ST. PAUL, MINN. — Cargill and Ecolab have selected the second class of start-ups to participate in this year’s Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator.

Through the accelerator program, Cargill and Ecolab work with both early stage entrepreneurs and late stage start-ups focused on advancing key aspects of the food system, including supply chain management, ag tech and food safety and security. Start-ups from around the world arrived in St. Paul, where they will receive mentor support from Cargill and Ecolab executives and access to the companies’ market expertise, global connections and investment capital.

The 11 companies selected to participate in this year’s Farm to Fork class are:

• Contain, Reno, Nev., an alternate finance company focused on the indoor agriculture industry.
• Conversight, Indianapolis, an artificial intelligence company that aims to humanize the interaction between computer systems and users.
• EcoPlant, Tel Aviv, Israel, an industrial energy efficiency service helping maintenance and production managers, energy supervisors and service providers save up to 50% on their electricity bills.
• Food For All, Boston, an app that connects consumers to restaurants and cafes with extra meals.
• Imago AI, Gurgaon, India, an artificial intelligence-powered plant breeding virtual assistant.
• Magic AI, Seattle, a machine learning platform focused on nonverbal forms of data and communication related to humans and animals.
• Otrafy, Melbourne, Australia, a supply chain management platform powered by blockchain technology.
• Phood, Boston, a waste calculation system that reduces commercial food waste and increases excess food donations.
• PurPics, Austin, Texas, an app that lets college students raise money for charity while guaranteeing exposure and engagement for brands.
• Trackter, Atlanta, a fresh produce supply chain management system that automates communications between buyers, shippers and logistics partners.
• Transparent Kitchen, Ottawa, Canada, an intelligent food and beverage platform that allows users to search for and order products, book tables at restaurants and save dishes from their favorite chefs.

Each company will present its projects at Demo Day on Oct. 15, during Twin Cities Start-up Week.

“Solving the greatest food and sustainability challenges the world faces today requires partnership and fresh, innovative ideas. These are the two key ingredients of the Techstars Farm to Fork program,” said Justin Kershaw, corporate vice-president and chief information officer at Cargill. “Having the brightest minds in food and ag tech in Cargill and Ecolab's backyards provides an amazing opportunity to infuse startup energy into our company, while also helping bring critical solutions to scale. It's truly a win-win.”