Earlier this year, for the first time, Regenerative Food Systems Investment (RFSI) put out a call for pitch applications for the annual RFSI Forum, to be held October 9-10 in Denver. Together with partners, The First Thirty, RFSI aimed to find the hottest early-stage solutions for accelerating regeneration.
In a commanding representation of the incredible mindpower working to solve for agriculture and food systems transformation, there were nearly 60 applications submitted for the pitch session – all vying for the four pitching spots available in this year’s program.
The submissions ran the gamut in terms of intervention points and solutions offered – from new biological products to robotics to platforms to connect farmers to markets, to processing facilities, and much more. A team consisting of both internal and external evaluators reviewed each pitch for three criteria: novelty, scalability, and impact. Based on these scores, the top 10 solutions were identified, as well as the four finalists who have been invited to pitch at the 2024 RFSI Forum.
Without further delay, making our top 10 list of solutions are (in alphabetical order):
AgriPass Robotics offers adaptive, selective tilling: a ‘plug & play’ robotic high-throughput precise root-level weeding solution. Agripass ‘’See & Weed’’ offers a non-chemical solution that works in-row, close to the crop and models the field in real-time.
Commonwealth Kitchen is a vertically integrated social enterprise on a mission to build a food economy grounded in racial, social economic and environmental justice. They empower diverse entrepreneurs, cultivate connections amongst their diverse member businesses and forge values-aligned partnerships to drive market access and opportunity for our business community.
FarmLab simplifies data collection and analysis for emissions reduction, agronomy, and natural capital projects. They have developed a platform that empowers agronomists, consultants, and farmers to map, sample, and analyse the environment using cutting-edge remote sensing and digital mapping techniques.
Toothpick Project, Toothpick Company Ltd. created a biological solution to help African smallholder farmers fight Striga weeds, which can kill 20-100% of their crops, leaving them with little food. Toothpick’s alternative solution fights Striga after it infested fields, and leaves the planted crop unharmed, increasing yields by 43-56%.
Quick Organics is making organic certification as easy as possible through quick & easy tools. Farmers and certifiers can have the peace of mind needed to do their best work, with certification streamlined, trusted and simplified.
Wild Coast Biologics Inc combines the natural power of microalgae with a proprietary nanoparticle technology. Harnessing algae, they develop biological inputs like biostimulants, biofertilizers and biocontrols, that enhance the overall productivity of crops and protect crops from diseases and pests.
And (drum roll…) introducing the top four pitch finalists who will be pitching at this year’s RFSI Forum:
SeedLinked helps growers make better seed choices by allowing to explore vegetable seeds by filtering traits that are important to the grower and their production system. Welcome to data-driven seed search.
Susterre is pioneering the use of ultra-high pressure water jets in row crop planting applications. Their technology promotes regenerative practices like no-till farming and cover crops on a permanent basis, lowers the costs of planting and adds time to the farmer’s planting window.
Range Revolution ‘’The world’s first regenerative leather luggage and handbag company,’’ has rebuilt a regenerative, regional leather supply chain. The products’ design is intended to make consumers think about how they are intentionally created and put a dent into the 5 million hides wasted annually in the USA alone.
Rooted helps people put a nutritious, locally grown meal on their table in 30 minutes or less with their Real Meal Bundles. Easy recipes and products gathered from the best farms are delivered to consumers through bundles & subscriptions.
Join these pitchers and many more at this year’s RFSI Forum in Denver on Oct. 9-10. Learn more here!