On August 20, 2025, the finalists of the Youth in Agroecology Startup Competition presented their Pitches before the jury.
The day began at 9:30 am with a briefing from the organizers, who outlined the presentation guidelines and reminded finalists that the results would be officially announced at the award event on September 6, 2025. Finalists then proceeded to their waiting rooms for last-minute practice before taking the stage.
Presentations were conducted in alphabetical order, with flexibility in language choice. Each finalist had five minutes to pitch, supported by slides, followed by questions exclusively from the jury.
This moment marked the culmination of an intensive preparation process. Following the two-day coaching and mentorship program held on August 14–15, finalists had spent four days refining their pitches with support from experts. They also received the official Competition Pitch Deck and clear guidance on the evaluation criteria, which included:
- Pitch Delivery (20%) – Clear, confident, and engaging presentation.
- Startup Strength & Potential (50%) – Relevance to agroecology/indigenous foods, feasibility, impact, scalability, and sustainability.
- Implementation Capacity (30%) – Team strength, clarity of plan, and readiness to use resources effectively.
The program concluded with finalists sharing their reflections on the competition journey and expressing their anticipation for the award ceremony on September 6, 2025.
The Youth in Agroecology Startup Competition is organized by the Ethiopian Sustainable Food Systems and Agroecology Consortium (ESFSAC) in partnership with the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA).