EMPIRE STATE DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCES 2025 FINALISTS FOR $3 MILLION GLOBAL GROW-NY BUSINESS COMPETITION

20 Food and Agriculture Startups from Around the World will Compete to Win a Combined Total of $3 Million in Prize money at Annual Summit on Nov. 12 and 13

The Grow-NY Competition is funded through Upstate Revitalization Initiatives - Finger Lakes Forward, CNY Rising, and Southern Tier Soaring - Regional Comprehensive Strategies to Revitalize Communities and Grow the Economy

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Empire State Development (ESD) and Cornell University's Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA) today announced the 20 finalist startups selected to compete in the seventh round of Grow-NY, the world-renowned food and agriculture business competition that awards $3 million in prize money annually. The Grow-NY competition, funded through New York State's Upstate Revitalization Initiatives — Finger Lakes Forward, CNY Rising, and Southern Tier Soaring — and Empire State Development's Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), was created to catalyze economic growth in Upstate New York. Finalist startups are required to commit to growing jobs, partnerships or operations in this 22-county region.

Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight, said, "Each year, the Grow-NY food and agriculture competition attracts top-quality startups and talent from around the world to Upstate New York. Through continued support from New York State, these Grow-NY innovators will create jobs and generate new investments that will drive economic growth in Central New York, the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier for years to come."

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, "Grow-NY is integral to growing and enhancing New York's agricultural economy, highlighting the diversity of our industry by featuring emerging businesses focused on critical areas, from high-tech solutions on the farm to food safety. I congratulate the finalists selected today and look forward to the next steps of the competition."

The competition continues to attract strong global interest. This year, 270 startups from 41 countries submitted applications. The U.S. was well represented with entries from 31 states, including 53 from New York State. Notably, 46% of applicants include a female founder, and 74% include a founder from a culturally diverse background, underscoring Grow-NY's commitment to inclusive innovation.

A panel of 40 expert judges, with backgrounds in agribusiness, economic development, equitable access to capital, food systems, and entrepreneurship, selected the finalists who now move forward to the next phase: a 10-week business development accelerator.

The selected finalists, include:

• Brekland, Brooklyn, NY: Brekland is building a novel, biodegradable foam coating that brings new, in-field functionality to crop frost protection products.
• DeepAgro, Rosario, Argentina: DeepAgro develops artificial intelligence solutions for selective agrochemical spraying, sowing, and monitoring and diagnostics.
• Ergo Bioscience, Sunchales, Argentina: Ergo pioneers plant cell culturing via a proprietary platform combining AI, genetic engineering, and automation to create plant-based proteins.
• Finger Foods Farm, Bloomfield, NY: Finger Foods Farm produces a line of vertically-integrated, health-forward frozen soups, made with local ingredients, processed at regional businesses, and branded to celebrate New York's bounty.
• Frost Methane, Juneau, AK: Frost Methane partners with livestock farmers to neutralize methane from manure ponds, earning carbon credit revenue and preventing water ingress.
• Full of Beans Kitchen, New York, NY: Full of Beans is building a vertically integrated fava bean platform, starting with regenerative New York-grown crops and ending with high-protein, ready-to-eat foods.
• Knead Technologies, Calgary, AB, Canada: Knead's software platform leverages technology to streamline food rescue operations, enabling businesses to redirect surplus food to those in need while quantifying environmental impacts.
• Living Ink Technologies, Berthoud, CO: Living Ink repurposes renewable biomass waste, like algae, into sustainable black printing inks and pigments.
• Medium Well Technological Solutions, Ramat Yishai, Israel: Medium Well Technological Solutions' BioResin and BioBags are made from biodegradable materials, offering scalable and sustainable solutions for food and pharma.
• Mothership Materials, New York, NY: Mothership Materials transforms agricultural waste into carbon-negative feedstocks — such as glucose and cellulose — that power the foods, fuels and fabrics of the future.
• Picketa Systems, Fredericton, NB, Canada: Picketa Systems offers real-time plant analysis for precision nutrient management.
• PollenSmartHiveLtd, Nairobi, Kenya: Pollen Patrollers empowers small-scale farmers and beekeepers through AI-powered smart hive technology and precision pollination services.
• Renewal Mill, Canandaigua, NY: Renewal Mill creates premium, gluten-free, vegan, and upcycled baking ingredients and snacks by transforming nutritious byproducts from food manufacturing into delicious, sustainable products.
• Roca, Alameda, CA: Roca has developed an electrochemical system that removes ammonium from wastewater and recovers it as nitrogen fertilizer, helping farms and food processors reduce pollution and lower fertilizer costs.
• Seen Nutrition, Ithaca, NY: Seen Nutrition is a food tech startup in the menopause market, initially focused on bone health, with a patented dietary calcium chew made with dairy produced in Central New York.
• Shire's Naturals, Peterborough, NH: Shire's Naturals offers clean-label, dairy-free foods made entirely from whole-food, plant-based ingredients.
• ThermoShade, Los Angeles, CA: ThermoShade's shade panels absorb radiated body heat, making outdoor spaces feel up to 20°F cooler than under standard awnings.
• Trebe Biotech, Pergamino, Argentina: Trebe Biotech uses insect larvae to produce faster, more scalable, and cost-efficient bioproducts for animal health, such as recombinant proteins and vaccines.
• Whipnotic, New York, NY: With a patented nozzle technology, Whipnotic creates whipped creams infused with all-natural fruit juices and flavor essences.
• ZILA BioWorks, Renton, WA: ZILA converts vegetable oils into high performance, low carbon, recyclable bio-epoxy resins for use in industrial composites, coatings, and adhesives.

