African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), Heifer International and Generation Africa are announcing Pitch AgriHack 2022. An agritech competition focused on accelerating entrepreneurial growth and job creation in the agriculture sector. By identifying youth-led businesses with technological solutions to food security challenges and awarding them with cash grants, media visibility and investor exposure. It will award up to $45K in cash prizes to youth technology innovators in Africa’s agriculture and food sectors.
The open competition part of Pitch AgriHack 2022 will support businesses that are driving innovation in agriculture across three categories Early-stage, Mature/Growth-stage, and Women-led. Prizes will be awarded to six winners totalling US$45,000. A fourth invite-only category known as the AYuTe Africa Challenge, sponsored by Heifer International, will award up to $1.5 million in grants to scalable ventures that are already generating measurable impact for Africa’s smallholder farmers.
The Pitch AgriHack 2022 finals will see the top 12 applicants face off in a business pitching contest at the African Green Revolution Forum Summit (AGRF) in September. Finalists will participate in the AGRF Agribusiness Deal Room, where over 800 companies, 15 government delegations and 150 public and private investors will convene to generate exciting new opportunities.
Applications for Pitch AgriHack are open from 20 June to 29 July 2022 at genafrica.org/pitchagrihack. It is open to African founders or co-founders, aged 18-40 of technology-based and digital services businesses in the agriculture sector. The Top 12 applicants will be selected by an expert jury, followed by an award ceremony where three category winners and three runners-up will receive cash grants to grow their businesses.
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Agritech startups in Africa will be eligible to win up to 1.5 million dollars at the seventh edition of the Pitch AgriHack competition. Pitch AgriHack is a pitching contest aimed exclusively at African businesses bringing technological innovation to the agriculture sector. Organized by AGRF and Heifer International, the competition focuses on accelerating entrepreneurial growth and job creation in the agriculture sector by leveraging advanced technologies and youth participation in Africa’s food security agenda.
The open competition portion of Pitch AgriHack 2021 will support companies that are driving innovation in agriculture across three categories-Early-stage, Mature/Growth-stage, and Women-led, with prizes totalling US$45,000. A fourth invite-only category known as the AYuTe Africa Challenge, sponsored by Heifer International, will award up to $1.5 million in grants to scalable ventures that are already generating measurable impact for Africa’s smallholder farmers.
Six winners will be selected from the open-application categories and two winners from the invite-only AYuTe Africa Challenge category. The winners will be announced at the AGRF Summit which takes place September 7-10 in Nairobi. Top contestants will receive a one-day boot camp in preparation for their final pitches. Winners will get continued support to develop and grow their enterprises.
“As a continent with a thriving youth population, Africa’s agricultural sector must look to its youth for the innovation that will fuel the future growth of this strategically important sector,” said Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President for Africa Programs at Heifer International. “Integrating youth and technology in the agricultural sector will transform the continent, creating new jobs and income-generating opportunities for young Africans”.
In addition to its sponsorship of Pitch AgriHack 2021, Heifer International is partnering with Generation Africa to run this year’s competition. Both organizations have a shared vision of eradicating hunger and poverty through sustainable, community-led development that begins with agriculture.
“It’s a privilege to have an established and experienced non-profit organization like Heifer International on board,” said Head of Generation Africa, Dickson Naftali. “At Generation Africa, we believe that food systems can change if we collaboratively support young African agri-food entrepreneurs. Pitch AgriHack 2021 can give access to the tools and expertise they need to make their businesses successful.”
Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA and Special Envoy to the UN Food Systems Summit, said, “We are excited to welcome Heifer International as it partners with the AGRF and Generation Africa on Pitch AgriHack 2021. By working together, sharing knowledge, and supporting mutually beneficial projects, we can make a bigger impact and drive agricultural transformation in Africa. We want young people across Africa to hear our message – the future of food and farming depends on them.”
Business profiles of the finalists will also be published in a Deal Book for circulation at the AGRF and online, while individual profiles will be made public on the GenAfrica.org platform and reviewed for relevance to their investor community.
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