Seven international startups are bringing their innovations to New York’s farming and food sector after winning a combined $3 million in the state’s seventh annual Grow-NY business competition.
Topping the list was Brekland, a Brooklyn-based company developing biodegradable crop protection foam. Brekland took home the $1 million grand prize at the Grow-NY Summit in Canandaigua. All winners are required to establish operations in the region for at least one year and provide a small equity share to Cornell University, which runs the competition.
The Grow-NY program is part of New York’s larger strategy to fuel economic growth in the Central New York, Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier regions. This year’s winning companies were selected from 270 applicants representing 41 countries and 31 U.S. states.
2025 Grow-NY winners
- $1 million: Brekland (Brooklyn, NY) – Biodegradable foam for crop protection
- $500,000: Mothership Materials (NYC) – Converts farm waste into carbon-negative feedstocks
- $500,000: Seen Nutrition (Ithaca, NY) – Calcium chew product for menopause-related bone health
- $250,000: Living Ink Technologies (CO) – Biomass-based sustainable black inks
- $250,000: Trebe Biotech (Argentina) – Insect-based vaccine and protein production
- $250,000: Whipnotic (NYC) – Natural fruit-infused whipped cream products
- $250,000: ZILA BioWorks (WA) – Low-carbon bio-epoxy resins from vegetable oil
Finger Foods Farm of Bloomfield, NY won the $10,000 Wegmans Audience Choice Award.
Each company will begin building out operations in the 22-county Grow-NY region, which includes cities like Rochester, Syracuse, Ithaca, and Binghamton. They’ll be expected to deliver job creation, form local partnerships, and help grow the state’s agrifood innovation economy.
Grow-NY is supported by Empire State Development and administered by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement. Judges based their decisions on business model strength, innovation, growth potential, and regional economic impact.
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