Egypt’s FreshSource Becomes First Ever African Finalist in Grow-NY Competition

Egyptian agritech startup, FreshSource, has been chosen among 20 other startups from across the world for the final of the 2020 Grow-NY Business Competition, becoming the first startup from Africa to reach the final stage

Founders Omar and Farah Emara will, for the next two months, work with the competition’s mentors and organisers in New York, as they compete for $3 million in funding, $1 million of which is the grand prize. The winners will be announced at the Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Summit, which will be held virtually on November 17th and 18th.

Launched in 2019, FreshSource is the region's first B2B online platform for fresh fruit and vegetables and, earlier this year, it became Otlob's (now Talabat) first fresh produce supplier. The Emara siblings work with small farmers who lack access to the market and aim to streamline the supply chain, which in turn removes middlemen and increases income for farmers - many of whom are already part of underserved communities.

“Since our launch our dedicated team have been working to streamline the agriculture supply chain and empower farmers,” Omar Emara said in a statement. “We are excited to have the opportunity to represent our region and as the first African company in the competition history.”

The competition’s finalists were determined by a panel of 30 independent judges from across the food, beverage and agriculture fields, with seven of the startups set to be awarded financially: $1 million for the top prize, $500,000 for second and third, and $250,000 for four more startups.

The Grow-NY Food & Agriculture Summit is free to (virtually) attend and registration for the public is now open. Click here.