What Grow-NY does

Grow-NY is a publicly funded food and agriculture technology business competition program, established in 2019 and administered by Cornell University's Center for Regional Economic Advancement. Each annual cycle awards $3 million in prizes (one $1 million grand prize, two $500,000 prizes, and four $250,000 prizes) to seven selected startups, with the seventh cohort completed in 2025 and an eighth cycle announced for 2026.

The program sources applicants globally—270 applications and 20 finalists in the 2025 cycle—but requires winners to execute their growth plans within Upstate New York. Its core "products" are the annual competition, the broader partner-ecosystem resources (now spanning 60+ organizations including the Cornell Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture), and the convening platform of the annual Grow-NY Summit with industry roundtables.

Grow-NY operates as a non-revenue public-private initiative funded by Empire State Development through NYSTAR. It does not monetize directly; rather, its economic model is prize distribution tied to demonstrated job creation and follow-on capital formation. Since 2019, finalists have collectively created 246 jobs and raised over $100 million in follow-on funding. Leadership is led by Program Director Jenn Smith and Program Manager Sarah A. Meyer, with the program headquartered in Ithaca, New York.

Name

Grow-NY

Legal name

Cornell University

Website

https://grow-ny.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grow-NY is a Cornell-administered, NY state-funded business competition that awards $3M annually to seven food/agtech startups committed to growing in Upstate New York, drawing a global applicant pool and supported by 60+ partner organizations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Accelerator / Startup Competition

akta.pro primary industry

Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB)

Keywords

• Food agriculture competition
• Agtech startup accelerator
• Business pitch competition
• Regional economic development
• Agrifood innovation program

Headquarters

HQ city

Ithaca

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Competition Prize Fund: Grow-NY distributes $3 million annually in prize money to seven food and agtech startups. The top prize is $1 million, with additional prizes of $500,000 (two awards) and $250,000 (four awards). This is funded by Empire State Development through NYSTAR. The program is free to enter for qualifying startups.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Grow-NY operates an annual food and agriculture business competition that awards $3 million in prize money to seven food and agtech startups from around the world, with a top prize of $1 million. The competition includes an open application window, selection of up to 20 finalists, mentorship matching, customized business development trips to the Grow-NY region of Upstate New York, and a culminating live pitch Summit where winners are awarded non-dilutive prize funding. Winners are required to execute growth plans in the Grow-NY region.

Product overview

Grow-NY is a business competition program, not a traditional product company. The organization's offering consists of the Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Competition, an annual $3 million prize competition for food and agtech startups, combined with the Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Summit—a two-day pitch event. The program also includes a Finalist Mentorship Program that pairs up to 20 finalists with experienced mentors, and a Business Development Phase that helps finalists connect with regional resources and prepare for their pitches. The competition awards seven startups annually, with the top prize being $1 million, two $500,000 prizes, and four $250,000 prizes. Winners are required to execute plans to grow jobs and connect with local industry partners in the Grow-NY region of Upstate New York.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Competition An annual business competition that awards $3 million to food and agtech startups from around the world, with a top prize of $1 million. The competition includes application review, selection of up to 20 finalists, mentorship matching, and a live pitch event where winners are selected. It is free to enter for qualifying startups.
• Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Summit An annual two-day summit event where finalists pitch their startups to a panel of judges for a chance to win prize money. The event features live pitches, symposium discussions, networking roundtables, and an awards ceremony. Open to startups, investors, researchers, students, and media with both in-person and virtual attendance options.

