IFA announces Cultivate Challenge ‘Judges’ Choice’ winners from four global showcases
Paris, France, November 25, 2025
The International Fertilizer Association (IFA) today announced the ‘Judges' Choice’ winners from the inaugural IFA Cultivate Challenge. The Cultivate Challenge is a key component of the IFA Innovation Hub and showcases startups responding to critical challenges within the fertilizer value chain, including decarbonizing ammonia and nitrogen fertilizer production, improving phosphorus use efficiency on the farm, and nutrient use efficiency tracking along the value chain. From more than 150 applicants, 13 startups were selected for a finalist cohort participating in an exclusive industry business development program.
Recognizing startups from four regional showcases held around the world over the past two months, these announcements set the stage for a competitive Grand Final at the IFA Cultivating Tomorrow Conference, taking place in Budapest on June 2-4, 2026.
The Judges Choice winners were:
NitroCapt (Europe showcase, London)
“NitroCapt appreciates the recognition of the IFA and its partners through the Cultivate Challenge. This platform is an important channel for innovations in the fertilizer industry to showcase methods and products that support greener, more efficient and affordable inputs for farmers globally,”
Adam Rosenholm, CFO, NitroCapt.
Phospholutions (Asia-Pacific showcase, Bangkok)
“The IFA Cultivate Challenge provided an invaluable opportunity for leading innovations in the plant nutrition space a platform to showcase our work to the fertilizer industry,”
said Hunter Swisher, CEO, Phospholutions.
LiveGrow Bio (Americas showcase, Silicon Valley)
“The Americas Showcase was one of the few events where every conversation felt relevant, placing LiveGrow Bio in front of partners, customers, and investors driving sustainable farming practices. Through the IFA Cultivate program we gained a clearer view of fertilizer market needs around Nutrient Use Efficiency and emissions, shaping how we apply our LiveGrow™ platform,”
said Andrey Pinchuk, CEO, LiveGrow Bio
Peregrine Hydrogen (Africa & West Asia showcase, Rabat)
“The Cultivate Challenge at the Rabat Strategic Forum provided Peregrine Hydrogen an unparalleled opportunity to present our technology to new partners in the fertilizer industry and engage with existing ones. It was strong example of how innovation can be introduced to industry,”
said Friðrik Lárusson, CEO, Peregrine Hydrogen.
These four startups are among the 13-strong finalist cohort, which also includes:
- Capsber
- Ficosterra
- HydGene
- Marvin
- MazaoHub
- NitroVolt
- Paul-Tech
- PlasmaLeap
- Taxon
Competition coordinator Jack Keeys (International Lead, IFA Innovation Hub) stated,
“The finalist cohort have demonstrated their high caliber through these showcases and set the stage for an exciting presentation of the entrepreneurial talent in this sector at our final event next year.”
IFA Deputy Director General Patrick Heffer commented on the value received by the finalists:
“All of the startups in the cohort are now actively engaging with new contacts and companies across the IFA ecosystem, and that is the exact catalyst we wanted this competition to be – driving collaborations to support our mission of sustainably feeding the world.”
The competition is co-delivered by SVG Ventures, EIT Food, and World Agritech, with support from 13 strategic partners:
- Platinum: Arab Potash Company; Koch Agronomic Services; Maaden; Nutrien; OCP Nutricrops; Sabic Agri-Nutrients;
- Gold: Coromandel International; Fauji Fertilizer Company; Haifa Group; ICL; Indorama Corporation; International Raw Materials; Pivot Bio.
Finalists will complete the final phase of their business development program focused on scaling and collaboration, ahead of the 2026 IFA Cultivating Tomorrow Conference.
Updates, presentations and highlights will be shared via IFA LinkedIn page.
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About the International Fertilizer Association
Founded in 1927, IFA is the only global fertilizer association, representing over 500 members across 80+ countries. We are committed to promoting efficient, responsible plant nutrient production, distribution, and use- essential to feeding the world sustainably. IFA convenes fertilizer producers, traders, distributors, startups, research institutions, and NGOs to shape the future of nutrition- and climate-smart agriculture.
LinkedIn: international-fertilizer-association-ifa
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IFA contact information
Media contact: Yvonne Harz-Pitre, Director, Public Affairs, IFAyharzpitre@fertilizer.org
+33 7 76 82 90 36
