Regularly interact with the Venture Hub® Acceleration team and the Embrapa team to review progress, Office Hours, and Mentorships.
Training events and workshops – finance, technology, marketing, traction, and investment.
Easy access to infrastructure and resources for MVP development and POCs.
Access to information and models on Embrapa's AgroAPI and other agribusiness platforms.
Organized interaction with corporations, researchers, CEOs of other startups, etc.
Coworking space (desk, internet, and cafezinho) in an environment created for knowledge exchange and collaboration on other platforms, made available by program partners.
Mentoring with business and technology experts, industry decision-makers, and acceleration experts.
Qualified networking opportunities are in the ecosystem that most develops technology in Brazil and is connected with the world.
Connection with investors and investment funds.We are looking for startups that have already gone through the initial validation phases, have a team formed, and are working on the following topics.
But don’t limit yourself! If you believe your startup is relevant to the program, we will accept your application for the selection process.
It refers to a transition process between analog agriculture – even if technified – to structuring productive chains based on new digital, disruptive, concurrent, and interrelated technologies. Among the new technologies are: Big Data and Analytics, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain. This transformation offers the promise of Decision-making, anticipatory and intelligent Agriculture, promoting greater efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of the activity.
Big data applied to the agricultural sector;
Technologies in precision agriculture and digital agriculture to increase the productivity and sustainability of plant production systems and
animals, aiming to add value to agricultural products and processes;
Business models involving the offer of new products and/or services from digital platforms;
Digital solutions for agriculture involving computer vision, machine learning / artificial intelligence;
Agricultural applications involving virtual and augmented reality and metaverse;
Technologies to support strategic planning and territorial dynamics within the scope of agricultural chains and agrifood and environmental systems based on GIS and Remote Sensing technology;
Proposals to enable connectivity and cloud computing infrastructures in the rural environment, providing opportunities for the adoption of digital technologies in management, production, and commercial activities on the property;
Production and supply of quality agronomic information to support producers and extensionists;
Proposals for training producers, extensionists, and professionals in the Agro sector in digital tools applied to the field;
New approaches applied to the digital transformation of the area;
Understand, participate, and collaboratively create new business models - more efficient and sustainable for your company.
Access new markets and disruptive technologies for your segment.
Find solutions for your organization's current and future challenges and the new market.
Accelerate the transformation in your company by connecting with startups, entrepreneurs, and mentors.
Work on the innovative culture and technological and digital transformation of internal teams in the startup way.
Learn and practice agile methodologies and a collaborative mindset with your internal team.
Join the innovation ecosystem to work in an integrated process that significantly increases the chance of success in solving operational or business challenges, and developing current and future markets, products, and disruptive technologies.
If you plan to become a benchmark company that stands out in the sector, TechStart Agro Digital aligns with your mentality and business objectives.
Therefore, take advantage of this great opportunity that only the combination of Embrapa’s knowledge and experience with Venture Hub’s know-how and agility can provide you.
Warm-up is a phase of the selection process, in which 10 meetings will take place, 100% online, from April to June 2023 to contextualize startups and projects in business and technology acceleration processes.
At this stage, our team will also be able to analyze the participants and understand their steps and how the program can help.
During this phase, there is no equity commitment. This topic is addressed in the post-warm-up phase with selected startups and projects.
After your complete registration, you will participate in our selection process.
It consists of analyzing your registration form. We can also contact you to clear up any queries you may have. After analyzing your application by the Techstart team, we invite the Startups that best fit the program to participate in the Warmup.
In the Warmup, we will deepen the analysis of Startups and then invite Startups to the Techstart Acceleration Program.
Warmup, a step of the selection process, is entirely online. After that, we selected the startups to participate in the acceleration program.
Our program takes place in Campinas, with possible visits to the field in the interior of São Paulo and other locations. The program has 21 weeks divided into 5 blocks (sprints). We have 1 sprint of one week and 4 sprints of 5 weeks each. The first two weeks and the last week of each contain days with mandatory face-to-face activities – such as group acceleration sessions and training – and participants are expected to be physically present in these actions.
On the other hand, due to the program’s format and since field activities are encouraged, such as customer relations, carrying out POCs, etc., your team can spend some time working in other locations.
It isn’t easy to be precise about the amount of time to be dedicated by each Startup, but in general terms, be prepared to commit yourself a lot.
The program has 21 weeks of hard work. These weeks are allocated in 5 sprints (1 sprint of one week – Onboarding – and 4 sprints of 5 weeks each). In sprints, we carry out technological acceleration, business acceleration, and relationships with partners (companies, institutions, and even innovation ecosystems).
There are sessions (weekly meetings), mentoring, training, and networking events. We cover traction, funding, team building, and go-to-market strategy, among other relevant subjects.
If you must decide, consider the following: You probably won’t get the most out of the program if you don’t have at least one person on your team dedicating 20 to 30 hours a week to activities related to the program.
Our acceleration team is multidisciplinary and has management and technical skills in digital agribusiness and related technologies.
Our acceleration team comprises experienced directors, facilitators, partners, and ecosystem relations personnel.
In face-to-face meetings, mentoring, and networking events, mentors usually share their experiences and give feedback to startups. Some mentors make themselves available to work more closely on the part of the business.
As a good practice, we usually ask startups to notify their difficulties in advance; that way, we get suitable matches with mentors and partners.
When in Campinas, Startups can count on the Innovation Hub Campinas, a co-working space focused on open innovation and startups, with residents who help each other to accelerate the development of their businesses. Startup limits the number of participants.
The use of the space is arranged with the responsible company, both from Venture Hub and partners.
No. Those responsible for business and technology are expected to participate in the program, with participation of the entire team being optional.
In addition, even though all founders don’t need to participate, the evaluation committee will consider the team designated by the company to carry out the acceleration process, which can substantially impact whether the Startup is accepted in the acceleration process.
To enter the selection process, fill in the form for free.
We are looking for more mature startups which already have some product/market validation and which, preferably, are selling in a possibly scalable model. However, if you need more clarification on your internship and whether to apply, we recommend applying! We have cases of initial startups that evolved significantly during the Warmup and the Acceleration Program.
TechStart’s Warm Up is equity free; that is, there is no equity in your Startup.
For participation in the TechStart Acceleration Program, which takes place after the completion of the Warmup, if your Startup is selected by the TechStart team and we understand that it makes sense to deliver the value that the program offers and what your startup needs, we propose equity counterpart.
Our proposal generally does not exceed 4% of participation, and our contracts are “Equity Options,” where we can exercise a right of entry based on a future liquidity movement.
And, of course, you always have the option to accept our proposal or not!!!
Remembering that Techstart does not make financial investments in startups, although we can exclusively decide to do so through our investment vehicles. In the program, the equity counterpart is for participation in the program itself. We are fully interested in the growth of all participating startups and always do our best to leverage each one.
We have our standard contracts, but we treat each Startup individually when necessary.
Therefore, contracts are jointly customized as needed by our lawyers and Startup’s lawyers, including adaptations for more prominent startups, which often fit into corporate models such as a public limited company (SA).
In addition, during the selection process and interviews for participation in the Acceleration Program, if applicable, we clarify all points of doubt in the contracts so that Startup feels comfortable following.
We have a lot of experience in this matter, and it may be the first time entrepreneurs have had contact with this subject.
You can, but acceptance of participation depends on several factors. In general, if the other program does not compromise your performance in TechStart Agro Digital, no rule prevents your participation.
Yes! Take this time to develop your business and your proposition. Welcome to new applications in the future.
You can leave your question through the registration form, using the “How can we help you?”.
