Yes Bank Launches Start-Up Enabler Program for Food & Agri Sector; Eligibility Criteria Inside

YES BANK has announced the launch of an annual startup enabler program, YES BANK Agri Infinity, with the goal of co-developing digital finance solutions for the food and agriculture ecosystem through the mentorship of entrepreneurial ventures in the field.

Early and growth stage entrepreneurs interested in investigating tech-enabled financial innovations in the agri domain are invited to apply with their proposals as part of the agri-fintech enabler program. Those that meet the eligibility criteria will be given the direction and support they need to develop and implement their solutions across the agricultural value chain.

Through the initiative, a select cohort of startups will not only receive mentoring by veteran bankers for experiential co-development, but will also have access to YES BANK's digital banking infrastructure and network, collaborative opportunities to pilot innovative solutions, and fundraising advisory through the project.

"Fintech innovations in agribusiness are critical to advancing sustainable growth of the Indian agri-food industry," stated Prashant Kumar, MD & CEO of YES BANK. “Our initiative seeks to connect businesses to a dynamic innovation ecosystem by encouraging information exchange and the creation of tech-enabled financial solutions for scalable agricultural models.

The program's learning and collaboration opportunities will assist participants in building and testing their solutions in the market, with subsequent assistance in scaling the solutions."

The enabling program, which is now accepting applications, seeks expressions of interest from agritech startups working on financial innovations, pivoting into agri-fintech or considering prototyping and scaling out fintech solutions throughout the food and agricultural value chain.

The program will last up to six months, depending on the solution's maturity and readiness. It will culminate in a demo day that will explore the potential for partnered engagements for scale-up.

Startup profile and the assistance they will receive:

Who is eligible to apply?

• Agri-fintech businesses developing financial innovations across the food and agricultural value chain, such as origination, farmer onboarding, farmer KYC, credit scoring, risk assessment, monitoring and mitigation, disbursement and recovery solutions, and cash management systems, among others.

• Food and agritech start-ups

• Pivoting towards agri-fintech and exploring the possibility of adding a financial layer to their core offering

• Considering developing and deploying advanced digital cash management and transaction banking solutions throughout the food and agriculture value chain