The second edition of the Techstars Farm to Fork Accelerator is set to begin soon. This year, eleven companies from around the world have been selected to participate.

The chosen firms, which range in development stage, tackle a host of food industry challenges, including food security and safety, agriculture technology, and supply chain management.

The 11 companies chosen for the 2019 accelerator are:

• Contain—An indoor agriculture alternate finance company based in Reno, Nevada
• ConverSight—An Indianapolis-based business insight platform
• EcoPlant—An energy efficiency service based in Tel Aviv, Israel
• Food for All—A Boston and New York-based app aimed at reducing food waste by offering discounted leftover food meals from restaurants and cafes
• Imago AI—A Gurgaon, India-based plant breeding automation program
• Magic AI—A Seattle, Washington-based company providing animal vision-based machine learning technology
• Otrafy—A supply-chain management solutions company based in Melbourne, Australia and Vancouver, Canada
• Phood—A Boston-based food waste reduction solutions company
• PurPics—An Austin-based picture-driven promotion and fundraising platform
• Trackter—A supply-chain data management solution, based in Atlanta
• Transparent Kitchen—An Ottawa-based customized dining experience program

During the 13-week program, the participating startups will receive mentoring from execs at Wayzata-based Cargill and St. Paul-based Ecolab, as well as access to the companies’ connections and investment capital. (Cargill and Ecolab co-fund the program.)

Last year, Boulder, Colorado-based Techstars launched the Farm to Fork Accelerator program in partnership with Cargill and Ecolab. The companies have supported the accelerator to supplement their own efforts to solve global food and sustainability challenges. Cargill CIO Justin Kershaw said those efforts require “partnership and fresh, innovative ideas,” and the accelerator fosters that kind of partnership and innovation.

“Having the brightest minds in food and ag tech in Cargill and Ecolab’s backyards provides an amazing opportunity to infuse startup energy into our company, while also helping bring critical solutions to scale,” Kershaw said.

Following completion of the accelerator, the companies will present their businesses at Demo Day on Oct. 15, during Twin Cities Startup Week.

“We’re excited to build on last year’s success, leveraging the expertise of Cargill and Ecolab, Techstars’ proven accelerator model, and the entrepreneurial energy of each of the startup companies’ founders,” said Techstars Farm to Fork accelerator managing director Brett Brohl. “Together we are helping entrepreneurs build their business, secure capital, expand their reach and ultimately have a positive impact on the food industry and society.”