Deadline: October 23, 2026
Applications are open for the Halcyon Africa Innovation in Agriculture and Food Security Accelerator 2027. Halcyon’s Africa Innovation in Agriculture and Food Security Program supports early-stage, impact-driven ventures across Sub-Saharan Africa that are strengthening agriculture and food systems through market-based solutions.
They are seeking founders building solutions that improve the livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farmers, strengthen food security, and help communities adapt to climate-related challenges. Ventures should be post-revenue/pre-profit, working full-time on their venture.
Selected entrepreneurs will participate in a hybrid program featuring virtual programming, a residency in Accra, Ghana, and a second residency in Nairobi, Kenya.
Sectors
- Climate-Smart & Resilient Agriculture – climate-resilient farming, regenerative agriculture, soil health, drought-resistant crops and inputs
- Farm Productivity, Inputs & Precision Agriculture – precision agriculture, farm management tools, remote sensing, improved inputs, mechanization
- Water, Irrigation & Drought Resilience – irrigation technologies, water efficiency, solar-powered irrigation, drought management
- Agricultural Data & Climate Intelligence – digital extension services, agronomic advisory, weather and climate information, early-warning systems
- Market Access, Aggregation & Farmer Platforms – marketplaces, farmer aggregation, cooperatives, off-take solutions and platforms connecting farmers to buyers
- Agri-Fintech & Farmer Financial Resilience – farmer credit, input financing, agricultural payments, insurance and other financial tools for smallholders
- Supply Chain, Logistics & Cold Chain – last-mile logistics, cold-chain solutions, transport and food distribution
- Post-Harvest Loss, Storage & Value Addition – storage, cooling, processing, drying, packaging and food-loss reduction
- Food Security, Nutrition & Affordable Food Access – nutritious and fortified foods, last-mile food distribution, institutional procurement and affordable food access
- Traceability, Transparency & Resilient Value Chains – traceability, quality grading, price transparency, certification and crop-specific value-chain tools
And other relevant tech-enabled agriculture and food security solutions.
Benefits
- Access to Halcyon’s global community of 650+ founders
- $10K AWS credits
- $10K equity-free stipend per venture
- Professional advisors
- Workshops with experts in leadership development, capital strategy and product market fit
- Networking with investors and varied stakeholders
Eligibility
- Location: Must be based in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Stage:
- Must have a working Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and a realistic potential to scale.
- Must be at the paid-pilot or post-revenue stage.
- Must demonstrate early commercial traction and market validation through paid pilots, revenue, customer contracts, or similar indicators of market demand.
- Should demonstrate early evidence of impact on smallholder farmers, low-income or vulnerable communities, or food systems.
- Team:
- Applicant must be the CEO or hold primary decision-making power.
- May apply with up to one Co-Founder.
- Must be working full time.
- Must be fluent in English (programming will be in English).
- Must be at least 21 years of age by the start of the program.
- Program Engagement: Applicant(s) must commit to participating in all residencies, program activities, events, and in-person and virtual sessions.
- Impact:
- Must be developing a product and venture that contributes toward one or more of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Must use a market-based approach to strengthen agriculture and food systems.
- Should prioritize improving the livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farmers and low-income or vulnerable communities.
- They are particularly interested in innovations that help farmers, communities, and food systems prepare for, withstand, and adapt to climate-related shocks and stresses.
- Priority areas include food security, agricultural productivity, farmer livelihoods, market access, nutrition, and food system resilience.
Application
For more information, visit Halcyon Accelerator.
