The SUN Business Network (SBN) aims to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods to consumers, especially low-income consumers through activities at global and national levels. At a national level, the SBN convenes businesses, assesses technical, financial and other business support service needs for members, and advocates the role of business in addressing nutrition at country level. Read More
The SUN Business Network (SBN) aims to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods to consumers, especially low-income consumers through activities at global and national levels. At a national level, the SBN convenes businesses, assesses technical, financial and other business support service needs for members, and advocates the role of business in addressing nutrition at country level. At a global level, the SBN acts as a focal point for engaging multinational businesses in nutrition activities such as making workplace nutrition commitments.Read More
The SUN Business Network (SBN) aims to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods to consumers, especially low-income consumers through activities at global and national levels. At a national level, the SBN convenes businesses, assesses technical, financial and other business support service needs for members, and advocates the role of business in addressing nutrition at country level.Read More
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The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Pitch Competition, organised by the SUN Business Network, harnesses innovative solutions for improved nutrition by connecting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets with technical assistance and investment opportunities. The Global SUN Pitch Competition 2020 took place as a virtual event on 30th July 2020, showcasing the top 21 entrepreneurs shortlisted from National SUN Pitch Competitions in 2019. Read More
SMEs are critical in shaping the nutritional outcomes of local food systems; 64% of food consumed in Africa is handled by millions of SMEs along agri-food value chains as input suppliers, off-takers, processors, distributors, or otherwise. They constitute a pull factor, aggregating smallholder farmers into the value chain and upgrading the quality and efficiency of farming, leading to a more sustainable food system. Read More
The success of the SUN Pitch Competition is thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and partners, without whom the competition would not be possible. Our sponsors and partners offer a variety of in-kind and financial contributions to support the national and global pitch competitions, provide mentorship to finalists and increase the visibility of the competition Read More
The Global SUN Pitch Competition brought together 21 innovative SMEs from national pitch competitions in Africa and Asia to pitch their nutrition solution to a panel of high-level judges and an audience of investors for a chance to win cash and technical assistance prizes. Read More
National SUN Pitch Competitions are run by SUN Business Networks in partnership with a local accelerator. All shortlisted applicants selected through National SUN Pitch Competitions compete in an in-person bootcamp focused on nutrition awareness, strategy for scale and soft skills training, culminating in a national pitching event. National SUN Pitch Competitions were held in the following countries throughout 2019:
As the largest providers of food in Africa and Asia, small- and medium-sized enterprises are critical in shaping local food systems and bringing nutrtition to the market. SMEs occupy critical positions along agri-food value chains as input suppliers, off-takers, processors, distributors, or otherwise – not only supplying the vast majority of food consumed, but also acting as key drivers of job creation and regional economic growth. But the growth of these SMEs is highly constrained by lack of access to finance, and as such agri-food SMEs remain largely untapped for developing and scaling market-based solutions that can improve the consumption of safe and nutritious food.
The Global SUN Pitch competition, organised by the SUN Business Network, aims to fill this gap by showcasing SMEs working to improve access to nutririous food along the agri-food value chain, establishing the commercial viability of nutrition-sensitive businesses, and positioning entrepreneurs for growth and scale.
Specifically, the SUN Pitch Competition harnesses innovative solutions for improved nutrition by connecting SMEs in emerging markets with technical assistance and investment opportunities. Through the competition, SBN aims to showcase nutrition-related investments from SMEs that can catalyse innovation in local food systems and improve the affordability and accessibility of nutritious and safe foods for low-income consumers in Africa and Asia.
The competition aims to develop a pipeline of quality ‘nutrition investments’ in Africa and Asia that can be linked to local and international investors and technical assistance providers; leverage local and global strategic partnerships that can increase the reach of SBN’s partnerships; and position SBN as the local and regional coordinating mechanism for private sector investment in nutrition in Africa and Asia.
