Bangladesh's WeGRO among US Soybean Export Council's startups leading protein innovation
Startups from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan took centre stage to showcase their groundbreaking initiatives in protein to help achieve food and nutrition security.
Bangladesh's Agro-based innovation firm WeGRO was named among the US Soybean Export Council (USSEC)'s 'PitchFork 2024 Startups Leading in Protein Innovation'.
Right to Protein powered by the USSEC hosted its second Pitch2Fork programme in Dubai, UAE. With a focus on innovations in the protein industry, this platform provided a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs across Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan to pitch their rising businesses to a panel of investors, reads a press release.
Shortlisted companies that leveraged this unique opportunity included Gladful, Hello Tempayy, Poulta, and WeGRO.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
While South Asia ranks as the fastest-growing region in the world, it is challenged with meeting the rapidly growing demand for protein.
Reflecting on the potential impact of Pitch2Fork, Kevin Roepke, regional director of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (SAASSA), USSEC, said, "Pitch2Fork is strategically positioned to facilitate the networking needed between startups and investors, accelerating innovation.
"We create a path towards a more nutrition-secure tomorrow by embracing disruption, proactively investing in the future, and addressing protein challenges."
WeGro Technologies is an agricultural fin-tech platform from Bangladesh, that connects individuals and institutional financiers with smallholder farmers, thus empowering farmers with access to finance, inputs, and markets.
WeGro provides a mobile app platform (Android and iOS) where users can facilitate finance for agricultural projects, such as cattle, poultry, fisheries, vegetables, etc. With projects in Sirajganj, Pabna, Khulna, Bogura, Rangpur, Mymensingh, etc.
WeGro is working with over 3,500 farmers across 28 zones in the country. Almost 10 Million farmers across the country do not have access to finance.
Attendees of the event were inspired by the triumph of Agroshift, an agritech startup from Bangladesh and the Winner of Pitch2Fork 2022. Agroshift operates as an omnichannel agri-supply chain platform that helps farmers sell their goods to businesses and consumers enabling fair pricing and better market access with increased affordability, quality, and convenience to buyers through its micro-fulfillment distribution network.
