MagGrow Wins  2016  Thrive  Accelerator  Sustainability  Award  in  California  

MagGrow,  has  been  named  winner  of  the  2016  Thrive  Accelerator  Sustainability   Award,  at  the  2nd annual  Forbes  AgTech   Summit  held  in  Salinas,  California.  

The  Forbes  AgTech  Summit   brings  together   over  500  of  the  smartest   and  most  entrepreneurial  minds  in  Silicon  Valley   and  global  agriculture  to  tackle   some  of  the  world’s  most  critical  challenges.

MagGrow is  a  pioneering  magnetic   spraying  technology   which  reduces  drift  by  up  to  80%  while  at  the  same   time  delivering  superior  coverage,   a  key  challenge   of  existing  drift  reduction  technologies.    

Headquartered   at  NovaUCD,  the  Centre  for  New   Ventures   and  Entrepreneurs  at  University  College  Dublin  (UCD),  MagGrow was  one  of  just  12  companies   from  around  the  world,  and  the  only  company  from  Ireland,  selected   to  participate   on  the  2016  Thrive  Accelerator   Programme  for  promising  Food  and  AgTech  start-­‐ups.

Through  the  8-­‐week  Thrive  Accelerator  Programme,  an  initiative   of  SVG  Partners,  companies   benefited   from  high-­‐level  mentorship,  collaboration  and  direct  access   to  the  world’s  top  fresh  agriculture  companies   in  and  around  Salinas  and  the  central  California  growing  region.

It   is  estimated   by  the  Food  and  Agriculture  Organization  of  the  United  Nations   that  20  to  40  percent  of  global  crop  output  is  lost  due  to  plant  pests   and  diseases.   Growers  combat  pests  and  diseases   by  spraying  herbicide,   fungicides  and  insecticide   to  improve  crop  quality  and  yield.  

An  unintended  consequence   of  spraying  is  spray  drift,  which  occurs  when  application   dust  or  droplets  move  through  the  air  or  soil  to  an  unintended   site.  Nearby  communities,   adjacent   to  crop  fields,  plants,  water  supply  or  other  bodies  of  water,  are  all  impacted   by  spray  applications.  

To  solve  this  problem  MagGrow has  developed   a  pioneering  magnetic   spraying  technology  system  which  utilises  the  fact  that  all  living  plants  and  soil  have  a  magnetic   field.  

Through  MagGrow’s technology,   which  involves  the  attachment   of  a  series   of    magnetic   inserts  onto  a  sprayer  ,  an  electromagnetic  charge  is  infused  into  the  liquid  spray,  resulting  in  targeted  attraction   and  superior  coverage  of  the  plant  or  soil  resulting  in  a  reduction  of  spray  drift  by  over  80%.    

The  superior  drift  control  and  coverage   provided  by  MagGrow’stechnology  means  that  profitability   is  increased   through  reduced  pesticide   wastage,   productivity   is  improved  through  increased  spray  windows  while   supporting  environmental  regulations   and  a  better  environment.  

In  addition  field  studies  of  MagGrow’s technology   on  commercial  farms  in  The  Netherlands,   Kenya  and  Ethiopia  have  demonstrated  reduction  in  water  usage,   improved  disease   control  ,  increased  spray  capacity   and  reduced  labour  input  due  to  fewer  changeovers  of  the  sprayer,  and  less  waste   and  environmental  contamination.

Gary  Wickham,   CEO,  MagGrow said,  “We  are  truly  delighted  to  have  won  the  2016  Thrive  Accelerator   Sustainability   Award.  It  is  a  great  testimony   to  the  dedication   of  the  MagGrow team   in  the  development   of  our  unique  technology   that  has  significant  transformational  benefits   for  the  arable  and  horticulture  sectors.”  He  added,  “The  world’s  population  is  estimated   to  grow  to  9  billion  by  2050  so  the  demand  for  food  and  water  will   increase  dramatically   but  by  using  current  farming  methods  we  simply  will  not  be  able  to  meet   this  demand.   But  we  truly  believe   that  every  generation  has  the  right  to  a  sustainable   supply  of  food  and  water  and  so  we  must  find  better   ways  to  grow  and  that   is  why  we  developed  MagGrow.”

ENDS14  July  2016

For  further  information contact   Alison  Healy,  Chief  Commercial   Officer,  MagGrow,   t:  +  353  1  716  3695,  e:  alison.healy@maggrow.global.  Twitter:   @MagGrowglobal.   LinkedIn:MagGrow

Editor’s  NotesMagGrow,   founded  in  2013  by  Gary  Wickham,  Derek  Wickham  and  David  Moore,      now  employs  a  staff  of  12  people.  MagGrow  is  currently  trading  in  East  Africa  and  is   launching  in  Europe  in  2016.  MagGrow  operates  in  two  distinct  markets,  tailoring  its  product  lines  to  distinct   growing  practices   of  developing  and  developed  markets.   In  developing  countries,   where  the  average  farm  size  is  only  1  ha,  and  spraying  is  mostly  conducted  using  simple  knapsack  sprayers,  MagGrow  offers  a  turnkey  range  of  backpack   sprayers.  For  developed  markets,  where   growers  use  specialised   spraying  equipment   such  as  field  boom  sprayers  and  air  blast  sprayers,  MagGrow’s   product  is  sold  in  the  form  of  a  retrofit  kit  that  can  be  easily   installed   onto  all  manufacturer   sprayer  types. www.maggrow.globalTHRIVE   Accelerator is  a  unique  international  business   program  for  promising  start-­‐ups  in  the  areas  of  Food  and  AgTech.  www.thriveaccelerator.comSVG  Partners,  based   in  Silicon  Valley,   CA,  is  an  investment,  technology   and  advisory  firm  that  partners  with  organizations  on  strategy,   innovation  and  global  expansion. www.svgpartners.com