Syracuse students interested in food and ag innovation are invited to attend at the Grow NY Ag Summit in Rochester November 12 and 13. Students enjoy free admission, and can see live pitches from up to 20 food and ag startups from across the globe competing to win the top prize of $1 million. The 2019 Grow-NY Food & Ag Summit is a two-day event showcasing top startups from around the globe, world class researchers from leading institutions, and resources and partners from across New York State. The event is designed for startups, companies, investors, resource providers, researchers, entrepreneurs, farmers, and students. More than 70 exhibitors will range from startups to established corporations, and include manufacturers, university resources, supply chain assets and investors, trade associations, and high-growth innovators. Keynote speaker is Danny Wegman, chairman of Wegmans Food Markets.
The agenda includes:
November 12, 2019
- Breakfast
- Food & Ag Symposium Panels
- Lunch
- Pitch Competition
- Full-day Expo
November 13, 2019
- Breakfast
- Food & Ag Symposium Panels
- Lunch
- Pitch Competition
- Full-day Expo
Free student admission includes both days of the event (including lunch). Students will be required to present a valid student ID at registration prior to admission. Register here.
Eighteen finalists will compete, chosen from nearly 200 startups pitching best ideas for new food, beverage or agriculture businesses. Dropcopter, a startup in The Tech Garden business accelerator in Syracuse, is a finalist, along with Ithaca startups, Capro-X, Combplex, Halomine and Whole Healthy Food. Other finalists are:
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- AgVoice – Norcross, Georgia
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- Independent Barley & Malt – Litchfield, Michigan
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- Livestock Water Recycling – Alberta, Canada
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- Nuravine – New York City
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- Paragon Pure – Princeton, New Jersey
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- The Perfect Granola – Victor
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- Radical Plastics – Beverly, Massachusetts
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- RealEats America – Geneva
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- Re-Nuble – Rochester
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- Simply Good Jars – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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- Slate Craft Goods – Westwood, Massachusetts
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- Tiliter – Munich, Germany
- Varcode – Naperville, Illinois
Winners must establish and grow their companies within a 22-county area encompassing Binghamton, Ithaca, Rochester and Syracuse.