Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Competition 2025 (Up To $1 million Funding)

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Applications are open for Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Competition 2025. Grow-NY is a business competition focused on growing an enduring food and agriculture innovation cluster in the Grow-NY region. The competition attracts innovative, high-growth food and agriculture startups from across the globe and engages them in the region’s rapidly-growing start-up ecosystem.

Funding Information

Growth
- Up to 20 finalists are matched with experienced mentors and receive customized business development trips to the region.
Funding
- $3 million will be awarded each year to seven startups. The top prize is $1 million.

Eligibility Criteria for Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Competition

Applicants must be an established business entity in the food, beverage, and/or agriculture space. This includes food and agriculture companies at every point in the agri-food value chain that are working to serve a growing population, while striving to employ sustainable, environmentally conscious, and/or healthy methods. Examples of food and agriculture startups include, but are not limited to, companies that:
Research and design new crop varieties
Offer new methods and/or tools to support the efficient growing, monitoring, and harvesting of crops and livestock
Offer new and/or improved methods for producing, preparing, and packaging food and beverage products or ingredients
Represent high-growth opportunities for new and innovative food and beverage products or ingredients

Judging Criteria

All applications will be reviewed according to these criteria:

Team

Demonstration of a level of cohesion, completeness, diversity, and readiness within the team of founders, employees, and advisors; inclusion or plans for inclusion of employees and advisors from varied backgrounds and communities.

Viability of Commercialization and Business Model

Generation of revenue and maintenance of a cost structure that allows for a competitive and sustainable business; demonstrated readiness of the applicant’s technology or innovation to fulfill its needed value proposition

Customer Value

Provision of significant value for customers for which they are willing to pay; addressing a substantial market

Growth Potential

Ability to generate significant growth, as measured and assessed by employment and revenue growth and the potential for returns and liquidity for equity holders.