The High Growth AI Accelerator Showcase for Innovate UK BridgeAI | Agrifood - Digital Catapult

About this event

Across the UK, the agrifood sector is entering a new era of challenges and opportunities. From climate pressures and supply chain disruption to the need for greater sustainability and productivity, the path forward demands smarter, data-driven solutions. Delivered by Digital Catapult as part of Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme, the High Growth AI Accelerator brings together nine AI-first startups with leading agrifood organisations, including Nestlé, Hartpury University, Dale Farm and Peacock Technology, to address the most pressing issues facing the sector today.

Over a 14-week period, participants have collaborated with industry challenge owners to apply AI in practical, high-impact ways. From forecasting milk yields and optimising feed efficiency, to detecting crop disease and monitoring biodiversity, these projects demonstrate the immense potential of AI to increase resilience, reduce carbon emissions and enhance productivity across the agrifood supply chain.

On Thursday 4 December 2025, Digital Catapult will host the High Growth AI Accelerator Showcase at its London headquarters, welcoming industry leaders, and technology specialists to:

Learn how AI and machine learning are driving new efficiencies and sustainability across the agrifood sector.
Explore how deep tech solutions developed through the BridgeAI programme are enabling UK startups to scale and deliver measurable impact.
Discover how the collaboration between industry and innovators is advancing agrifood productivity, resilience and digital transformation.

This showcase event will feature live demonstrations and presentations from the startups, alongside insights from programme partners and industry experts at the forefront of agrifood innovation.

Who should attend?

This event will be of interest to industry leaders, innovators and traditional businesses with an interest in AI solutions that are solving problems in the agrifood industry and ultimately driving forward the UK economy.

Why attend?

This showcase is an excellent opportunity to explore how the High Growth AI Accelerator is enabling deep tech innovation to thrive within one of the UK’s most economically significant sectors.

Get an exclusive introduction to the exciting companies as they share their development story from the programme
Meet the consortium partners of the programme & industry challenge owners including Nestlé, Hartpury University, Dale Farm and Peacock Technology.
Attendees will gain first-hand insight into AI applications that are shaping the future of agrifood, supporting growth, sustainability and resilience in a rapidly changing global landscape.

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AI is revolutionising the food sector by transforming vast data streams into actionable insights—tracking regenerative farming, predicting disease outbreaks, and integrating digital tools into cohesive systems. As climate and food security pressures mount, AI stands as the backbone of resilient, data-driven agricultural transformation. The Innovate UK BridgeAI programme is a fantastic way to identify, support and accelerate novel solutions in this space, we are excited to see the results over the next 12 weeks!
Ryan Mcneill R&D Sustainability Lead at Nestlé Confectionery

What underpins the importance of this intervention is the need to ensure that agrifood businesses will be future-ready and as adaptable as possible to fluctuating yields and unprecedented environmental challenges like we’ve seen this year. Critical to the continued success of this programme is effective collaboration and partnership, and we’re excited to partner with industry leaders like Nestle and Dale Farm to jointly demonstrate how AI can help to solve some of the sector’s most significant challenges and ensure continued growth in the years to come.
Jessica Rushworth Chief Partnerships Officer at Digital Catapult

We are applying machine vision and AI to in dairy farming through automation that enables better animal productivity and welfare, and the BridgeAI initiative has been opening up great new opportunities for collaboration with early-stage companies that align with our ambitions. By working collaboratively, we are seeking to broaden the scope and reach of what is possible and be able to help more farmers use automation and AI to help them achieve significant improvements in efficiency, sustainability, and resilience.
Robert Boyce Sustainability Director at Peacock Technology

This BridgeAI partnership marks a pivotal step forward in our commitment to innovation and operational excellence. By harnessing the power of AI and aligning it with our broader Digital Transformation strategy, we’re laying the foundation for smarter, more agile ways of working across Dale Farm.

Andrew Murray Head of Data & Analytics at Dale Farm

The agrifood sector faces some of the most significant challenges of our time; from supply chain resilience to climate pressures. By supporting AI-first startups through the Innovate UK BridgeAI programme and specialist accelerators, we are giving them the tools, partnerships and confidence to transform bold ideas into scalable solutions. This programme demonstrates how innovation, when coupled with industry expertise, can unlock new growth, sustainability and global leadership for the UK’s agrifood industry.
Sara El-Hanfy Director of AI & Digital at Innovate UK

Large-scale biodiversity monitoring that captures spatial and temporal changes across land use is challenging but is needed not only to address biodiversity decline but also to support new schemes such as Biodiversity Net Gain. Tracking the sounds of wildlife using bioacoustic technology has proved very promising. The support from the Digital Catapult Accelerator Programme and Innovate UK BridgeAI has united experts in bioacoustic monitoring with those in the field to deliver solutions.
Dr Lucy Garrett and Prof Matt Bell at Hartpury University and College

Register your interest now

Agenda

12.00: Lunch & Networking

12.45: Opening Remarks

Joe Butler, Chief Technology Officer, Digital Catapult

12.50: High Growth AI Accelerator for BridgeAI

Ilaria Catalano, Senior Innovation Manager, Digital Catapult

13.00: Panel Discussion: Rethinking efficiency and sustainability through deep technology in the Agrifood sector

Chair: Ilaria Catalano, Senior Innovation Manager, Digital Catapult
Ryan Mcneil, R&D Sustainability Lead (Global Confectionary), Nestlé
Matt Bell, Professor and Director of Agriculture, Hartpury University and Farm
Robert Boyce, Sustainability Director, Peacock Technology
Andrew Murray, Head of Data & Analytics, Dale Farm

13.30: Coffee Break

13.40: Cohort Pitches

Hartpury University challenge

Carbon Rewild
Crop Intellect
Wilder Sensing

Peacock Technology Challenge

FISCROP

14.10: Coffee Break

14.20: Cohort Pitches

Nestlé Challenges

Data Dynamics
Farm Smarter
Mozaic Earth

Dale Farm challenge

Barefoot Lightning
Rubik Technologies

14.50: Closing Remarks

Ilaria Catalano, Senior Innovation Manager, Digital Catapult

14.55: Networking and Demos

16.00: End

Digital Catapult is a deep tech innovation organisation driving business value by accelerating the application of advanced technologies.

Our ambition is to realise the practical application of deep tech through four interventions

The High Growth AI Accelerator Showcase for Innovate UK BridgeAI | Agrifood

About this event

Who should attend?

Why attend?

Register your interest now

Agenda

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