News & Updates

SconeLabs wins Startup Days at the Green Week 2026

How can you compare a ready-to-drink canned matcha, an electric tractor, and an artificial intelligence that predicts the spoilage of fruits and vegetables? Or a fermented, sugar-free, and vegan instant meal made from 100 percent natural ingredients with an autonomous field robot and protein production from microorganisms and agricultural byproducts?

So diverse that one prize is hardly enough: Ten startups in competition

For the eighth year running, the jury of the Startup Prize has been dedicated to this task. On Tuesday and Wednesday, ten startups from the agtech and food sectors presented their innovative ideas for the food and agricultural sectors in three-minute pitches on the Green Week stage. The award ceremony took place on Wednesday evening during the networking event for partners on the stage of the ErlebnisBauernhof (Experience Farm). The Startup Prize is awarded in cooperation with the Andreas Hermes Academy and the Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank (Agricultural Pension Bank). It includes €1,000 in coaching prize money, participation in an accelerator program from the Rentenbank, and a free presentation space at Green Week 2027.

“Startups bring fresh courage, speed, and flexibility to the industry, and the projects I saw here at the Startup Days all offer tangible added value,” said Alois Rainer, Federal Minister for Agriculture, Food and Home Affairs. “We saw ten pitches. It was a wide range of surprises, and we see potential in all the companies,” said jury spokesperson Gerald Dohme from the German Farmers' Association.

AI-supported sensor technology reduces losses in the food chain

In the end, SconeLabs, which tackles the issue of food waste in an innovative way, won over the judges. Founder Nishit Agrawal and his team identified the conditions in warehouses as one of the biggest problems. "Everyone knows the problem of not knowing when an avocado is ripe and when it's gone bad," he said in his pitch. This problem also exists in warehouses, but it has a far greater impact than simply throwing away a single avocado at home. The Berlin-based technology company has combined sensor technology with artificial intelligence to transform real-time data from the storage and production of fresh food into actionable insights. This allows risks, quality losses, and spoilage to be detected early, reducing food waste and optimizing shelf life.

“I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want this for their warehouse, and actually I can’t imagine why it hasn’t been around for a long time,” said jury member Jana Moritz from the Schwarz Group.

Healthy ready meals and new protein sources impress the jury.

The same applies to Miss Mineva's modern, healthy alternative to conventional ready meals. MicroHarvest also impressed. The biotechnology company has developed a new method of protein production based on natural microorganisms.

“I would love it if we could award three prizes,” jury member Clement Tischer of the Rewe Group had said before the awards ceremony. Fortunately, the startup prize isn't about just one idea being pursued further. “We face complex challenges in the agricultural and food sectors, so we need many ideas,” said Nikola Steinbock of the Agricultural Pension Bank. During the networking evening, she explicitly invited attendees to exchange ideas and foster better connections between startups and the agricultural sector.

Looking forward to experience events such as Green Week and more? Visit www.micegermany.de now to book locations and venues for all MICE events in Germany.