AgriTech Pitch Day 2026: Twelve Startups, One Clear Signal for the Future of Agriculture

AgriTech Pitch Day has become an institution in Germany’s agritech innovation landscape. This year, the event once again brought together more than 70 experts, investors, and founders to tackle some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges — and to find the bold ideas that could reshape the sector for decades to come.

Organised together with NBank Capital and Big Dutchman AG, and powered by partners Seedhouse and RootCamp, HTGF brought twelve startups to the stage across three focused pitch sessions: Biologics, Enabling Tech, and FoodTech.

Session 1: Biologics

The day opened with four startups working at the frontier of biological solutions for crop and livestock production:

• AegisBio – An Evonik spin-out with its first product entering registration trials, offering a scalable encapsulation system for bioactives that addresses the stability gap holding back biological crop protection in real field conditions.
• Cerryx GmbH – A precision biotic feed additive for livestock that boosts productivity, fights pathogens, and reduces enteric methane emissions by up to 50%.
• NoMaze – An AI platform for plant breeding that compresses 10-year development cycles down to one year and reduces costs by more than 70%.
• BIOPLANTIC GmbH – Biodegradable, microplastic-free coatings for seeds and fertilisers, engineered with AI to maximise performance at scale.

Between sessions, a high-calibre panel explored what it takes to drive systemic change in agriculture. André Drissler (AGRAVIS Raiffeisen AG), Konstantin Kahle (Big Dutchman), and Ingo Kloeckner (Leaps by Bayer) shared perspectives on industry transformation, the role of startups in large value chains, and the conditions that allow deep tech to move from the lab to the field — moderated by Dr. Nik Raupp from HTGF.

Session 2: Enabling Tech

The afternoon brought five startups presenting technology that makes farming smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable:

• Ant Robotics GmbH – Modular outdoor robotics for fruit and vegetable farming that can cut pesticide use by up to 80% through autonomous spraying and UV-C treatment.
• SLS NextDrip – Making drip irrigation viable for broad-acre crops by shifting manual installation effort off the field and into factory-prefabricated, field-specific units.
• rain2soil – Developer of Rainbutler, an autonomous high-efficiency irrigation robot that drastically reduces labour, water, and energy usage.
• VetVise GmbH – AI and camera-based analysis of chicken and pig behaviour, advising farmers to improve animal welfare, farm efficiency, and eco-friendliness while reducing working time.
• Maschinenlotse – An AI-powered platform that guides farmers to the right machinery dealer — faster, more transparently, and better prepared.

Session 3: FoodTech

The final session spotlighted three startups innovating along the food production and processing chain:

• FluIDect – Bringing biological analytics directly into industrial production to help food and fermentation companies improve process control, reduce losses, and increase sustainability.
• PlasmaGrainInnovation (PGI) – Aiming to completely eliminate chemical pesticides from grain storage by using Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP).
• UMYNO Solutions – An AI Worksuite for food and beverage innovation that automates R&D workflows to slash time-to-market and end data chaos.

A Strong Signal for AgriTech in Germany

From biological crop protection and precision livestock management to autonomous irrigation robots and AI-driven food R&D — the breadth and depth of innovation on display in Hannover made one thing clear: the next generation of agricultural technology is not a distant prospect. It is being built right now, by founders who are turning bold ideas into field-ready solutions.

Thank you to every startup, investor, and ecosystem representative who joined us — many of them on one of the hottest days of the year. And a special thank you to NBank – Investitions- und Förderbank Niedersachsen for hosting, and to all co-organisers and partners: Big Dutchman AG, RootCamp, and Seedhouse.

We look forwardAgriTech Pitch Day 2027!