Open to innovative food, agriculture, and sustainable food chain startups, the competition aimed to raise awareness of new solutions in the market and enhance their pitch. Participants received feedback from the jury to improve their pitches, with the best startup from eight finalists winning a grand cash prize of 5000 euros.
Sixteen European startups competed in three categories: smart farming technologies, soil and nutrient management & cleantech, and data-driven agricultural technologies.
During the evaluation process, the jury placed particular emphasis on the following criteria: the value proposition, business potential, feasibility and scalability of the business model, the implementation plan, and the capability of the team.
-We were very pleased to see so many international companies participating in the competition. The high quality and innovative solutions impressed the jury. The participating companies offered a wide range of solutions for sustainable food production and agritechnology, said Jamk's Anni Hintikka, organiser of the pitching competition.
New technology helps nations to become more independent in their food supply
The winner, NPHarvest, is soon ready to enter the market with their technology, that recovers 90 % of the nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients from concentrated wastewater, recycling them as fertilisers.
NPHarvest’s circular economy solution addresses two major challenges:
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It removes excess nutrients from the environment, helping to reduce eutrophication and other negative impacts.
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It replaces fossil-based raw materials, supporting the transition to more sustainable production.
-This is important in today’s world where there are many geopolitical tensions. Eighty percent of countries are net importers of nutrients, meaning they are not independent in their food supply. Our solution allows nations to turn their wastewater sources back into nutrient sources,” explained Sara Ikonen, COO of NPHarvest.
