Tanzanian biotech startup NovFeed wins $1 million Milken-Motsepe Prize in Agritech

Tanzanian biotech startup NovFeed has emerged as the winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Agritech. The competition is designed to encourage technological advancement towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

NovFeed beat out over 3,300 participants from 105 countries across six continents to win the $1 million prize, which was presented at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, California.

Karpolax, an Uganda-based company, secured second place and a $300,000 award for its nanotechnology solution that helps fruits and vegetables stay fresh for longer without losing nutritional value. Meanwhile, IRRI-AfricaRice won third place for its biotech innovation that assists rice farmers in protecting their crops from flooding, earning $150,000.

Additionally, the competition awarded two bonus prizes of $100,000 each. Kuronga, a South African startup, received the bonus prize for the most creative use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies for its machine learning and machine vision mobile app.

COOL LION, a Côte d’Ivoire-based start-up, won the People’s Choice bonus prize for its cooling-as-a-service solutions for different industries, powered by renewable energy. This competition is the first in a series of multi-year, multimillion-dollar innovation competitions and programs aimed at promoting technological progress towards the SDGs.