Gastrotope, the agrifood tech accelerator founded by Taizo Son’s Mistletoe, GSF and Infobridge, has announced the names of five start-ups in the first cohort of its programme. Brown Foods by Lifenectar Health Care Pvt Ltd, Credible by Agzaken Risk Management (OPC) Pvt Ltd, Fasal by Wolkus Technology Solutions Pvt Ltd, Occipital Technologies Pvt Ltd and Triton Foodworks Pvt Ltd were the shortlisted start-ups (out of the 150-plus applications received from the programme).
Brown Foods by Lifenectar Health Care Pvt Ltd
Founded in 2017 by Stanford, IIT Delhi and IIT Roorkee alumni, Brown Foods is creating next-generation packaged food products. Using data analytics and AI (artificial intelligence), they make personalised packaged food products, using the healthiest ingredients sourced directly from farmers and deliver fresh at doorsteps, with complete transparency across the supply chain.
Credible by Agzaken Risk Management (OPC) Pvt Ltd
Established in 2018, Credible has created agriculture specific risk management tools (AI-driven) for financial institutions and policy makers. It combines various data sources such as remote sensing, agri-commodity pricing and transaction data to provide unique insights at the farm or farmer level. Its innovative approach was acknowledged and awarded the special jury prize at the Mumbai FinTech festival, and as one of the top 25 InsureTech start-ups by HDFC Ergo.
Fasal by Wolkus Technology Solutions Pvt Ltd
Established in January 2018, Fasal is an agri-tech platform, developed by Wolkus Technology Solutions. It is an AI-powered IoT (Internet of Things) platform for agriculture ecosystem that records a variety of growing conditions on the farms, makes on-farm predictions and delivers actionable insights and recommendations to farmers, thereby helping them in increasing productivity.
Occipital Technologies Pvt Ltd
Occipital Tech automates the grading and sorting process of fruits and vegetables by using computer vision. Occipital Tech’s technology grades fruits and vegetables based on shape, size, colour and surface patterns. The startup was established in the year 2017 with an aim to redefine the grading processes, to increase the transparency in trade and improve the marketability of the produce.
Triton Foodworks Pvt Ltd
Founded in 2014, Triton Foodworks is a new age, precision farming company, which creates ideal conditions for growing pesticide free fruits and vegetables. Precise monitoring and adjustments of every input from light intensity to individual ions in nutrient mixes allows Triton to grow up to 15 times more produce in the same footprint, using almost 95 per cent less water and absolutely zero-chemical pesticides. Triton grows food that demands less and delivers more.
The Gastrotope accelerator programme has helped these start-ups to optimise their business model, achieve product-market fit, and execute a scalable growth strategy. The programme included a one-on-one mentoring session with 30 mentors, provided a networking opportunity, funding investment advice, strategy-and-skill development.
Gastrotope is a catalyst in the formation of farm-to-fork ecosystem that is not only sustainable, but also enriches the lives of billions.
Rajesh Sawhney, chief executive officer and founder, GSF India, said, “The five shortlisted start-ups embody our intent to create and nurture a true farm-to-fork ecosystem in India. All of them share two common threads: an exceptional leadership team and a focussed and scalable business idea, which we believe are vital ingredients necessary to make a meaningful impact in a sector as huge and diverse as agriculture.”
Naho Shigeta, chief executive officer, Infobridge Holdings, said, “The overwhelming response to our accelerator programme demonstrates the keen interest of Indian start-up community in making a difference to agriculture in the country. The Gastrotope team is now looking forward to working with and enabling these five start-ups in building a strong and sustainable business.”
