2 Bangladeshi startups among 16 to get $90,000 equity-free grants

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the German Sparkassenstiftung for International Cooperation (DSIK) today presented 16 startups selected under Innovatech 2.0 to deliver digital solutions for 17,000 small-scale farming households across Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, and — for the first time in Asia — Bangladesh.

The cohort will boost productivity and help producers manage droughts, floods and other climate shocks. Each startup will receive technical support, mentorship, and an equity-free grant of $90,000 to adapt business models and scale impact in rural communities.

Rocío Medina Bolívar, IFAD Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said Innovatech 2.0 bridges the rural digital divide while positioning the countryside as a space for innovation and business growth. Christina Olsen, Director of Innovatech, said the expansion to Bangladesh shows the global applicability of the model, with the next challenge being sustainable business models for rural areas.

Innovatech: Technology, agroecology and inclusion

340 rural organisations will access solutions across four tracks:

• Agtech — data use, traceability and digitalisation to optimise crops, logistics and decisions: SIUCOM (Guatemala), Terra Kaape (Honduras – PROINORTE), MIIDO (Honduras), Agribest (Honduras), Quenco (Peru), Krishi Shwapno (Bangladesh), Agronochain (Bangladesh).

• E-commerce — market access, circular value chains, reduced food loss, direct buyer links: Cooltiva (Bolivia), DLoop (El Salvador).

• Edtech — accessible training tailored to rural contexts: Excuela (Honduras), Musa (Peru).

• Fintech — structured savings, progressive credit, ag investment and green finance: SOMMOS (Bolivia), NOS Finance (Peru), DeltaX (El Salvador), Kazu (El Salvador).

Innovatech 2.0 will include and empower women and youth, and speed the shift to agroecological practices. Christophe Larose, Head of Sector for Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Innovation at the European Commission, noted that agroecology offers a credible path to sustainable, resilient food systems, with digitalisation aligned to its principles.

Building on Innovatech 1.0 (2021–2023), which reached 21,000 households in Latin America and the Caribbean, the programme has attracted new government co-financing to scale. In Honduras, a partnership with the PROINORTE project of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock will fund two additional startups. In El Salvador and Peru, a Hub Edition model will train INNBOX-SNBX and UTEC Ventures to widen adoption and sustain impact.