MONTEREY, CA - At the upcoming PMA Tech Knowledge Conference in Monterey, CA, six start-up entrepreneurs will present their business concepts and breakout products to venture capitalists and produce industry experts.

On May 13, during the What’s the Pitch? session, presentations will be open to all event attendees. The concepts and/or products presented are expected to directly impact the fresh produce and floral industries moving forward.

“FarmX will be participating in the PMA Tech Knowledge symposium to educate produce veterans about FarmMap, a clean smart farm automation technology that helps farmers save water, fertilizer and improve their bottom line,” says Sanjay Rajpoot, CEO of FarmX. “We want to make sure the farmers that have delivered our nation food security across the past several generations are still holding that title for all the future we see to come, we need to do that through Agricultural Technology.”

Jim Byron, CEO of Xgenex and a 2014 participant of What’s the Pitch? had a lot of positive things to say about the program.

"In addition to achieving the desired outcome of an investment offer, our participation in the ‘What's the Pitch’ session created visibility for the science that Xgenex is developing and created significant opportunities and interest from the investment community and the produce industry,” said Byron. “Our experience exceeded our expectations; the benefit of participating in this event was amazing and unique to this venue."

The session, coordinated by Royse Law AgTech Incubator founder Roger Royse, is one of a handful of opportunities for produce industry growers and shippers to experience emerging technology solutions and opportunities throughout the symposium.

“AgTech is the next big thing in the Silicon Valley,” says Royse. “Technology is being applied to the agriculture and food industries to improve production, increase efficiencies and reduce waste. Our RoyseLaw Incubator companies offer a diverse set of solutions ranging from precision irrigation, pathogen testing, biofuels, permaculture and using spectral imaging to gather big data to solve problems of sustainability, food supply and water.”

In addition to providing exposure to emerging technologies and solutions, growers will learn about topics like genomics, 3-D printing, nanotechnology, robotics and the internet of everything – and their potential impact on three areas: food safety solutions, agricultural input and resource management and production and process improvement.  

“The folks exhibiting and attending really are catalysts for innovation in this industry,” says PMA Chief Science and Technology Officer Dr. Bob Whitaker. “We have a serious need to reduce production costs, boost yields and improve the safety of our products to help our industry bolster consumer confidence and increase the consumption of fresh produce.  The technologies presented and discussed at PMA Tech Knowledge will be critical in helping us accomplish those objectives.”

According to a press release, attendees can also experience additional innovative technologies at the Royse Law Silicon Valley AgTech Conference in Mountain View, California on May 11.

PMA members can further explore the impact of technology on the produce industry and how it will be used to drive the industry over the next decade via a free webinar on June 17 that will recap selected highlights from Tech Knowledge and explore consumer perceptions of technology and its use in the food industry

PMA Tech Knowledge