Call for Entries – Deadline 17 August
For any agri-tech company, the opportunity to pitch directly to the Agricultural team for the UK’s leading food retailer would mark a key milestone for their business.
This year, Tesco has partnered with the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London (October 16-17) combining its ‘Agri T-Jam’ with the event’s acclaimed Pitch Day and joining forces to attract entries from the most exciting breakthrough agri-tech innovators around the world.
Through its first T-Jam focused on agriculture, Tesco and its supplier partners are seeking innovative breakthrough technologies and solutions to improve its supply chain.
George Wright, Commercial Director for Fresh Food at Tesco said: “Many of the suppliers, farmers and producers we partner with lead the way in innovation and technology in agriculture, so we’re really excited to be partnering with the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit to discover the next generation of agriculture start-ups and innovators. The winning entry will get the opportunity to partner with one of our suppliers and help provide affordable, sustainable, healthy food to all our customers.”
Tesco is looking for businesses that will step change how farms and the supply chain operate today. Applications are open to seed and early stage start-ups, as well as to even earlier concept stage ideas still in research which could be brought quickly into development and testing. It also wants to challenge non-food start-ups to see if their technology can be utilised in the agri-food sector.
Some specific areas of focus include:
• Sustainable feed
• Reduction of farm level emissions
• Responsible use of antibiotics
• Meat grading and quality
• On farm sensor technology and remote sensing
• Sustainable crop protection
• Soil health
• Water management
• Automation and robotics
• Waste reduction
Following an application and selection process, ten companies will be invited to present their technology to the Tesco panel and a selected audience of investors and agribusinesses at the World Agri-Tech pre-summit Pitch Day in London on October 15.
Each presenter will have 7 minutes to showcase their technology solution and business model, followed by questions from the panel and audience. In what could be a potential game-changer for their business, one start-up will be selected by the panel to be fast-tracked by Tesco to a trial with one of its key supply chain partners, also benefitting from direct feedback and mentoring by the Tesco Agricultural team.
The Pitch Day ‘winner’ will also present as part of the main World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit programme, to its audience of over 400 international agribusiness leaders. All finalists will be invited as guests to the two-day summit to maximise their visibility and networking, gain valuable market intelligence and benefit from feedback on their technology from the senior executive audience.