As winners of the 2023 Radicle Inclusion Challenge Presented by Nutrien, FarmSense and PheroSyn will receive USD $750,000 in investments for their companies. The winners will also gain access to industry expertise and a global network of mentors to accelerate their growth.
- Nutrien and Radicle Growth have awarded FarmSense and PheroSyn, two agritech companies, as winners of the 2023 Radicle Inclusion Challenge
- Each company receives a $750,000 investment to advance diversity and inclusion in agriculture.
- FarmSense utilises optical sensor technology to monitor insects in fields, providing real-time data for pest management and reducing pesticide use.
- PheroSyn produces sustainable insect pheromones for monitoring crop pests using “green chemistry.”
Nutrien, the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services, and Radicle Growth, a company-building platform for early-stage agriculture and food technologies, have announced agritech companies, FarmSense and PheroSyn, as winners of the 2023 Radicle Inclusion Challenge Presented by Nutrien. Both agtechs will receive a USD $750,000 investment each, for advancing diversity and inclusion in agriculture.
The winners were selected from a pool of more than 190 entrepreneurs from over 40 countries.
FarmSense uses optical sensor technology to monitor insects in the fields. Their patented FlightSensor™ technology has a unique algorithm that captures flying insect signals from the field and sends this categorised data, along with environmental information, allowing early detection to reduce pesticide use and increase crop yields. This ensures better pest management and enables better mission-critical decisions on crop and pest control by farmers.
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“I’m honoured that FarmSense was named winner of the 2023 Radicle Inclusion Challenge. I’m so proud of our diverse and innovative team who made this possible. I believe that our real-time pest monitoring and classification technology will positively impact the entire commercial agriculture supply chain — all the way to the consumer! FarmSense is excited to be in the driver’s seat during such an exciting time in agtech and we are confident that our capabilities can serve as an invaluable tool for both farmers and collaborators.” Said Dr. Leslie Hickle, co-founder and CEO at FarmSense.
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PheroSyn uses sustainable “green chemistry” to produce complex structured, high-value, unavailable insect pheromones, formulated and sold to distributors for monitoring of crop pests in agriculture and horticulture.
Mary Ellis, CEO at PheroSyn said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won the Radicle Inclusion Challenge presented by Nutrien. It has been an incredible experience to pitch our business to such a talented and highly knowledgeable group of industry experts and we can’t wait to continue our journey with these significant partners by our side. The global networks and mentorship that we will now have access to through Radicle and Nutrien will serve to propel the company towards achieving its mission, bringing new more sustainable pest management solutions to the global marketplace. We are utterly delighted.”
Since 2019, Radicle Growth has collaborated and partnered with leaders disrupting the agriculture industry through innovation and technology. In the past two years, the initiative, set in motion by Nutrien and in partnership with Radicle Growth, has focused on diversity and inclusion, following the success of the 2022 Inclusion Challenge.
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“Congratulations to FarmSense and PheroSyn – we are so excited to support these technologies and work together. We want to thank Nutrien for playing a founding role in making this challenge a success and helping to select the winners,” says Kirk Haney, Managing Partner at Radicle Growth. “This is the 10th Radicle Challenge that we [Radicle Growth] have co-hosted, and it continues to be an impactful platform for driving awareness of critical issues in food production and funding the most impressive technologies that are essential to systems-level change, both for the environment and society.”
In addition to funding, FarmSense and PheroSyn will receive access to deep industry expertise and a global network of executives who will serve as strategy partners and mentors, helping to accelerate their pathway to success.
Radicle Growth selects innovative, early-stage agritech and foodtech companies for investment, ensuring that they reach their full potential. Nutrien is the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services, helping to safely and sustainably feed a growing world. They operate a world-class network of production, distribution, and retail facilities that efficiently serve the needs of growers.
Cover image: Radicle Growth on LinkedIn
