First stage of #QuestTour19 in Brazil InVivo Quest at the heart of Piracicaba’s Agtech Valley

For its 3rd edition, InVivo Quest has chosen to kick off its Quest Tour 2019 in Piracicaba, cradle of AgTech innovation in Brazil. The contest, organized with the support of CCAB Agro, a subsidiary of Bioline by InVivo based in Sao Paulo, took place on 26 June and brought together 15 AgTech startups that had been pre-selected among 40 candidates.

The entrepreneurs had five minutes to pitch their project before a panel divided into areas of expertise: financial, commercial, technical and tech-for-good. The 16 jury members were from institutions and companies in the agricultural sector such as the Luiz de Queiroz Agricultural College (Esalq / Usp), the Circle investment fund, the BNP Paribas bank in Sao Paulo, Bioline by InVivo and CCAB Agro, among others. They were able to assess the high quality of the projects presented and the level of maturity of Brazilian technology.

Brazil has real comparative advantages to help shape the future of agriculture. The challenge is to exploit the technologies created by local startups, by supporting them in their development.

4 finalists were selected: Farmbox - comprehensive farm management solution, Intergado - precision farming solutions, TBIT Technologia - grain and seed quality control solution, and Terra Magna - agricultural monitoring company for risk management.

TBIT Tecnologia  is the winner of this selection. “We provide technologies that automate the sorting of grains and seeds and simplify the work of the farmer,” explains Igor Chalfoun, CEO TBIT Tecnologia. TBIT already exports its solution to the United States, Chile, Argentina and South Africa and is currently working to export its technologies to Europe.

“We heard about the InVivo Quest contest from the Business France office in Sao Paulo and decided to participate. It was a very interesting opportunity. In addition to presenting our work in front of a very representative jury and joining the InVivo program to encourage startups, we will have the opportunity to accompany them at the CES in Las Vegas in 2020: a long-held dream for me”, said Igor Chalfoun. Privileged access to apply for the Microsoft for startups acceleration program is also part of the endowment.

An evening of discussion organized in partnership with Business France

The selection continued with the AgTech French Brazilian Club. Organized in partnership with Business France, this evening provided the opportunity to highlight French initiatives to support agricultural innovation in Brazil as well as the attraction of international investments.

In front of an audience of more than 120 people, the InVivo Quest finalists once again pitched their project, alongside 7 French startups present in Brazil as part of Business France’s AgriNEST immersion program, aimed at AgTech startups from around the world.