TERRA, a leading food and agriculture accelerator, is kicking off its third cohort, bringing on board 17 of the most innovative startups from around the world to work alongside industry giants.

TERRA founding partners RocketSpace, a Silicon Valley, Cal.-based external innovation consulting company, and Rabobank, the leading provider of financial services in the food, agribusiness and beverage industry, are joined by a group of the world’s most influential companies, including AgroFresh, Beta San Miguel, GrainCorp, Griffith Foods, Grupo Azucarero Mexico/CULTIBA, Nestlé USA, OSI and Tate & Lyle.

Founded in 2016, TERRA is a global innovation accelerator fueling groundbreaking transformation in food and agriculture in order to advance the well-being of people and the planet. The program brings together experts, decision-makers and innovators across the entire value chain -- fostering connections that catapult major breakthroughs into scalable solutions by pairing emerging growth companies with established multinationals.

The TERRA team reviewed hundreds of applications from emerging growth companies around the world, shortlisting 160 applicants for only 17 spots. The startups selected represent eight countries. Cohort III welcomes: Anergy (Singapore), Bird Control (U.S.), BoMill (Sweden), ClariFruit (Israel), EarthSense (U.S.), Elio (Brazil), Good Spread (U.S.), Here (U.S.), Jackson’s Honest (U.S.), Miyoko’s Kitchen (U.S.), Nutrifusion (U.S.), Opertech Bio (U.S.), Phyco Health (Australia), Swarm Engineering (U.S.), TE-FOOD (Germany), Xtrem Biotech (Spain) and Zymtronix (U.S.).

Over the past two cohorts, the TERRA program has pushed forward advancements in farm management, food traceability and transparency, waste reduction, precision agriculture and food safety, to name a few, with the intelligent application and pilot testing of emerging technologies.

TERRA does not require equity from startups, but they must have a product in market/ready to launch and have raised a minimum of seed funding, better positioning them for productive pilots with collaborators.

RocketSpace is a global ecosystem of people and ideas that provides the necessary velocity — both speed and direction — to help the world’s top innovators bring the future to market. Founded in San Francisco, Cal., in 2011, its global network of technology campuses and services are designed to help tech startups scale. RocketSpace also helps corporations fuel their continuous growth by tapping into its ecosystem of top startups from around the world.

Rabobank Group is a global financial service leader providing wholesale, rural and retail banking, leasing and real estate services in more than 40 countries. Founded more than a century ago, Rabobank today is one of the world’s largest banks, with more than $750 billion in assets. In North America, Rabobank is the premier bank to the food, agribusiness and beverage industries, providing sector expertise, strategic counsel and tailored financial solutions to clients across the entire food value chain.