In a competition that attracted 300 applications, agri-tech innovation company Unibaio (IndieBio NY) took the $1 million grand prize in the sixth annual Grow-NY International Food and Agriculture Business Competition run by Empire State Development. Their technology supercharges biological crop protectants by enabling them to penetrate plants more efficiently.
Farmers spend nearly $230 billion every year on herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers designed to increase crop yields. Most of these chemicals leach into the environment rather than being absorbed by crops, which causes pest resistance to biocides, biodiversity loss, and many public health impacts. According to Unibaio, their particles can both increase the effectiveness of agrochemicals and reduce application doses up to 80%.
AS Grow-NY Program Director Jenn Smith noteD in a press release announcing the winner, “Through the Grow-NY competition we’ve touched more than 1,800 startups wanting to build their businesses in Upstate NY. This year’s finalists are all exceptional, and we are thrilled to add Unibaio to our portfolio of ventures growing in the region.”
Unibaio CEO and Co-Founder Matia Figliozzi shared that winning is not only a “dream come true,” it’s also “validation of our team’s hard work, innovation and dedication to creating a solution that will have a lasting impact on farming.” Unibaio is a graduate of IndieBio NY’s batch 7. IndieBio NY is based at 7 Penn Plaza in Manhattan.
