Nigerian startup ColdHubs Limited has emerged the winners of the FCMB Agritech EPIC Pitch 2020.

The Agritech EPIC Pitch, which is organized by Passion Incubators and FCMB, is designed to help accelerate the growth of Agritech Startups in Nigeria, and eventually in Africa.

The project focuses on investing in startups that improve the agricultural value chain within the sub-Saharan region in the area of Agricultural Finance; Agricultural Marketing; Processing; Storage and Supply Chain.

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With more than 2000 applicants from 16 different countries, ColdHubs Limited which uses 100% solar-powered walk-in cold room to increase the shelf lives of fresh fruits and vegetables from two to more than twenty days, won the grand prize.

Beyond the use of clean energy, ColdHubs Limited offers an exceptional business model of pay as you store, as well as a facility that have proven efficient in the remotest part of Nigeria because of its ‘plug-and-play’ nature and it’s ability to help small holder farmers and retailers increase their income to up to 50%

Reacting to the win, ColdHubs Limited released a statement saying, “We are happy to announce that we emerged winners of the FCMB Agritech EPIC Pitch 2020. We want to sincerely thank Passion Incubators and FCM for setting this up and we look forward to a great partnership through this platform”

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ColdHubs won ahead of AgroHive, a startup focused on helping farmers connect with skilled agricultural staff.

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The six finalists that emerged from the semifinals are:

  • AgroHive: an agritech startup focused on helping farmers connect with skilled agricultural staff. It’s positioned as Africa’s first HR startup; and already helps over 1000 agribusinesses find the talent they need to meet their objectives.
  • Farmspeak Technology: a company dedicated to improving the agricultural yield of farmers by using IoT and AI. They build devices that help farmers optimize key parts of their processes including inventory and employee management, diagnosing diseases and reducing wastage.
  • Tradebuza: a cloud-based web and mobile platform used for commodities sourcing and trade by agribusinesses that run out-grower schemes. Their platform boasts near real-time visibility, efficient and secure trade, and data management for all trading parties.
  • ColdHubs: a startup aimed at helping farmers extend the shelf life of their produce by providing “plug-and-play” cold rooms. The cold rooms are 100% solar-powered and can be used by small-time farmers, retailers and wholesalers to preserve their perishable foods. Their innovation promises to extend the shelf life of the perishable goods to as long as 21 days.
  • Beat Drone: a multi-sector drone provider that has successfully implemented drone usage in farm processes. Their innovations have been used for spraying fertilizers, mapping farms and performing crop health assessment at improved speeds.
  • Farmz2u: an organization that helps farmers improve core operational processes and decision making by providing tailored agricultural solutions. They employ data analytics to provide the solutions and also help farmers market via system integrations.