Quantifiable outcome

• Winner companies create jobs and grow operations in the Grow-NY region
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• NYS Center of Excellence for Food & Agriculture at Cornell AgriTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Center of Excellence connects New York state businesses and entrepreneurs with services needed to grow, including Cornell research and R&D, connections to distributors and manufacturers, business services and mentorship, and physical office, lab, kitchen, and specialized equipment.
• Farm Credit EastcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Farm Credit East is a sponsor of the Grow-NY Summit, hosting 'Ask an Expert' luncheons and roundtable discussions on AI and machine learning applications in agriculture. Farm Credit East representatives also serve as judges in the competition.
• ChobaniminorOthers · 1 January 2024Partner organization supporting the Grow-NY ecosystem and regional food and agriculture innovation.
• Constellation BrandsminorOthers · 1 January 2024Partner organization in the Grow-NY regional ecosystem, supporting food and agriculture innovation.
• WegmansminorOthers · 1 January 2024Regional retail partner supporting the Grow-NY ecosystem and providing market access for food and agriculture startups.
• DeloitteminorOthers · 1 January 2024Professional services firm supporting the Grow-NY ecosystem as a regional partner.
• New York State Agriculture and MarketscoreOthers · 1 January 2024State agency partner supporting the Grow-NY program and regional food and agriculture development initiatives.
• Launch NYcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2024Non-profit investment advisor and mentor organization providing innovation services and mentorship to Grow-NY finalists.
• Cornell Cooperative ExtensioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Extension network connecting farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food systems initiatives across New York State. Multiple county offices provide local support and resources for Grow-NY participants.
• NextcorpsminorOthers · 1 January 2024Business incubator and accelerator partner in the Rochester region supporting the Grow-NY ecosystem.
• Koffman Southern Tier IncubatorminorOthers · 1 January 2024Business incubator partner in the Southern Tier region supporting Grow-NY startups.
• The Technology FarmminorOthers · 1 January 2024Agricultural technology incubator and business park in Geneva, NY supporting agtech startups and Grow-NY participants.
• Rev Ithaca Startup WorksminorOthers · 1 January 2024Startup incubator and workspace in Ithaca supporting entrepreneurship in the Grow-NY region.
• SUNY MorrisvilleminorOthers · 1 January 2024Agricultural college partner providing academic expertise, student talent, and research capabilities to support Grow-NY participants.
• Cornell AgriTechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Cornell AgriTech provides research facilities, technical expertise, and industry connections for food and agriculture innovation. Home to the Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture.
• Rich ProductsminorOthers · 1 January 2024Regional food manufacturing partner supporting the Grow-NY ecosystem and providing potential market access for startups.
• LiDestriminorOthers · 1 January 2024Regional co-packing and food manufacturing partner in the Grow-NY ecosystem.
• Baldwin Richardson FoodsminorOthers · 1 January 2024Regional food ingredient manufacturer partner supporting the Grow-NY ecosystem.
• Cayuga Milk IngredientsminorOthers · 1 January 2024Regional dairy processing partner supporting food and agriculture innovation.
• Agency 29minorOthers · 1 January 2024Regional economic development agency partner.
• Canalside AdvisorsminorOthers · 1 January 2024Regional advisory firm partner supporting Grow-NY ecosystem development.
• Centerstate CEOminorOthers · 1 January 2024Regional economic development organization for Central New York supporting the Grow-NY ecosystem.
• FuzehubminorOthers · 1 January 2024Manufacturing Extension Partnership affiliate providing resources to help manufacturers and startups grow.
• Upstate CapitalminorOthers · 1 January 2024Regional investment network connecting startups with capital sources in Upstate New York.
• Whole Foods MarketminorOthers · 1 January 2024National grocery retailer with regional presence, providing potential market access for food startups in the Grow-NY region.
• Cornell University (Center for Regional Economic Advancement)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Cornell University administers the Grow-NY competition through its Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA). Cornell brings world-class agricultural research, faculty expertise, and extension programs to support competition participants. Cornell previously administered the state's 76West Clean Energy Competition and was chosen due to its top-ten entrepreneurship ranking and top-three agriculture school status.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IndieBio: Biology-focused accelerator with strong food and agtech portfolio companies, offering seed funding, lab access, and mentorship to science-based startups. Directly comparable to Grow-NY for early-stage food/agtech venture creation and acceleration.
• FoodShot Global: Groundbreaking Prize competition for food system transformation backed by aligned investors and foundations. Comparable to Grow-NY as a competition-style food/agtech program with significant non-dilutive prize capital.
• 76West Clean Energy Competition: New York State-funded clean energy business competition previously administered by Cornell's CREA (the same organization that runs Grow-NY) offering $1M+ in prizes. Highly comparable structural peer in the same state's innovation competition portfolio.
• Startupbootcamp FoodTech: Global foodtech accelerator offering 3-month programs with mentorship, capital, and corporate partnerships to early-stage food startups. Comparable in scope and design to Grow-NY's accelerator-style competition.
• Thrive by SVG Ventures: Global agtech accelerator and venture firm running a flagship 12-week program with corporate partners (incl. Bayer, Trimble, Valmont). Comparable to Grow-NY as a food/agtech startup accelerator offering corporate access and capital.
• Yield Lab: Global agtech accelerator with regional programs (US, Europe, Latin America) offering equity investment, mentorship, and pilot opportunities to early-stage food and agriculture startups. Directly comparable to Grow-NY as a regionally-anchored food/agtech competition with venture-style capital provision.
• Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator: Techstars' food and agtech focused accelerator program, offering mentorship, capital, and corporate partnerships (e.g., Cargill, Ecolab) to startups transforming the food value chain. Directly comparable as a structured food/agtech accelerator with similar program design.
• MassChallenge Food + AgTech: Nonprofit accelerator running food and agtech cohorts providing equity-free cash prizes, mentorship, and corporate connections. Highly comparable to Grow-NY as a non-dilutive, region-anchored food/agtech program.

Others

• AgFunder: Agtech investment platform and venture firm connecting capital with food and agriculture startups. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler around Grow-NY's thesis, though focused on investment rather than competition.

Emerging players

• HATCH Blue Accelerator: Aquaculture and blue economy focused accelerator offering funding and mentorship to early-stage seafood and water-related startups. Comparable to Grow-NY as a niche food-system adjacent accelerator with competition-style programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Grow_NY
• Facebookfacebook.com/growNYcompetition
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grow-ny-food-agriculture-competition
• Instagraminstagram.com/grow_ny

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments52 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grow-NY