Greater Finger Lakes Creative Agency Fuels Winning Pitches Again at the Grow-NY Food and Agriculture Competition
Rochester, New York (November 19, 2021) – 29 Design Studio continues its winning streak helping clients win big prizes in the prestigious international Grow-NY Food and Agriculture competition with its third consecutive winner in the last three years. The competition drew 330 startups from 32 countries including 138 entries from New York.
Ithaca-based Ascribe Bioscience took home a second-place $500,0000 prize. Another client, Williamson-based Agri-Trak, received the “Audience Choice” award and $10,000 for having the most innovative and promising pitch. The winners were announced on November 17 in Syracuse.
“It is such an honor to help these two inspiring companies do so well in such a competitive event,” says Maureen Ballatori, founder and CEO of 29 Design Studio. The creative agency works with regional and national food, beverage, and agriculture brands. “Our area is literally bursting with innovation, and we’re glad to support any effort that helps them thrive.”
Ascribe Bioscience produces broad-spectrum, non-toxic biopesticides that prime plants’ immune systems to enhance resistance to pathogens and increase crop yields. Agri-Trak is a farm management application for the apple industry to help growers make daily data-informed decisions.
“Being a winner of the Grow-NY competition validates our efforts to develop products that help farmers without harming the environment or human health,” says Gabriel Wilmoth, Ascribe’s Chief Operating Officer. “The team at 29 was proactive, fast, and delivered stunning material that helped us convey what is unique and powerful about Ascribe’s technology.”
In previous years, two other 29 Design Studio clients took home top honors in the competition. Leep Foods, a grower of premium organic mushrooms, won $250,000 in 2020. In 2019, RealEats Meals, a premium prepared meal delivery service, claimed the coveted first-place prize of $1 million, which has since led to additional seed funding for the company. RealEats recently announced a $16.3 million Series A funding round, one of the largest private capital raises ever in the Finger Lakes Region of NY.
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For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Maureen Ballatori, maureen@29designstudio.com, or 315-332-1717.