015 which will feature a number of budding businesses with ideas that address the big challenges facing the industry.
Small companies with new concepts can be important engines for innovation within larger agri-businesses, so the Start-up Showcase helps to foster the all-important culture of “open innovation” in agriculture and horticulture.
Last year’s REAP conference featured 8 agri-tech start-ups, of whom 5 had follow-up discussions with investors, including one of our new members, crop protection company Arlabion. One of the other start-ups is now in the market with a new innovation in anaerobic digestion.
This year the Start-Up Showcase will feature innovations including solar-powered drip irrigation, a smart monitoring system for levels in storage tanks and a novel skincare product produced by plants.
Now is a good time to launch an agri-tech business. Industry insights suggest that global investments in agri-tech start-ups are starting to increase as confidence builds and new innovations led by impressive entrepreneurs with credible business cases are coming forward. In fact, many growth capital funds are prioritising agri-tech in current and future investment rounds.
RoCRE is an excellent fit as a sponsor for the Start-Up Showcase and it is using this opportunity to highlight it’s support for open innovation in agri-tech.
RoCRE, with its mission of opening up innovation in agri-tech is sponsoring the Start-up Showcase. RoCRE provides mixed office/lab business incubation space for start-ups and a new Innovation Hub, featuring a high quality space for collaborative research projects.
To see the programme and register click here.
