NovFeed, a Tanzanian biotech company, has been declared the champion of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Agritech, a competition aimed at promoting technological advancement towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The company emerged victorious over 3,300 other competitors from 105 countries on six continents, receiving the $1 million prize at the Milken Institute Global Conference held in Los Angeles, California.
Karpolax, a Ugandan firm, secured second place and $300,000 for its nanotechnology solution that prolongs the shelf life of fruits and vegetables while preserving their nutritional value.
IRRI-AfricaRice, on the other hand, won third place and $150,000 for its biotech innovation that helps rice farmers protect their crops from floods.
The competition also awarded two additional prizes, each worth $100,000. Kuronga, a South African company, won one of the prizes for its machine learning and machine vision mobile app, which was deemed the most innovative use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
COOL LION, a start-up based in Côte d’Ivoire, was awarded the People’s Choice bonus prize for its cooling-as-a-service solutions, powered by renewable energy and tailored to various industries.
This challenge marks the beginning of a series of multi-year, multi-million dollar innovation competitions and programs aimed at promoting technological progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This article first appeared on https://www.techloy.com/novfeed-milken-motsepe-prize-in-agritech/