AgTech Garage plans to expand beyond Latin America and beyond the field to the consumer’s table

Innovation hub projects eight-fold growth over the next four years by expanding its partner network, global footprint and presence in the food chain

Junho 1, 2022

By Marina Salles

From the time AgTech Garage was founded until 2022, it’s been 5 years of history, time that has ensured it maturing as a company, and has also allowed the innovation ecosystem to mature. Nowadays, the hub has more than 80 corporate partners and more than 1.000 startups connected to its digital platform, and enters a new phase (learn all about the acquisition from PwC).

Regarded as a reference in open innovation in agribusiness in Latin America (and elected in 2021 as one of the 20 main articulators of the innovation ecosystem in Brazil, the only one in agribusiness, by 100 Open Startups), the AgTech Garage sets out to expand its borders, both geographically and in ag&food tech chain and grow eight times in the next four years.

"Having a global footprint and positioning in ag&food tech is something natural for us and, at the same time, crucial to our strategy. Insofar, as we understand that the innovation ecosystem is one, and is global, we will generate value in a differentiated way for our partners by building a genuinely globally connected network," says José Tomé, CEO at AgTech Garage.

In all, there are already more than 5 thousand professionals, more than 200 members from universities and research institutions, 35 international agencies, 70 investors and a dense network of partner companies — which already totals 87 members and is constantly expanding.

The AgTech Garage team has also grown at a rapid pace, and practically doubled in the last year, reaching more than 50 employees. From August 2021 to August 2022, the team conducted 730 connections to partner companies; 150 technology challenges as well as targeted technology searches and orchestrated 7 major open innovation programs in which more than 550 startups applied.

In the 4:40 events there were 440 minutes of pitches from startups (presented in Portuguese, English, and Spanish), plus 58 hours of content transmitted via Learning Journey. In just over a year since the launch of AgTech Garage News, some 460 articles have also been published, attracting more than 8,500 readers each month.

The International Membership Program for startups represents, today, almost 20% of the AgTech Garage's entrepreneurial network,represented for more than 120 national and international startups with a high-level relationship with the hub's team. Regarding the more than 80 corporate partners, among them many multinationals, two Ecosystem Partners have started their relationship directly via the international team. With the New Zealand government was held the AgriTech International Acceleration Program Latam, which involved 9 New Zealand companies with the universe of investors, mentors, companies and startups in Latin America.

In the food area, the AgTech Garage started to count on new representatives of the food and beverage chain and launched, in 2022, the FoodTech AgTech Garage Innovation Circuit — the first since its foundation, which had almost 250 startups mapped and the participation of 5 corporate partners.

"Our goal is to grow, physically and digitally, to generate more and more impact. With a large number of partners, visits, and activities happening simultaneously, the Piracicaba Valley Campus itself has already become small. And we will expand it, with new environments of experiences to promote more encounters and more exchanges," says José Tomé. The expansion will take place starting in the first half of 2023, when new constructions on the hub will begin.