To build a pipeline of eligible finalists for the 2020 Global SUN Pitch Competition over the course of 2019, a series of national and virtual pitch competitions were held across Africa and Asia. All winners selected from the national and virtual pitch competitions undertook a three-month training programme provided by Bopinc and Cathy AgriProjects Management Limited focused on nutrition education, business development, and investor readiness. Hosted as an interactive video event, the selected finalists pitched their innovative business solutions for improved nutrition on 30th July, 2020 to secure a range of cash and business mentorship prizes awarded by SBN, GAIN, Royal DSM, Cargill, Bopinc and AGREA.
National pitch competitions in 24 countries across Africa and Asia run in collaboration with a local business accelerator, to shortlist finalists for the Global SUN Pitch Competition
Business development and nutrition training of shortlisted finalists
Global SUN Pitch Competition Final followed by the SUN Deal Room, an investor matchmaking platform, organised by SBN and Bopinc
(Ghana)
Fieldswhite Co. Ltd are a food tech startup dedicated to providing innovative and affordable food solutions across Africa. Their flagship product, Sweetpot Yoghurt, is a delicious yoghurt enriched with highly nutritious bio-fortified orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.
(Cambodia)
Danish Care Foods is a food manufacturing company that specialises in making ready to use therapeutic food and ready to use supplementary food with locally available ingredients. Their unique products are made from wild caught fish and are more affordable than other products in the market for treating malnutrition.
(Mozambique)
Limpho, Produtos Alimentares process highly nutritious foods for low-income consumers. They have already successfully launched many products in the local market, including peanut butter and peanut chikki.
(Pakistan)
Poulta Inc aims to disrupt the poultry industry by using Internet of Things, BigData, Artificial Intelligence and block chain. It helps poultry farmers to detect, predict, and prevent problems early on. Poulta aims to provide cost-effective solutions to ensure healthy chickens and eggs for all.
(Tanzania)
Sanavita is an agribusiness which addresses malnutrition, particularly hidden hunger, in Tanzania by producing, adding value, and processing staple crops with high micronturient contents. They sell their products in local shops, supermarkets, and markets, and promote these products through awareness campaigns on social media.
(Nigeria)
Mealimeter is a corporate nutrition marketplace, giving working professionals and school children access to healthy and nutritious meal, snack and drink options. Mealimeter curates the best nutrition-focused chefs and small businesses, supports them with kitchen facilities that meet food safety standards, and helps them access customers through their nutrition marketplace mobile app and automated kiosks/vending machines which make nutritious foods available immediately and 24 hours a day.
(Indonesia)
Bale Sehat collaborates with farmers around Indonesia to create great-tasting and nutritious food and beverages. Bale Sehat manufactures a range of rice bran products to tackle malnutrition and anaemia.
Efarms is an agriculture-focused fintech company that provides a platform for people and organisations to directly invest in agricultural production and commodity training, thus unlocking finance and markets for smallholder farmers.
Duo Mitra Raya produces snacks madefrom vegetables and fish. They strive to develop innovative high quality snacks that are safe and nutritious, including spinach sticks, carrot sticks, baby fish tilapia, pepes fish and other products.
Baby Grubz is a social enterprise in the nutrition space, processing all-natural cereals for children under 5 years to tackle malnutrition, with a special focus on authentic African tastes made from locally sourced ingredients. Baby Grubz’s products are sold through a women-only sales and distribution model, a deliberate approach for gender inclusion and empowerment.
(Lao)
Mai Savanh aims to develop sustainable income to struggling farmers in Lao. They develop various food products such as Sacha Inchi, teas, hibiscus, pepper, and dried bananas. Mai Savanh’s approach is simple, dynamic, and innovative. They combine intervention with education.
(Madagascar)
Nutri’Zaza are a Malagasy social enterprise that produce fortified cereals. They deliver their products through classic, institutional and innovative networks (including restaurants for babies and door-to-door sales).
(Malawi)
Perisha & Packaging Enterprise promotes the consumption of locally produced crops, particularly orange-fleshed sweet potato and orange maize which is bio-fortified with vitamin A.
