Pennsylvania-based Phospholutions was selected by agricultural industry leaders as the winner of the IFA/UM6P Africa AgTech Startup Showcase at the International Fertilizer Association (IFA) Annual Conference in Prague this past week. The company beat seven other startups to secure the grand prize of €20,000 during a competitive, live final round judged by a jury of experts and with voting by Annual Conference delegates.
“Being recognized by the IFA/UM6P Africa AgTech Startup Showcase is a tremendous honor,” said Phospholutions CEO Hunter Swisher. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work of our team and will further our mission of creating sustainable agriculture solutions for Africa and beyond. I look forward to partnering with the fertilizer industry to further develop our solution and bring it to the market at scale.”
In March, Phospholutions launched RhizoSorb®, a patented fertilizer additive that increases efficiency of phosphorus fertilizers, to the US row crop market. It said extensive university and multi-year field trials show that growers can achieve a 50% reduction in applied phosphorus on corn and soybeans without compromising yield.
Farmer Lifeline Technologies came in second, and was awarded a runner-up prize of €10,000.
The eight finalists were:
- Phospholutions, which develops technologies to increase fertilizer efficiency and affordability, and minimize the environmental impact of global phosphorus use.
- Natura Crop Care, which offers innovative, patented climate-resilient solutions for sustainable soil health, reducing carbon footprint, and doubling farmers’ incomes.
- Agri IOT, which is developing Croptune, a real-time mobile application that recognizes nutritional deficiencies in crops. With a simple one-time setup and ongoing analysis, Croptune is a solution to optimizing farmers’ operational costs.
- Foodlocker, a farming-as-a-service platform that connects African smallholder farmers with large buyers through market access and precision agriculture. Foodlocker supports farmers with access to inputs, credit, expertise, and markets.
- Albo Climate, which offers a remote and accurate solution for quantifying, mapping, and monitoring carbon sequestered in ecosystems worldwide.
- Farmer Lifeline Technologies, which has developed a solar-powered device that scans crops and alerts farmers to pests or diseases while providing recommendations on fertilizers or pesticides.
- Agricolleges International, which is a cloud-based online learning institution that provides affordable, accessible, and industry-relevant education and training in agriculture and related agri-industries.
- Safi Organics, which envisions a world where rural underserved communities are self-sufficient in their crop production and consumption of agricultural inputs and commodities through decentralized fertilizer production.
The Showcase was launched by IFA and the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) to provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs to connect with professionals, experts, and investors from all over the world.
The competition is aimed at AgTech startups working on innovative solutions that can be adapted to the African context to ensure the sustainability and inclusivity of its agriculture. The showcase was sponsored by OCP and International Raw Materials.