Salinas, Calif., June 27, 2019— Today SVG Ventures and Forbes announced that Livestock Water Recycling, a Canadian based startup, is the recipient of the 2019 THRIVE-Forbes Innovation Icon Award at the fifth annual Forbes AgTech Summit in Salinas. This is the first of two annual awards that Forbes and SVG Ventures will present to the best emerging technology companies focused on advancing the future of food and agriculture. The second award will be presented at the THRIVE Midwest Program during the Forbes AgTech Summit Indianapolis event September 18-19, 2019.

The Livestock Water Recycling system is the only proven commercialized technology that reduces the overall volume of manure and delivers a renewable, high-quality water source. Livestock Water Recycling will receive a $200,000 investment from SVG Ventures, plus an advertisement in an upcoming issue of Forbes magazine and the opportunity to present at Forbes’ Under 30 Summit in October.

SVG Ventures Founder and CEO John Hartnett and ForbesLive SVP Sherry Phillips presented the award during day two of the summit. “We are delighted with the evolution of the Forbes–SVG Ventures partnership in advancing the future of Food and Agriculture,” Hartnett said.  “This year, our award-winning accelerator program received two hundred seventy-six applications from sixty-seven countries. Nine startup finalists were selected to participate in the program.  The overall quality of the startups was outstanding and made for a tough decision.”

“The 2019 THRIVE-Forbes Innovation Icon Award honors those helping to bring solutions to the marketplace that will move the world forward,” said Sherry Phillips, SVP of ForbesLive. “Livestock Water Recycling’s forward-thinking technology is helping farmers increase efficiencies, while becoming even more environmentally sustainable. They’re incredibly deserving of this honor and we look forward to showcasing them at our Under 30 Summit this fall and in an advertisement in our magazine.”

Judges for the competition included SVG Ventures and executives from their Corporate Partners. The THRIVE companies that competed on stage at the Forbes AgTech Summit were Livestock Water Recycling, Olombria, The Bee Corp, Wellntel, Tensorfield Agriculture, Alesca Life, Intelliconn, ProteoSense, FarmX.

The award ceremony was the culmination of THRIVE’s four-month accelerator program, which began in February and ended today at the annual Forbes/THRIVE Demo Day presentation. This is the hallmark event of the THRIVE Accelerator program, providing startups the opportunity to showcase their solutions before an audience of investors, corporate partners, and local and national media.

Recognition awards were also presented in two additional categories – “Sustainability & Food Safety”.  Indiana-based The Bee Corp scooped the Sustainability Award and Ohio-based ProteoSense took the Food Safety Award.

THRIVE VI Applications Open

THRIVE also announced that it has opened applications for its sixth accelerator program. The THRIVE VI Accelerator program will take place over four months from February to June and culminate at the Forbes AgTech Summit June 2020.  The application deadline is October 31^st, 2019. To apply, please visit the THRIVE website.

About Forbes AgTech Summit

The Forbes AgTech Summit convenes the world’s biggest agricultural leaders, investors and entrepreneurs looking to find solutions for some of the world’s most critical food and agricultural challenges. Key speakers at the fifth annual Forbes AgTech Summit in Salinas include Beth Ford, President & CEO, Land O’Lakes, Inc.; Sonny Perdue, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; John Hartnett, Founder & CEO, SVG Ventures and THRIVE AgTech; Ertharin Cousin, Former Ambassador to the UN World Food Programme & Distinguished Fellow at the Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University and Steve Forbes, Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of Forbes. For more information, please see the press release here.

About SVG Ventures-THRIVE Innovation Platform

SVG Ventures-THRIVE is the leading AgriFood innovation ecosystem, comprised of top agriculture, food & technology corporations, universities and investors. With a community of over 2,000 startups from 82 countries, the THRIVE platform invests, accelerates and creates unparalleled access for entrepreneurs to scale globally to solve the biggest challenges facing the food and agriculture industries. AgFunder recognizes SVG Ventures-THRIVE as the “Most Valuable AgriFood Platform in the World.”

THRIVE was launched in 2014 by Silicon Valley Global Ventures (SVG Ventures), a venture, innovation, and investment firm based in Silicon Valley, CA. For more information, please visit the SVG Ventures THRIVE website.

About Forbes

The defining voice of entrepreneurial capitalism, Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most-influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 120 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE events, custom marketing programs and 40 licensed local editions in 70 countries. Forbes Media’s brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements. For more information, visit: ForbesMedia.com.

Media Contacts

SVG Ventures: Jessica Pham, Marketing & Events Manager, jessica.pham@svgventures.com

Forbes: Laura Brusca, VP of Corp. Communications, lbrusca@forbes.com