IT firm Cisco India on Wednesday said 25 agri-tech startups have been selected as semi-finalists in the ‘Cisco Agri Challenge’ hosted in partnership with the government. The startups were selected from 844 entries received in the challenge. About 25 contestants shortlisted as semi-finalists will start the user-testing of their solutions on the ground beginning April, the company said in a statement.

Cisco Agri Challenge is an initiative aimed at mobilizing agri-tech startups to innovate solutions that have the potential to positively impact at least 10 million lives. With a prize purse of Rs 2 crores, the company said the challenge supports participants in developing, testing, and scaling solutions that help alleviate the issues of low income and diminishing profitability, farmers are facing, it said.

The top 100 selected startups went through a pitch round before an eminent panel comprising Mark Kahn (Co-founder, Omnivore) and Ashok Dalwai (CEO, National Rainfed Area Authority), and others. According to Cisco India and SAARC Managing Director (Public Affairs and Strategic Engagements) Harish Krishnan, “The startups selected promise to bring much-required innovation and solutions that can increase productivity and profitability of the agriculture sector.” The company looks forward to partnering with these startups to bring the benefits of digitisation to the farming sector, he added. The conceptualization and management of the Cisco-Agri Challenge have been undertaken by The Nudge Centre for Social Innovation.