Governor Hochul Announces Round Five Winners of the Grow-NY Food and Agriculture Business Competition

Hypercell Technologies Wins Grow-NY Business Competition

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced Hypercell Technologies, of Peachtree Corners, Georgia as the grand-prize winner of this year’s Grow-NY business competition, a startup challenge focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage, and agriculture innovation cluster in Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. Now in its fifth year, the program awarded $3 million – including the $1 million grand prize – to seven finalists participating the business development accelerator and two-day pitch competition at the Grow-NY Summit this year held in Binghamton. The winning teams must commit to operating in the participating regions for at least one year, while providing Grow-NY with a small equity investment stake in their entity. The competition is administered by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement.

Governor Hochul’s Statement

“The winners of this year’s Grow-NY competition represents some of the most innovative and forward-thinking entrepreneurs from around the world that will take our state’s food and agriculture sector to the next level,” Governor Hochul said. “Through Grow-NY and the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, my administration is doubling down on its commitment to driving economic growth in every part of our state, sparking innovation, and creating the jobs and opportunities that will move New York forward.”

About Hypercell Technologies

Hypercell Technologies provides rapid point-of-care diagnostics for the food chain, ensuring early identification and management of biological contaminants from production to transformation with increased speed and accuracy.

Hypercell CEO and Co-Founder Bruno Jactel said, “We are grateful to New York state and Grow-NY for their support. We’re honored to join the portfolio of Grow-NY winners, and we’re inspired by the startups we competed alongside in this year’s competition. The prize money will help us grow faster, and the innovation ecosystem in Upstate New York will help us grow more sustainably. Grow-NY and our mentor Ed Bizari gave us the resources, guidance, and connections we needed to win the top prize, and we’re excited to scale our business of rapid point-of-care diagnostics to improve the food chain in the Grow-NY region.”

Other 2023 Winners

• $500,000 Winner: Crover, (Edingburgh, United Kingdom) – Crover is on a mission to help grain storage operators reduce losses and maintain optimum storage conditions, efficiently and remotely monitoring and maintaining the quality of grain bulks through its “grain swimming” robotic technology.
• $500,000 Winner: SomaDetect, (Thornhill, ON, Canada) – SomaDetect’s cutting-edge sensor and software system provides farmers with the information they need to make the best milk possible, offering dairy producers automatic and reliable milk-based data directly from their milking line to streamline day-to-day operations of dairy farms.
• $250,000 Winner: Cattle Scan (Toronto, Canada) – Cattle Scan’s cattle monitoring bolus allows dairy farmers to facilitate real-time monitoring of individual cattle, improving overall herd health, increasing production efficiency, and helping advance business sustainability and operational excellence.
• $250,000 Winner: Clean Label Solution (Ithaca, NY) – Clean Label Solution has proprietary technology that improves protein and fat digestibility and reduces CO2 emissions and energy consumption in the production of soy-based animal feeds for livestock such as dairy cattle, poultry, deer, and fish farms.
• $250,000 Winner: MycoLogic (Kennesaw, GA) – MycoLogic is a comprehensive solution for starting or expanding your specialty mushroom cultivation business. They provide hardware and software for the semiautonomous cultivation of specialty mushrooms, as well as biological support and consultation.
• $250,000 Winner: Mush Foods (Poughkeepsie, NY) – Mush Foods harnesses the power and intelligence of mushrooms with its edible mushroom mycelium, creating a groundbreaking, sustainable, animal-free protein for the food and beverage industry.

The competition also featured a “Wegmans Audience Choice” award, selected by the public, for the startup that had the most standout and promising pitch. Big Yield Growers of Endicott, NY, received $10,000 in prize money sponsored by Wegmans.

About the Grow-NY Competition

The 20 finalists selected to take part in this innovative competition received dedicated mentorship from hand-selected regional business advisors leading up to the Summit and created a detailed business plan to present in the final competition. The finalists gave their highly anticipated pitches to a panel of seven judges, reflecting a depth and breadth of agriculture, food production and venture development expertise.

Nearly 1,000 people registered for the fifth annual Grow-NY Summit. The Summit culminated with the presentation of awards, where individuals from 2022 Grow-NY winners Craft Cannery, Labby, Sweet Pea and top winner ProAgni announced the four $250,000 winners and Commissioner of Agriculture Richard A. Ball revealed the two $500,000 recipients, as well as the $1 million award winner. The winning companies will now immediately get to work executing their business plans in New York state, leveraging the connections made and regional knowledge gained from the competition.

Statements from Officials

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball, said, “Year after year, the Grow-NY competition showcases New York’s many cutting-edge, diverse food businesses whose work strengthens our agricultural industry and gives a boost to our farmers. Thanks to Governor Hochul’s continued support of Grow-NY, this competition has become an annual tradition that not only highlights New York agriculture today, but also speaks to the exciting future opportunities of tomorrow. I congratulate this year’s winners and all of the entrepreneurs who took part and look forward to seeing what you do next.”

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight said, “Congratulations to the Grow-NY winners, and to all who

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The article discusses the Grow-NY business competition, which focuses on enhancing the food, beverage, and agriculture innovation cluster in Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier. The competition aims to drive economic growth, spark innovation, and create jobs and opportunities in these regions. These goals align with SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers.
• Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation.
• Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries.
• Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.

The article highlights the winners of the Grow-NY competition who are focused on various aspects of the food and agriculture sector. These winners contribute to the achievement of targets under SDGs 2, 8, 9, and 12 by improving agricultural productivity, promoting economic growth through innovation, enhancing technological capabilities, and promoting sustainable management of natural resources.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator 2.3.1: Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status.
• Indicator 8.2.1: Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person.
• Indicator 9.5.1: Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP.
• Indicator 12.2.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP.

While the article does not explicitly mention these indicators, they can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. For example, the average income of small-scale food producers can be measured to assess progress towards Target 2.3.1. Similarly, research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP can be used to track progress towards Target 9.5.1.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

Source: governor.ny.gov

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