ITHACA — The 20 finalists in this year’s Grow-NY competition — including two Ithaca companies — will pitch their business plans at the virtual Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit, scheduled for Nov. 17 and 18.

The Ithaca firms, Halomine and Norwhey, are among the finalists announced Sept. 16 in the second year of the state’s $3 million Grow-NY competition.

Halomine develops anti-microbial products to ensure the safety of the food supply. Norwhey seeks to transform New York state’s yogurt whey into “delicious and sustainable” alcoholic beverages, as described in a news release from the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo. 

Grow-NY is a food innovation and agriculture technology business challenge focused on enhancing the emerging food, beverage, and agriculture innovation cluster in Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier.

The finalists also include two firms from Rochester. Leep Foods grows organic mushrooms using regenerative soil methods on “nutrient-enriched” American hardwoods for consumers and restaurants. Crystal Creek Organics converts soluble phosphorous in liquid manure into a non-soluble, revenue-generating, solid by-product.

In all, 264 startups applied from 27 countries, including Israel, Germany, and Argentina. In the U.S., 26 states were represented, including 98 entries from New York. 

A panel of 30 independent judges — which included food, beverage, and agriculture businesses and academics — reviewed all the applications to determine the top 20 finalists.

Grow-NY will award a total of $3 million in prize money to seven winners. This includes a $1 million top prize, two $500,000 prizes and four $250,000 prizes.

Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement is administering the competition and Empire State Development is providing funding for the Grow-NY contest through its Upstate Revitalization Initiative connected with the three regions — CNY Rising, Finger Lakes Forward, and Southern Tier Soaring. 

The winner will be required to make a positive economic impact in the Grow-NY region, which features counties within Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier.

Other finalists

Besides Halomine, Norwhey, Leep Foods, and Crystal Creek Organics, the group of Grow-NY finalists also includes the following companies: 

• AgTrace of Florianopolis, Brazil, which provides a traceability product that incorporates farming information and captures, stores, and processes data while connecting stakeholders

• ARPAC of Porto Alegro, Brazil, which creates and integrates heavy-lifting drones that apply pesticides in a fast and localized manner, “with uniformity and precision,” per the Grow-NY release. 

• Asarasi of Katonah, New York (Westchester County), a firm that recovers the wasted 97 percent maple water by-products of the maple industry, providing a “sustainable alternative” to traditional bottled water  

• brytlife foods of Kerhonkson, New York (Ulster County), which crafts sustainably sourced vegan artisanal cheese and yogurt with “next level nutrition from 100 % plants” 

• Re-Nuble of New York City, a firm that “transforms food waste into industrial-grade, water soluble, organic hydroponic nutrients for soilless farming,” as described in the release.

• Ripe.io of New York City, which provides a platform to access transparent and reliable information on the origin, journey, and quality of one’s food

• Candidus of Hull, Georgia, which develops “cost-effective” supplemental lighting strategies and control systems for commercial greenhouse operations  

• FreshSource of Giza, Egypt, a firm that “empowers smallholder farmers by connecting them to fair, modern and transparent markets” 

• InnerPlant of Davis, California, which “genetically transforms plants into living sensors” to increase yield and reduce agrochemical waste 

• Nordetect of Copenhagen, Denmark, which provides “rapid” chemical analysis for nutrients in the agri-food industry 

• PittMoss of Ambridge, Pennsylvania, a firm that produces a “next generation growing media that is proven to grow bigger, stronger plants than most peat-based mixes”

• PureSpace of Busan, South Korea, which extends shelf-life and improves food safety by decomposing ethylene gas, airborne mold, and viruses “effectively and efficiently” 

• Simply Good Jars of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a company that expands access to sustainable, restaurant quality meals in a “convenient, pre-packaged format”

• SoFresh of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, a firm that manufactures a “unique” packaging material with an organic vapor to extend the shelf life of fresh bread 

• Soos Technology of Kidron, Israel, which “mitigates male-chick culling by transforming male chickens into egg-laying females”

• Zetifi of New South Wales, Australia, which enables farmers to access “fast and reliable” connectivity across the entirety of their property