Washington, D.C. – International Fresh Produce Association BB #:378962 has announced the 12 new companies that will join the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator for the 2024 cohort. The Accelerator program is designed to bring technology companies with ready to market solutions to the produce and floral industry to help make the supply chain more resilient and climate smart.
“As we embark on the third year of our program,” said Vonnie Estes, IFPA vice president of innovation. “Our first goal is to bring new, innovative solutions into the industry. We are advancing the trial, adoption, and utilization of climate-smart technologies to tackle our most pressing challenges head-on. At the same time, we are cultivating an extraordinary ecosystem of producers, mentors, and innovators committed to sustainability and progress.”
The cohort will come together first in June to take part in the Immersion Week where they were visit more than a dozen businesses from San Francisco to Los Angeles. They will spend almost a week on a bus tour exploring many aspects of the produce supply chain to learn from industry members about their practical challenges, and what they need from solution partners.
Following the Immersion Week, the group will come together in August for a Demo Day in Salinas, California. The Demo Day will provide an opportunity for the innovators to share their solutions for the produce industry after spending a few months reflecting on their Immersion Week learnings and time with an industry mentor. Mentors are assigned to each member of the cohort as a go to resource and guide as the participants move through the program. The program culminates at the Global Produce and Floral Show where each accelerator company will showcase their solution on the Expo floor.
This year’s cohort includes:
- Agragene Inc. – St. Louis, MO
- ClearLeaf – Wilmington, DE, USA
- Farm-ng – Watsonville, CA, USA
- Helios Artificial Intelligence, Inc. – Tysons, VA, USA
- Innov8.ag – Walla Walla, WA, USA
- L5 Automation Inc. – La Canada Flintridge, CA, USA
- Mirai Solar – San Francisco, CA – USA
- Neolithics LTD. – Tel Aviv, Israel
- Responsive Drip Irrigation, LLC – Bradenton, FL, USA and Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Root Applied Science – Oakland, CA, USA
- Sufresca – Ness Ziona, Israel
- Susterre – Calgary, Ontario, Canada
“I’m excited to introduce our new cohort to the industry and to each other at the upcoming Immersion Week,” said Estes. “It’s amazing to witness the synergy of ideas, tech and problem solving that come from a group of innovators while they visit different businesses along the produce supply chain.”
The Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator is powered by the industry who serve as hosts for the tour visits, mentors who guide the participants, and by key industry supporter, SunWorld. Full profiles on the cohort companies and the company representatives embarking on the 6 month program are found on the IFPA Fresh Field Catalyst page.
