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Selection Outcome
Hackathon
Lely invites all entrepreneurial and technical minds to come together at Lely’s first Feed the Future Hackathon to solve today’s dairy farming and agricultural problems for tomorrow’s generation.
We've created a full two-day program of activities for all participants
Startup accelerator Rockstart will provide a mentor for each team
Team up with students, farmers, startups and industry professionals
We welcome all ideas, even if they are not set up as a business yet
Learn from experienced trainers and specially designed workshops.
Meet people from the industry, plus our special guest speakers
Unlock the business potential of your idea and pitch your startup
A special prize will be awarded to the winner of the hackathon
We have chosen certain themes to guide the hackathon, all these themes are pressing issues that today's farmers are facing. Participants can submit a challenge within one of the themes that they feel is important to tackle.
After decades of globalizations of our food supply system, where mass production is at the centre, we have recently seen that this global complex supply chain is being disrupted by Covid19 - how can we then better involve local small farmers to ensure that we fulfil global demand?
The increasing awareness of consumers of the dairy industry has led the industry to be held more accountable for the way that they take care of the cows. Given that when the cows are treated properly and are happy they actually produce more milk, there is definitely a productivity and an ethical motivation to ensure proper animal welfare. Therefore how can we ensure that farmers can meet increasing standards of animal welfare and produce cost efficiently?
Recent developments on the dairy market create severe problems for milk producers. In many European countries farms are closing down due to the low level of milk prices paid by the processing industry and the retail sector. This leads to farmers looking to other revenue streams. How can we ensure that farmers are going to be making a living from their dairy farming?
Last year Lely launched their Feed the Future Challenge where they scouted for the next generation of tech startups that were addressing the problems and needs of farming. Because of its success and the diversity of solutions Lely wants to see what other talent is out there by launching this hackathon.
The farming innovators
Innovation is part of Lely's DNA since its foundation in 1948. The family business started as a ‘studio for invention’ and became a global pioneer and leading supplier of robotics and farm management data for the dairy farm. Lely invented the milking robot, which is recognized as the most important invention of the 20th century for dairy farmers. With its unique distribution network, Lely gives access to at least 70% of the professional dairy farmers around the globe providing them with all types of robots for feeding, milking and maintenance of stables.
With a focus on solving farming problems and asking questions such as “What does the next generation of farmers need?”, Lely became the leader in robotics and farm management we know today. Their inventions substantially changed traditions in agriculture across the globe. When introducing a product to the market that represents a breakthrough for farming, Lely calls this a ‘Yellow Revolution’. This Yellow Revolution concept started in 2005. Since then, ten Yellow Revolutions have launched.
Lely has joined forces with numerous organisations worldwide to make life in the agricultural sector easier and work towards a sustainable, profitable and enjoyable future. Now they are looking for new talent and a pool of ideas to discover new solutions that will revolutionise, innovate and address the needs of farming today and in the future!
