Brekland, a Brooklyn-based startup building a biodegradable foam coating for crop protection, was awarded the $1 million grand prize in the 2025 Grow-NY Food and Agriculture business competition. The company is among seven winners splitting a total of $3 million in prize money.
The awards announcement followed pitches from 20 startup finalists at the seventh annual Grow-NY Summit, held Nov. 12-13 at the Hotel Canandaigua. A panel of six judges with expertise in agriculture, food production and venture development chose the winners.
"Winning the $1 million grand prize at the Grow-NY Summit is an incredible honor and a defining moment for our team," Brekland founder and CEO Eric Bellefroid said. "This recognition affirms the strength of our team, our technology and our mission to move the crop protection industry forward."
With a focus on enhancing agrifood innovation in upstate New York, the Grow-NY competition identifies, supports and funds the top food, beverage and agriculture startups from around the world. Finalists receive one-on-one mentorship and guidance to develop their business plans in preparation for their pitches at the summit.
"The round seven winners of the Grow-NY competition represent some of the most innovative and forward-thinking agribusiness entrepreneurs from around the world that will take our state's food and agriculture sector to the next level," Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "Through Grow-NY, my administration is doubling down on its commitment to driving economic growth in every part of our state, sparking innovation and creating the jobs and opportunities that will move New York forward."
Winning companies commit to making a positive impact in the emerging agrifood innovation hub located in the Grow-NY region of central New York, the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier. Awardees must operate in the region for at least one year, creating jobs, forging partnerships with local industry leaders and advancing innovation that strengthens the regional economy.
In addition to the $1 million award, two startups were named $500,000 winners and four were awarded $250,000, including:
- $500,000: Mothership Materials (New York City) transforms agricultural waste into carbon-negative feedstocks - such as glucose and cellulose - that power the foods, fuels and fabrics of the future.
- $500,000: Seen Nutrition (Ithaca) is a food tech startup in the menopause market, initially focused on bone health, with a patented dietary calcium chew made with dairy produced in Central New York.
- $250,000: Living Ink Technologies (Berthoud, Colorado) repurposes renewable biomass waste, like algae, into sustainable black printing inks and pigments.
- $250,000: Trebe Biotech (Pergamino, Buenos Aires, Argentina) uses insect larvae to produce faster, more scalable and cost-efficient bioproducts for animal health, such as recombinant proteins and vaccines.
- $250,000: Whipnotic (New York City) uses a patented nozzle technology to create whipped creams infused with all-natural fruit juices and flavor essences.
- $250,000: ZILA BioWorks (Renton, Washington) converts vegetable oils into high performance, low carbon, recyclable bio-epoxy resins for use in industrial composites, coatings and adhesives.
The $10,000 Wegmans Audience Choice Award, a prize determined by votes from summit attendees, went to Finger Foods Farm, a frozen soup company located in Bloomfield, New York.
"Grow-NY exists to create lasting economic development by attracting startups and investors into our world class agrifood ecosystem, leveraging innovation to create opportunity, supporting and creating growth for new and existing ventures alike," Grow-NY program director Jenn Smith said. "We are thrilled to have this year's winners help us accomplish our goals while moving toward their own."
More than 900 people registered for the summit, which in addition to pitches featured panel discussions exploring challenges and opportunities in the food and ag sector. Attendees also networked with entrepreneurs, investors and resource providers through themed networking roundtable discussions.
Applications for round eight of the Grow-NY competition will open in March 2026. The competition is funded by Empire State Development and administered by Cornell's Center for Regional Economic Advancement.
Bridget Hagen is the associate manager for innovation communications for Cornell Research and Innovation.
