After an exciting industry Demo Day in Riyadh, where eight startups from the Middle East and North Africa region presented creative solutions addressing food security, clean energy transitions, and the circular economy, Viridia Tech was named the overall winner of the 2024 Mega Green Accelerator.
More than 350 applications were submitted to the Mega Green Accelerator, which was introduced in 2023 by PepsiCo, SABIC, AstroLabs, and eleven other strategic partners. The eight chosen startups took part in a six-month program that included workshops and trainings, business leader mentorship, and chances to network, grow their companies, and find investors.
“PepsiCo has been a key partner in the region for 70 years, and we remain committed to supporting progress and empowering the next generation. Through MENA Innovates, we are focused on driving meaningful change by backing startups and advancing broader initiatives that promote innovation across the region. We look forward to seeing how the startups will contribute to a more sustainable future,” said Wael Ismail, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, PepsiCo AMESA (Africa, Middle East, and South Asia).
Egypt-based Viridia Tech won the $100,000 grand prize at the Demo Day for their artificial intelligence and data analytics platform, which offers farmers real-time insights and suggestions to help them grow crops more sustainably and efficiently and predict yields with greater accuracy. The $30,000 second place award went to Saudi Arabia-based Mirai Solar, which manufactures a cutting-edge solar-powered shade system.
“The success of this year’s Mega Green Accelerator programme has created a blueprint for accelerating the growth of the sustainability sector in the region, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Our collaboration with PepsiCo, SABIC and other strategic partners has unlocked unparalleled access to large-scale industry leaders for this cohort’s participants, plugging them directly into the sustainability value chain to unlock opportunities for rapidly scaling with the right support at the right time. We’re genuinely excited to see how Viridia Tech, as well as the other innovators in the programme, will step up to address critical sustainability gaps and play a key role in pushing the region towards a greener, more sustainable future,” said Roland Daher, Chief Executive Officer, AstroLabs.
PepsiCo’s MENA Innovates programs, which include the Mega Green Accelerator, promote sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship through a range of activities and events that honor trailblazing concepts and motivate the next generation of leaders.
