SYRACUSE, N.Y. — ProAgni of Lavington, Australia is the $1 million grand-prize winner of this year’s Grow-NY business competition held this week at the Oncenter Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center in Syracuse.
Grow-NY is a food and agriculture startup challenge focused on “enhancing the emerging food, beverage, and agriculture innovation cluster in Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier,” as described in the Thursday news release from the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul.
ProAgni’s ProTect is a range of supplements and feeds for livestock that lowers methane emissions from sheep and cattle without the use of antibiotics, “decreasing a producer’s environmental footprint without increasing costs,” per the release.
“We are honored to join the incredible roster of Grow-NY winners, and grateful to New York state, Grow-NY, and the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture for their support,” Lachlan Campbell, CEO and co-founder of ProAgni, said. “We’re excited to expand our mission to revolutionize supplements and feeds for livestock that lower methane emissions into Upstate New York and the prize money will allow us to make an even greater impact. We’ve had an amazing experience throughout the program, from the guidance and connections our mentor Brad Goulthrope provided to the regional partners we were able to meet, to our competitors whose cutting-edge work and pitches were truly inspiring.”
Besides ProAgni, Craft Cannery of Bergan in Genesee County — which specializes in the contract manufacturing of sauces, dressings, and marinades — captured one of two $500,000 prizes. Hempitecture from Ketchum, Idaho was the other $500,000 winner.
Sweet Pea Plant-Based Kitchen of Rochester and Zaliant of Amsterdam in Montgomery County, both won $250,000 prizes. Firms from Toronto, Ontario and Cambridge, Massachusetts also took home $250,000.
The competition also included an “Audience Choice” award for the startup voted by the public to have the “most standout and promising pitch.” Seneca Farms Biochar of Odessa in Schuyler County, north of Elmira, received $10,000 in prize money, sponsored by Wegmans.
ProAgni was one of eight finalists to take home prize money. The winning teams must commit to operating in the Central New York, Finger Lakes, or Southern Tier regions for at least one year, while providing Grow-NY with a small equity-investment stake in their entity.
Funding for the competition, which is administered by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, is provided through the state’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative, Hochul’s office said.