Hannover, 01.11.2021 – RootCamp, the Hannover-based Innovation Hub, welcomes seven international AgriTech startups for an intense three-month Acceleration Program. Following a review of 300 applications from 66 countries, seven startups were chosen in collaboration with experts from our partners K+S, KWS, hannoverimpuls, and the Leipzig-based SpinLab Accelerator.
The following Early-Stage Startups will be part of the Acceleration Program’s Batch#2 and will be supported by a grant of up to €10.000:
- BIOWEG (GER/IND): Microbial cellulose
- Contagra (GER/SA): Credit marketplace
- DigiFarm (NOR): Field boundaries
- E-Terry (GER): Robotics
- FibriTech (PL): Binder-free fiber product
- GeoPard Agriculture (GER/UKR): Agri consulting
- WiCow (GER/TUR): Livestock sensor
Individual workshops, 1:1s, and extensive coaching are all part of the three-month Acceleration Program. The RootCamp team, as well as external mentors and advisors, provide assistance in areas such as product development, startup financing, marketing, sales, technological know-how, and others. The hybrid format of the program enables international startups as well as mentors to get the best from both virtual and in person interaction. Furthermore, it is critical that the standard curriculum is tailored to the needs of the startups.
Aside from the educational component, RootCamp fosters collaboration between startups and our corporate partners in the AgTech industry, K+S and KWS. During the acceleration phase, these projects are conceptualized as individually tailored pilot projects. A separate project budget of up to €40k is provided for execution during the program’s second phase. The startups bring their specific expertise and rapid development capabilities, while the partners bring years of market experience and specific resources.
The goal of RootCamp is to bridge the gap between corporates and startups by facilitating pilot projects between them. This, along with the program’s thematic focus on the AgriFood Tech industry, is the program’s strength.
RootCamp’s program timeline:
- Start of the program: November 1st, 2021
- End of the program and Demo Day: February 10th, 2022
- Start of pilot projects (2nd phase of program): From March 2022 up to 9 months
About RootCamp
The RootCamp is an accelerator for technology-oriented startups from the agrifood tech and bioeconomy sector. The accelerator was founded in Hannover, Germany, by the SpinLab Accelerator and the fertilizer and salt producer, K+S. RootCamp’s mission is to disrupt the agrifood value chain and to do so it offers different programs, targeted to young and later stage startups from all around the world. Support is offered with intense coaching, a network of mentors, industry experts and investors. The teams stay in the program from three up to twelve months and get a financial grant of up to € 50.000 in exchange for no equity. A fundamental part of the program is the collaboration between startups and corporate partners to develop new ideas and implement suitable solutions, in the form of pilot projects.
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