Arieli Capital Launching 2nd Cohort of START Agri-Tech Scale-Up Program With 11 Cutting-Edge Ventures

ST. GEORGE, Utah , April 4, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- M Multi-faceted investment firm Arieli Capital is launching the long-awaited second cohort for its venture scale-up program, powered by Frontier RNG a joint venture between Arieli Capital and Ramat Hanegev Regional Council, in partnership with Utah Tech University, Haifa Group and Exit Ventures, sponsored by The World Trade Center Utah. Following the success of its first cohort back in 2023, the program is returning for another batch, and this time, in St. George, Utah, on the 14-18 of April, with 11 highly innovative and promising startups.  Join the final expo and pitch event here.

A launchpad for climate-focused ventures that aim to address the world's environmental challenges with advanced technological solutions, START AgriTech leverages global resources to support their growth by helping them commercialize cutting-edge solutions, build strong businesses to drive their value to market at scale, and facilitate meetings with international investors and global corporations.

The first cohort of the program included 8 ventures, who've collectively raised a combined $9.5M in investment capital and have made impressive milestones after participating. Among them was Nanomnia, who have succeeded in securing their second pilot with a multinational agriculture corporation, as well as We-Agri whose data-driven platform allows farmers to track and sell their carbon credits, recently received validation for its biggest project.

The selected group for the upcoming cohort includes 11 uniquely innovative startups, each led by talented teams in their Seed to Series A phases, which have collectively raised over $44M and generated $4.7M in revenue. The second cohort for START Agri-Tech includes the following ventures: 

Agri-Light Energy Systems: Developing a solar tracking system with a proprietary agri-voltaic algorithm that enables dual usage of land, optimizing both electricity generation and crop cultivation.

Arugga AI Farming: developing ground robots to treat and monitor individual plants by replicating pollination in greenhouses in a manner that lessens the need for chemicals and the spread of crop disease, easing the challenges in crop production. 

Bactelife Industries: making nutrients available to plants, enhancing soil, and conserving water.

BioLeaf: developing natural, eco-friendly, postharvest solutions that prolong the shelf life of fresh produce.

Bioplasmar: converting compost into completely biodegradable planting pots that can be planted directly in the soil and eliminating the need for plastic pots.

Contact Organics: constructing innovative methods to create a non-toxic product range that eliminates the perpetual problem caused by weeds that compromise crops.

Eden Technologies: revolutionizing water purification to make affordable drinking water accessible to all around the world. 

Projini Agchem: redesigning chemistry for health by developing new pesticides in order to support a greater quality food production at higher volumes, to support the world's growing population. 

Saffron Tech: cultivating premium saffron year-round in indoor vertical farms, supporting sustainable agriculture and saffron-based products.

TomGrow: enabling people, communities, and organizations to grow diverse and healthy plants anywhere in the world, in any climate and for any purpose - from food to medicine and cosmetics and wellbeing. 

Vexxel Biotech: reshaping the production landscape and enabling healthier food options while ensuring sustainable and environmentally friendly production methods.

An active investor in desert and agriculture technologies, alongside its innovation center, Frontier, Arieli Capital has a lively presence in and long-standing relationship with the state of Utah. Having deep roots in Israel, Arieli Capital is uniquely positioned to spearhead climate initiatives and support ventures in parallel fields, due to a native familiarity with desert landscapes that spur agricultural innovation. 

"Our first cohort showcased just how much value can be created through this program, and we knew from then that we'd return with another group." says Or Haviv, partner and head of innovation at Arieli Capital. "Utah is an exceptional environment for us in every sense, with an outstanding entrepreneurial ecosystem and great local organizations who share our values and vision. We're thrilled to work alongside our Utah partners on this impactful program deepening Arieli's existing Utah activity and investments."

Arieli Capital invites the agri-tech and climate-tech community, as well as the broader high-tech ecosystem to take part at the final expo and pitch event, and follow for more updates here.

About Arieli Capital:

Arieli Capital is a multifaceted investment firm that is an active investor and partner in the next generation of technology companies. Arieli Capital continuously strives to identify and support companies, creating real impact while keeping financial returns as the primary objective. As a recognized global leader in innovation, Arieli is trusted by governments, academic and research institutions, multinational corporations and financial institutions. For more information, click here.

Media Contact: 
Nataf Dgani
Head of Marketing, Arieli Capital LLC
[email protected]

SOURCE Arieli Capital