DEVELOPING RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS IN GHANA

Pears Challenge 2022

The 2022 Pears Challenge is a prestigious early-stage venture builder that provides insight, market knowledge, and connections to create a successful AgriTech start-up targeting emerging markets from ideation to launch.

Meet the 5 Graduating Ventures

NOV 2021-JAN 2022

Selection

Throughout our 2 month selection process, we looked for open-minded, impact-oriented and experienced individuals at a stage in life where they want to tackle a new challenge and launch a new start-up. Our ideal candidates were those with experience designing innovative tech solutions in hardware, software, or biotech and/or those coming with a specific technical background as scientists, engineers, agronomists, developers, product designers, etc.

The process consisted of introductory calls with 250 interested applicants, a written application, and a frontal interview, in which our team successfully identified 26 exceptional entrepreneurs who we believed had what it takes to conceptualize and launch successful impact tech ventures.

Resource Library

Pears Challenge V Participant Booklet

Get to know all the accepted participants of Pears Challenge 2022. The curriculum of all phases and partner list can be found here.

Ghana Field Validation Summary

This document summarizes the two-week market validatrion trip experiences of the three ventures endorsed and invited by our Ghanaian partners.

Final Venture Ideas

This document marks the end of the Israel-based phases, detailing the 11 venture Ideas created by 16 entrepreneurs.

Market Validation Trip Film

Check out this video to see the journey of three Pears Challenge ventures during their market validation trip to Ghana in October 2022.tober

Creating Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems in Ghana

By 2050 the global population is expected to reach nearly 10 billion, creating unprecedented pressure on food systems worldwide. According to the World Economic Forum, global food systems today are economically, socially, and environmentally unsustainable.

The future of global food security depends on Africa, which has 60% of the world's uncultivated arable land and whose farming practices are less productive than in many other parts of the world. To meet this challenge head-on, governments, NGOs, and corporations are investing in appropriate , sustainable, and efficient AgriTech solutions to transform Africa’s agriculture industry.

Ghana - A Launchpad to the West African Market

According to KPMG, Ghana is one of Africa’s leading markets for foreign investment. The country has established itself as a stable and prosperous business environment with vast opportunities for innovation and technological advancement.

WHY GHANA?

Ghana has experienced rapid developments in rural digitalization and technology.

In fact, the government has an ambitious project of connecting 95% of the population to the internet and has launched 5 submarine fiber optic cables to meet this goal. They also launched a universal QR Code in 2019 in an effort to make Ghana a cashless society.

Ghana has close to 15m internet users and has the highest mobile penetration rate in Sub-Saharan Africa at 130% which is perhaps why Twitter recently chose the Ghanaian capital, Accra, as the location of its African office!

Pears Challenge 2022 Global Partners

Pears Challenge 2022 would not have been possible without our rich network of partners from Israel and Ghana, as well as a number of regional and global players, including:

ISRAELI INNOVATION FOR SOCIAL IMPACT

About the Pears Challenge

The Pears Challenge, now approaching its sixth edition, enables experienced Israeli entrepreneurs to create successful impact ventures that meet critical needs in developing countries. Graduating ventures have developed technologies that are impacting thousands of people worldwide and have raised over 16 million dollars in seed financing and contracts since the program launched in 2014.

The Pears Challenge is generously supported by the Pears Foundation

Ready to create your next impact tech venture?

Applications for Pears Challenge 2024 are now open!

Join a distinguished cohort of 25 experienced entrepreneurs passionate about creating new fintech solutions to drive small business growth and financial inclusion. Develop an innovative startup that will create economic opportunity and financial access for underbanked people in East Africa.

Learn more