Over the course of the accelerator, finalists will receive tailored mentorship from industry experts with regional insight, business development support to refine go-to-market strategies and regional plans, connections to local partners, economic development agencies, and investors, site visits to potential business locations and regional assets, and pitch coaching to prepare for their live competition at the Summit.

"The Grow-NY competition operates at the intersection of innovation, agriculture, and economic development. Our team spends months searching for novel food and ag startups making valuable changes to our food systems that could thrive and create opportunity in Upstate NY. We're excited to facilitate their deep connections in the region over the next couple of months and look forward to sharing their pitches with the public in November," said Jenn Smith, Program Director, Grow-NY.

This year's Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit will take place November 12–13 in Canandaigua, New York, bringing together global innovators, investors, farmers, entrepreneurs and researchers in the heart of the Finger Lakes to spotlight the future of food and agriculture.

The Summit will feature:

• 20 live finalist pitches with incisive questions from a panel of judges recognized nationally for their thought leadership;
• A food and agriculture symposium addressing provocative questions about our region's constraints and opportunities;
• Opportunities to connect with startups, investors, farmers, taste makers, and service providers working to strengthen Upstate NY's leadership in cutting edge food and ag tech innovation;
• Thematic networking roundtables hosted by leaders in the region's dynamic ecosystem, addressing topics new and existing food and ag businesses need to know about scaling their businesses;
• Daily Farm Credit East "Ask an Expert" luncheons featuring accessible experts offering insight and predictions on a variety of topics impacting businesses producing or using food and ag tech;
• A student startup competition

Grow-NY will award a total of $3 million in prize money to seven winners. This includes a $1 million top prize, two $500,000 awards, and four $250,000 prizes. Winners will be announced live during the Summit's closing ceremony.

Registration is now open for in-person and virtual attendance at the Grow-NY Summit: https://cvent.me/E10znv

For updates on the finalists, mentors, and Summit programming, visit grow-ny.com

To learn more about Cornell's Center for Regional Economic Advancement, visit: crea.cornell.edu

Accelerating Economic Development in the Finger Lakes
Today's announcement complements "Finger Lakes Forward," the region's comprehensive strategy to generate robust economic growth and community development. The regionally designed plan focuses on investing in key industries including photonics, agriculture‎ and food production, and advanced manufacturing. More information is available here.

Accelerating Economic Development in Central NY
Today's announcement complements "CNY Rising" the region's comprehensive strategy to generate robust economic growth and community development. The regionally designed plan focuses on capitalizing on global market opportunities, strengthening entrepreneurship and creating an inclusive economy. More information is available here.

Accelerating Economic Development in the Southern Tier
Today's announcement complements "Southern Tier Soaring," the region's comprehensive strategy to generate robust economic growth and community development. The regionally designed plan focuses on attracting a talented workforce, growing business and driving next-generation innovation. More information is available here.

About Empire State Development
Empire State Development is New York's chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state's 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state's world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.

SOURCE Grow-NY