SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TERRA, the leading Food and Agriculture Accelerator, is kicking off its third cohort next week, bringing onboard 17 of the most innovative startups from around the world to work alongside industry giants. TERRA 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, are joined by a group of the world’s most influential companies: AgroFresh, Beta San Miguel, GrainCorp, Griffith Foods, Grupo Azucarero Mexico/CULTIBA, Nestlé USA, OSI and Tate & Lyle.
Founded in 2016, TERRA is a global innovation accelerator fueling groundbreaking transformation in Food & Agriculture in order to advance the well-being of our people and our planet. 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.
The TERRA team reviewed hundreds of applications from emerging growth companies around the world, shortlisting 160 applicants for only 17 spots. Startups selected represent eight countries. Cohort III welcomes: Anergy (Singapore), Bird Control (USA), BoMill (Sweden), ClariFruit (Israel), EarthSense (USA), Elio (Brazil), Good Spread (USA), Here (USA), Jackson’s Honest (USA), Miyoko’s Kitchen (USA), Nutrifusion (USA), Opertech Bio (USA), Phyco Health (Australia), Swarm Engineering (USA), TE-FOOD (Germany), Xtrem Biotech (Spain) and Zymtronix (USA).
Over the past two cohorts, the TERRA program has pushed forward advancements in farm management, food traceability and transparency, waste reduction, precision agriculture, and food safety to name a few, with the intelligent application and pilot testing of emerging technologies. Since launching less than two years ago, TERRA has brought together:
- 11 corporate collaborators worth over $100B in annual revenue
- 49 emerging growth companies
- 31 pilots launched
- 25 countries represented
Unlike other accelerators, TERRA does not require equity from startups. They must have a product in market/ready to launch and have raised a minimum of seed-funding, better positioning them for productive pilots with collaborators. For more information on TERRA, please visit www.terraaccelerator.com.
About RocketSpace
RocketSpace is a global ecosystem of people and ideas that provides the necessary velocity — both speed and direction — to help the world’s top innovators bring the future to market. Founded in San Francisco in 2011, its global network of technology campuses and services are designed to help tech startups scale. RocketSpace also helps corporations fuel their continuous growth by tapping into its ecosystem of top startups from around the world. Learn more at rocketspace.com.
About Rabobank Group
Rabobank Group is a global financial services leader providing wholesale, rural and retail banking, leasing, and real estate services in more than 40 countries worldwide. Founded over a century ago, Rabobank today is one of the world’s largest banks with over $750 billion in assets. In North America, Rabobank is the premier bank to the food, agribusiness and beverage industries, 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 grow a better world by 2050.
Press Contact:
Deann Sonoda
dsonoda@rocketspace.com