22 Winning Startups onboarded into KIC Incubation Program

Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC) Ghana has officially onboarded 22 youth-led agribusiness startups into its flagship Business Incubation Program, following the successful conclusion of the 2025 AgriTech Challenge Pro. This brings to a total of 81 start-up businesses within KIC’s portfolio.

The onboarding marks the beginning of a new phase of structured business development for the winning teams, who were selected during the pitch event on May 22–23, 2025, at the KNUST Business School in Kumasi. The event organised by KIC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, brought together 43 promising teams from 16 Academic institutions all over the 16regions of Ghana to pitch transformative agritech solutions aimed at reshaping Ghana’s agricultural landscape.

The top 22 teams emerged as winners and received seed funding ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. These teams are now officially enrolled in the KIC Incubation Program, a structured support system designed to help startups validate their business models, build investor-ready ventures, and scale their operations sustainably.

“This next phase is where ideas turn into investable, scalable businesses. We are excited to work closely with these 22 teams as they transition from innovative concepts to agribusinesses that will create jobs, enhance food security, and solve real-world challenges”. Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, Executive Director of KIC, stated

What the Incubation Program Entails:

Over the next 18 to 24 months, the startups will benefit from:

• Seed funding support• Tailored business coaching and mentorship• Investor readiness training and pitch development• Access to technical experts and industry leaders• Physical workspace and business development support• Opportunities to connect with national and international investors

Some of the newly Incubated Startups

• PureLube – Awarded $25,000 for its innovation in producing eco-friendly industrial lubricants from cashew shells.• EcoBroma – Received $20,000 for developing sustainable cocoa value-added products.• Other $10,000 and $5,000 recipients include:o Zenags Organics, Mushplus Agri-Foods, Fibrelux, Danny Machinery, Soyko Agro Foods, BioSpace Gh, and Peanut Pride, among others.

These teams are tackling challenges across various sectors such as plant-based protein production, agri-mechanization, organic fertilizers, circular economy solutions, and digital agriculture.

Driving Ghana’s Agribusiness Transformation

The KIC Business Incubation Program is a cornerstone of KIC’s mission to nurture a generation of young, innovative agripreneurs. The initiative provides the critical tools and support systems needed to ensure these ventures become resilient, investment-ready businesses capable of contributing to Ghana’s economic development. Working in partnership with 16 universities and agricultural colleges across the country, KIC’s training and capacity building program ensures that young entrepreneurs are able to grow and nurture their businesses, focusing on building resilient, sustainable agricultural sectors for sustainable development, job creation and youth empowerment.

“Through this program, we are cultivating Ghana’s future agribusiness leaders,” added Kamil Nabong, Portfolio Manager – KIC.

The incubated teams are expected to make measurable strides in:

• Commercializing their products and services• Attracting follow-on funding• Creating employment, particularly for youth and women• Delivering climate-smart and tech-driven agricultural solutions• This brings to a total of 81 start-up businesses within KIC’s portfolio.

With this year’s cohort joining, this brings to a total of 81 active start-up businesses within incubated KIC’s portfolio. KIC businesses in all have raised a total external funding of $22.7m in grants and equity. KIC continues to provide visibility and progress updates on each startup throughout the incubation process, as they transform, grow and scale.

Through KIC’s programs, more than 58,425 young leaders have been trained in business skills, mindset change about agriculture and entrepreneurship through participation in our programs.