León, Guanajuato, Mexico, August 7, 2024 – The EXPLORA Science Center buzzed with excitement on July 27^th for the LEON AGTECH SUMMIT 2024. Organized by the Kirchner Impact Foundation and the Innovation Directorship Municipality of León, the annual event gathered leading innovators, investors, and experts in the agtech sector for a day of inspiration and collaboration.

The event kicked off with Guillermo Romero Pacheco, Secretary of Economic Development for the Municipality of León, celebrating the six-year partnership between León and the Kirchner Impact Foundation. He passionately spoke about how entrepreneurship is key to advancing agriculture and agtech, setting the tone for an inspiring event.

The Summit highlighted the vibrant agtech ecosystem in Central Mexico and included the 5^th iteration of its early-stage company Pitch Competition. Ten finalists presented their groundbreaking companies and projects, ranging from innovative production systems and IoT applications to nutritious food products. The winners were:

• Perseverance Award: Kulaiset, for their home system cultivating exotic mushrooms like shiitake.
• People’s Choice Award: Xigea, for their “cold plasma” technology that disinfects fruits and vegetables without chemicals.
• Champion: Mezquilate, for their technology converting mezquite pods into nutritious food, also praised for its social impact on mezquite-harvesting communities.

Prizes included $5,000 USD cash and in-kind advisory services from Kirchner Group and Loom Capital, as well as tickets to the World Agritech Innovation Summit 2024 in Mexico City.

Keynote speakers also shared their wisdom and experiences on topics such as investment strategies, measuring impact in early-stage projects, and the challenges and importance of agriculture.  Adding a touch of local culture, Guanajuato’s own Blues Demon performed, infusing the event with energy and ending the day on a high note.

“I attend agtech events regularly and I can honestly say that this was a world class event that skillfully blended information and inspiration, commented Dr. Terry Hofecker, Chief Technology Officer of Soil1 LLC. “I’m leaving with new ideas and valuable connections that will help push our company forward.”

“It’s incredible to see so many innovative solutions tackling real-world problems in agriculture,” said Maria Sanchez, a participant at the Summit. “Events like this showcase the talent and creativity that can drive significant change.”

“As global challenges persist, events like this are crucial for fostering innovation and collaboration.” concluded Adrian Garcia, Lead Director, Kirchner Fellowship Mexico.