Grace Ashiru
Tanzanian biotech company NovFeed has emerged as the winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Agritech. The competition is meant to encourage technological advancement towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs
NovFeed beat out 3,300 other contestants from 105 countries on six continents to win the $1 million prize, which was given out at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, California.
Karpolax, a firm from Uganda, won second place and $300,000 for its nanotechnology solution that helps fruits and vegetables stay fresh longer without losing their nutritional value. IRRI-AfricaRice won third place and $150,000 for its biotech innovation that helps rice farmers keep their crops safe from floods.
The game also gave away two extra prizes, each worth $100,000. A South African company, Kuronga, won an extra award for its machine learning and machine vision mobile app. This app was the most creative way to use Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.
COOL LION, a start-up established in Côte d’Ivoire, was awarded the People’s Choice bonus prize for their cooling-as-a-service solutions, powered by renewable energy and designed for various industries. This challenge is the first of a series of multi-year, multi-million dollar innovation competitions and programs to promote technological progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
