Hatch implements agri incubator to help start-ups innovate in sustainable agriculture

Hatch team and Green Innovation Lab entrepreneurs

Hatch, in collaboration with GIZ Sri Lanka and the European Union (EU), recently implemented Green Innovation Lab – an agri incubator programme.
This showcased the importance of prototyping new innovations and providing an enabling ecosystem to test, iterate and validate ideas for commercial viability. This is of paramount importance in transforming Sri Lanka’s agriculture industry to significantly aid in the nation’s journey to economic recovery. 

This incubator focused on innovations in nutrition, sustainable packaging, equipment and machinery. Over 200 applications were received for this programme from all parts of the island. Twenty start-ups were selected for a hackathon at Hatch in Colombo and 10 selected innovators proceeded to go through a three-month immersive business incubator implemented by Hatch to finally showcase some amazing prototypes and products of their initial ideas at the Demo Day in September.

Speaking at the Demo Day, Hatch Chief Programme Officer Mevan Peiris stated, “Most of the entrepreneurs and innovators came into the programme with just an idea. To see those ideas validated and transformed into actual prototypes and products in just a span of three months - shows the effectiveness and importance of business support programmes like these.” 

Hatch is Sri Lanka’s pioneering innovation and entrepreneurship development organisation and is considered the ‘centre of gravity’ for start-ups and innovators. This notion is backed by the fact that Hatch has been operating a co-working space in Colombo for the past five years and today has over 1,000 community members and 125 companies working out of the building. In addition, through Hatch’s programme vertical, they have successfully implemented 18 different Business Incubator and Accelerators – having engaged with a total of 600+ start-ups in Sri Lanka as part of the larger Hatch network. 

EU Delegation in Sri Lanka Programme Manager Anita Ryczan stated, “Sustainability is important, not only in Sri Lanka but also in Europe and on a global scale. Here in Sri Lanka, the EU is a long-standing partner in agriculture and now also engaged in partnerships promoting green growth. That’s why we support initiatives like this programme with Hatch. In order to foster eco-friendly enterprises, innovation is crucial. Our overarching objective is to boost green growth in Sri Lanka and in Europe, facilitating a harmonious coexistence between people and 
the environment’.

The Demo Day for Green Innovation Lab was an impressive showcase of products from the 10 final agri-start-ups. These included innovative sustainable packaging solutions from Kendi, Sebastco, Paper Story and Novapal made from agricultural waste, such as banana fibre, coconut coir and sawdust. Novapal’s shipping pallets made from sawdust waste are designed to provide customers with 60 percent space savings and are competitively priced in comparison to traditional plastic shipping pallets. 

Several innovative agritech solutions were also on display: from govi.ai, an innovative enterprise designed to empower farmers with data-driven sustainable practices, utilising cultivation strategies to maximise crop yields and profit for farmers, while minimising resource wastage by as much as 35 percent and Gro, a start-up developing sustainable, nutritious and consistent animal feed, using a hydroponics system. Nature’s Dry, Agro PV and AgroX all aimed at efficiently increasing food production and quality. A vegan burger made from locally sourced jackfruit developed by Go Green Exports under the sub-brand ‘Marco Pollos’ was also served for visitors to give their first-hand feedback on the taste of the product.
All 10 start-ups’ spectacular Demo Day displays, which were individually curated to take visitors through an immersive journey, facilitated in-depth discussions between the start-ups and potential partners, customers and investors during the course of the evening, resulting in over 20 stakeholder connections, who would be able to support them in the next part of their journey.

The Green Innovation Lab incubator programme and final Demo Day proved to be a resounding success, providing numerous entrepreneurs and start-ups with invaluable guidance and essential resources to advance their businesses. Hatch remains committed to conducting similar programmes in the future, under its newly formed vertical ‘Hatch Green’ dedicated to assisting entrepreneurs across Sri Lanka in unlocking their full potential and fostering innovation particularly within the agriculture sector, ultimately leading to a greener future for the nation. 
The Green Innovation Lab incubator programme was supported through funding from both the EU and German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Green Innovation Lab entrepreneurs showcase their product prototypes