Empire State Development (ESD) announced Unibaio, of New York, NY, as the grand-prize winner of the sixth annual Grow-NY business competition, which is focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage and agriculture innovation cluster in Central New York, the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier. The competition awarded $3 million – including the $1 million grand prize – to seven of the 20 finalists participating in the business development accelerator. The announcement took place at the Grow-NY Summit, a two-day event in Ithaca where finalists pitched their business plans to a panel of expert judges. Each winning team will commit to operating in the region for at least one year, while also providing a modest equity stake to Cornell University, to fund future food and ag entrepreneurship programming. The competition is managed by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement.
Unibaio offers naturally derived particles that trap the active ingredients of pesticides and fertilizers, enabling them to penetrate plants more efficiently.
Matia Figliozzi, CEO and Co-Founder of Unibaio said, “Winning the $1 million grand prize at the Grow-NY Summit is a dream come true. It’s more than just the money – it’s validation of our team’s hard work, innovation and dedication to creating a solution that will have a lasting impact on farming. The mentorship we received and relationships we developed through Grow-NY were invaluable, helping us refine our strategy and prepare for growth. This win will allow us to scale our operations in Upstate NY and contribute to a more sustainable and resilient food system.”
The finalist teams were provided with expert mentorship and guidance as they developed their business plans leading up to the Summit. During the event, they presented their pitches to a panel of seven judges with expertise in agriculture, food production and venture development.
Other 2024 winners included:
•$500,000 Winner: PureNanoTech, Parsippany, NJ – Created a nanobubble irrigation solution to maximize irrigation performance and optimize energy usage in the agriculture, pond and lake restoration, wastewater treatment, and disinfection industries.
•$500,000 Winner: UdderWays, Albion, NY – Uses a unique, brushless technology to gently stimulate cows and ensure clean and dry teats. With the startup’s patented vortex-style application, farmers can achieve consistent stimulation and effortlessly promote milk letdown.
•$250,000 Winner: Clean Crop Technologies, Holyoke, MA – Combines electricity and food-grade gasses to remove pathogens from seeds before they are planted, increasing yields, reducing waste, and improving food safety without preservatives.
•$250,000 Winner: ClearLeaf, San José, Costa Rica – Offers safe fungicides and bactericides to protect soil and crops from a wide range of pre- and post-harvest pathogens, without harming the environment or your health.
•$250,000 Winner: For Bitter For Worse, Portland, OR – A distillery using certified organic, locally farmed ingredients to create a healthier, more inclusive culture with their non-alcoholic cocktails.
•$250,000 Winner: Zordi, Oakfield, NY – Builds autonomous greenhouses with robots and AI to make delicious, high-quality produce available anywhere.
The public also participated in the competition by voting for the “Wegmans Audience Choice” award, which went to Bialtec of Delft, Netherlands, earning them $10,000 sponsored by Wegmans.
In its sixth year, the Grow-NY competition attracted 312 applicants from 50 countries, including Canada, the UK, and Italy, along with 89 entries from New York, with 44% of applicants featuring a female founder and 60% representing a culturally diverse group. The winning companies will now immediately get to work executing their business plans in New York state, leveraging the connections made and regional knowledge gained from the competition.
Learn more about the Grow-NY competition at https://www.grow-ny.com.
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