This article was originally published on Food & Drink Business.

This year was its sixth accelerator program, supporting 10 companies ranging from early-stage founders to growth and commercialisation companies, and the second clean-technology specific program which focuses on agriculture and food production.

The 2024 accelerator brought the number of companies supported by SparkLabs Cultiv8 to over 50. More than $750 million has been raised by their portfolio companies, which boast a combined value of more than $1.75 billion and have created over 750 jobs globally.

SparkLabs Cultiv8 co-founder and partner, Jonathon Quigley, said the companies offered a range of ways to reduce emissions from the global agri-food system.

“We’re really excited by the range of innovations we’re showcasing in Orange this week,”

said Quigley.

“From companies making high-value nutraceutical ingredients from food waste; to brewing palm oil from yeast; to reducing methane from cattle – all these companies can help us produce food more sustainably and support a more climate resilient agriculture system.”

Created in 2017 in partnership with Asia’s largest accelerator, SparkLabs Group, SparkLabs Cultiv8 has become a leader in supporting sustainable agriculture and food production through innovation.

Participant Tom Collier, whose company, Levur, is developing a sustainable, yeast-based alternative to palm oil, said the program is helping them drive global traction.

“SparkLabs Cultiv8 has been a game-changer as we progress on our journey to market,”

said Collier.

“Their access to world-class strategic and technical expertise has been essential in positioning Levur for rapid growth.”

The 2024 graduating companies are:

• Alkiira Therapeutics specialises in Australian grown, Australian made botanical extracts and nutraceutical ingredients for global markets, valorising untapped waste streams from local agriculture.
• Bovotica is adding mass and reducing gas in cattle via a proprietary technology probiotic/prebiotic feed supplement that decreases methane production by 80 per cent and increases weight gain by 10 per cent.
• Carbon Friendly provides end-to-end carbon technology solutions that enable the agricultural industry to develop and monetise large-scale carbon inset and offset projects.
• Levur is changing the oil industry with its sustainable, yeast-based alternative to palm oil to replace unsustainable plant and animal oils in the cosmetics and food sectors, offering a scalable solution to pressing environmental challenges.
• Nitronic is developing technology to produce on-site, zero-carbon fertilisers, reducing the emissions associated with the production and transport of nitrogen-based fertilisers.
• NonTox has developed plant-based bioherbicides and disinfectants to replace more harmful chemicals in agriculture, food production and community applications.
• Pyx Global is developing advanced digital architecture to ensure secure exchange of data and credentials along supply chains.
• Teramax has developed environmentally-compliant biodegradable mulch films for agriculture, replacing plastic with a compostable, soil-friendly alternative in a range of horticultural production settings.
• Unibaio has created a microparticle from natural origins that makes agricultural chemicals more effective. Unibaio’s particles can be added to herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and fertilisers to reduce the amount required by 80 per cent.