Food & AgTech Innovation Challenge
Produce More. Use Better. Adapt Faster.
A global challenge that advances breakthrough food and agriculture innovations from promising ideas to real-world impact; improving productivity, using resources more efficiently, and creating value for producers and consumers.
Big challenges need ideas that reach the field and the market.
Agriculture and food systems face increasing pressure to improve productivity, optimize constrained resources, strengthen resilience, and adapt to changing environmental, market, and supply chain conditions.
Across the value chain, persistent challenges include labour availability, biological variability, food safety, resource efficiency, supply chain resilience, and waste. Promising technologies often lack the validation, commercialization support, industry partnerships, and risk capital needed to scale.
Rooted in Verdex Capital and Carrot Ventures’ commitment to advancing Canadian agriculture, this challenge seeks globally relevant innovations with practical impact.
Three ambitions. Two challenge tracks.
We are looking for innovations with demonstrated customer value, scalable business models, defensible advantages, and strong potential for commercialization, venture creation, and investment.
More than a competition.
Global visibility through XPRIZE Canada Hub meets commercialization, company-building, and investment pathways through Carrot Ventures and Verdex Capital.
Where can your innovation make a difference?
Protect value across the food system.
Technologies that close the gaps caused by spoilage, safety failures, and fragmented supply chain data, with solutions built to reach the market.
Food processing and preservation; packaging; safety and traceability; logistics and distribution; supply chain intelligence; waste reduction; and ingredient innovation.
- Less food loss or waste and longer shelf life
- Fewer contamination events, recalls, or safety incidents
- Faster traceability and better supply chain visibility
- Lower packaging, energy, water, or emissions per unit
- Better quality or nutrition and measurable customer returns
Raise productivity. Reduce resource use.
AgTech that improves agricultural productivity while reducing reliance on land, water, labour, energy, fertilizer, feed, and crop protection inputs.
Biologicals; animal health; precision and digital agriculture; robotics and automation; sensors and monitoring; and AI-enabled decision support.
- Higher yields, output, or livestock productivity
- Fewer inputs per unit of production
- Better animal or crop health and survival
- Lower losses, downtime, or operating costs
- Improved labour productivity and producer profitability
Can the breakthrough become a lasting business?
Alongside challenge performance, evaluation will consider commercialization, company creation, and investment potential.
The goal is to identify technologies that can become durable, scalable businesses serving meaningful agricultural and food markets. Selected opportunities may be considered for venture creation support and follow-on investment through Carrot Ventures.
What strong applications show
The road ahead
A $150,000 challenge prize. Selected opportunities may also be considered for up to $1.5 million in follow-on investment, subject to diligence and investment approval.*
Bring us a breakthrough worth building.
Innovators, researchers, startups, technology transfer offices, corporations, producers, investors, and ecosystem partners are invited to participate. Submit or nominate a technology, apply to a challenge track, or explore a role as a commercialization, validation, customer, or investment partner.
Produce More. Use Better. Adapt Faster.
Apply* Participation in this Challenge does not create any contractual, legal or other obligation on the part of Carrot Ventures, Verdex Capital, and related entities, nor does it confer any rights on any Applicant. Carrot Ventures does not intend to create a contractual or other legal relationship or commitment, either express or implied, with any Applicant unless and until there is successful negotiation and execution of a definitive written agreement between Carrot Ventures and the applicable Applicant. Carrot Ventures, Verdex Capital and related entities shall have no liability to any Applicant for any costs or losses incurred in connection with this Challenge or any related process. Each respondent is solely responsible for conducting its own investigations and analysis and for verifying the information upon which it relies for its application, as well as any related cost and expenses relating to application preparation. Carrot Ventures reserves the right to award no challenge prize or to award multiple challenge prizes in its sole discretion.