Lebanon: Join 4th batch of Agrytech Accelerator Program and get up to $100k in funding

Deadline: 31-Jan-21

The Berytech is sourcing the next agri-food innovators to help them grow their idea into a successful business with global impact. If you’re innovating in agriculture or food, join the 4th batch of the Agrytech Accelerator Program and get up to $100k in funding and support to scale your business to success within 1 year.

The Agrytech Accelerator is a yearly 3-phase program through which Berytech supports startups with innovations across the agri-food sector, offering them the resources, knowledge, and funding to scale their ideas and grow into an international business with global impact.

The Accelerator in Brief

Startup Funding – Up to $37K cash injection in accelerated startups;
Prototyping Facilities – Access to an electronics & hardware Fabrication Lab with technical support;
Business Coaching – Bootcamps, training sessions and master classes developing entrepreneurial competencies;
Customer Access – Promotion and visibility in local & international markets;
Industry Connections – Linkages to Agri-Food community & pool of dedicated experts;
Follow-On Mentoring – Intensive mentoring trajectories with follow-on immersion in Europe.

The Program’s Timeline

Berytech developed the Agrytech accelerator as a yearly program from which startups exit with a validated, investment-ready business.

2-Month Business Validation Phase: March – April, Grant total $2,000
- Capacity building for up to 24 startups to validate and ensure that their solutions solve a wicked problem, are scalable and that the startup teams can take their challenge. The validation phase ends with an expert jury selecting the top 12 teams to go into the Acceleration Phase for four months.
  - The initial intensive bootcamp is followed by a 2-month cycle of support during which the teams are introduced to market validation, team dynamics, and how to manage startups.
  - The support phase also includes one-on-one clinics with each team to help them address any emerging concern.
4-Month Business Acceleration Phase: June – September, Grant total $15,000
- Support for up to 12 startups to build the minimum viable product – MVP, and test it with early adopters, capacity building to establish the business from a financial, marketing, management and operational levels and business pitching. The acceleration phase ends with an expert jury selecting the top 8 companies to go into the Incubation Phase for 5 months.
  - Teams have access to Berytech’s Fab Lab and a pool of experts and product developers to help them build their MVP
  - The teams are linked to early adopters to test and further refine their products.
  - Teams have access to an immersion program in the Netherlands
5-Month Incubation & Growth Phase: October – February, Matching Grant Total up to $20,000
- Support for up to 8 startups in scaling, including hands-on fundraising support in negotiation, legal, terms sheets, and market access.
  - Up to 8 finalists receive coaching services on all aspects of product development, launching, scaling up, Intellectual Property, etc.
  - Teams receive additional “out of the box” support through MIT’s Confideo Venture Mentoring Services approach, where Berytech mobilizes a group of Senior Executives from leading companies in Lebanon, the Netherlands and internationally.
  - Teams test and validate their Apps and service solutions with provided support using the Living Lab approach.
  - Three teams benefit from international exposure and a soft-landing program in cooperation with Dutch/EU partners.

Eligibility Criteria

Berytech sources startups and SMEs at an idea or early stage with a creative solution to a challenge in food and agriculture or with a working solution that can be adapted to the agri-food industry.
Accepted solutions are technology-based (hardware, software, or a combination of both) or an innovative food and beverage product, and which fall under one of these five tracks.
- Farming: Farming Challenges in land use and planning, water pollution, import substitution and post-harvest conditioning.
- Packaging & Marketing: Food Industry Challenges in packaging, business sustainability, customer behavior, marketing, logistics and cold chain management.
- Rangelands & Forestry: Rangelands and Forestry Challenges in forest pest prevention and irrigation of forest lands that require innovative solutions using science and technology.
- Fishing & Aquaculture: Fishing and Aquaculture Challenge where fishermen have an immediate challenge to locate new and safe fishing locations that fit their available safety equipment.
- Management Support & Extension: Management Support Challenges in extensions, voucher schemes, cooperation and coordination, online learning for technical schools, lab testing and result release are facing the agri-food sector in Lebanon and the region.
Berytech has partnered with stakeholders in the Lebanese agri-food sector to discuss the challenges they are facing that require innovative solutions. These challenges are proposed to the participants of the Agrytech Hackathon and those applying to the Accelerator, who can choose a challenge to work on.
The program encourages going through them and applying critical and innovative thinking to creating solutions, no matter what applicants background is.