(Zambia)
Shais Foods focus on promoting healthier diets by providing grain-based, drought-resistant alternatives to traditional monodiets. They produce nutrient-rich cereal products from millet, sorghum, cassava, soya beans, vitamin A orange maize and blended multigrain cereals. They also encourage farmers to grow indigenous drought-resistant crops.
Sir Hackson Processors work with small-scale producers of soya beans, cassava and maize, which they process into fortified soya corn blend flour. They supply their products to homes, institutions and humanitarian agencies.
(Bangladesh)
Feed Me is a meal prep service that delivers healthy and nutritious meals to people in Dhaka, Bangladesh. They aim to target the masses through their two products: Nutri Bar and Nutri Mix. Feed Me’s target consumers are ready-made garment workers and adolescents.
Food Trax provides farm to fork supply chain visibility and transparency. Through their platform they are able to track and trace ingredients; check process integrity; ensure process quality; and enable authentication of foods (e.g. to confirm they are Halal or non-GMO)
Khamar-e Ltd. aims to tackle Bangladesh’s nutrition challenges by increasing milk production, ensuring the nutritional value of dairy products, and creating ‘dairypreneurs’. Khamar-e promotes data-driven farming by providing software, training and resources to farmers on credit
(Sri Lanka)
Saaraketha is Sri Lanka’s largest certified organic food solution provider that offers credible, organic, clean and ethically produced sustainable products. They strive to make it easy and convenient for everyone to choose healthy, organic food.
(Rwanda)
Park&Pick is an online grocery store offering home delivery services. They buy, clean, sort and deliver up to 208 fresh agricultural products from partner vendors/farms to homes around Kigali. Through their service, they provide efficient logistics and ease the way in which people access quality fresh food in urban communities
(Kenya)
Usomi Limited is a technical services provision company which aims to transform rural farmers’ market access systems, with a special focus on productivity and income growth for rural women and youth.
In addition, the following prizes were awarded by the competition sponsors:
GAIN is driven by a vision of a world without malnutrition, in which all people have access to and consume nutritious and safe food.
The SUN Business Network aims to engage and mobilise business at a global and national level to act and invest responsibly in improving nutrition. In a collective effort to end malnutrition in all its forms, the SUN Business Network also works alongside partners from government, civil society, United Nations agencies and donors.
We bring food, agricultural, financial and industrial products to people who need them all around the world
DSM will award a cash prize of USD $ 10,000 to the company that offers 3A nutrition. DSM is looking for the company that makes delicious nutritious food affordable, widely accessible, and aspirational.
ANDE’s mission is to improve lives by strengthening the ecosystems that foster small and growing businesses in developing economies.
AGREA emerged as the COVID-19 Action champion in the UN Women 2020 Asia-Pacific WEPs Awards held last Wednesday, 11 November 2020 on a virtual event. AGREA was specifically recognized as a company that has made significant contributions to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the context of COVID-19.
The Global SUN Pitch Competition brought together 21 innovative SMEs from national and virtual pitch competitions to pitch their nutrition solution to a panel of high-level judges and an audience of investors for a chance to win cash and technical assistance prizes. The competition took place as a virtual event on 30th July, 2020.
The SUN Pitch Competition finalists also participated in the SUN Deal Room, an investor matchmaking platform where they sought combined investment deals worth US$12 million, with a broad innovation and nutritious food focus.
Nigeria
overall winner of the 2020 SUN Pitch Competition and Bopinc Digitalisation Prize
Cambodia
first place runner-up of the 2020 SUN Pitch Competition
second runner-up of the 2020 SUN Pitch Competition
Mozambique
winner of the DSM 3A Nutrition Prize
Pakistan
winner of the Cargill Innovation to Enable Access to Good Nutrition Prize
Tanzania
winner of the GAIN Food Technology Innovation Prize and the AGREA Mentorship Prize