FAQs - The/Nudge Cisco Agri Challenge

1. Who is eligible to apply?

Cisco Agri Challenge is open to individuals, groups of individuals(upto 10) that have a solution that increases profitability for the small farmers of India.

you must have a registered organisation (for, or not-for profit) by May 2021 in order to receive a grant.

2. I have an existing organization. Can I apply?

Yes, existing organisations may apply for the challenge. You must however compete as a team of 10 or fewer individuals.

3. What will the contestants get?

The challenge is designed to offer stage appropriate support to all high potential contestants.

The knowledge series from jan - mar ‘21 will be open to all contestants. this includes immersion opportunities and webinars on a wide range of topics.

Semifinalists will receive go-to-market support to get user feedback on their solution prototype. all semifinalists will be connected to a wide network of incubators and accelerator programs to raise grants outside the challenge.

Finalists will receive milestone grants of INR 15 lacs each.

Winner and runner-up will receive grants of INR 1 Cr and INR 25 lacs respectively incubation support by NSRCEL, IIM Bangalore.

4. Will some financial support be provided during the pilot phase/implementation phase?

A milestone grant of INR 15 lacs will be awarded to five finalists which can be used during the implementation phase.

5. How can I register for the challenge?

You can register for the challenge by clicking here.

6. Where can I submit my detailed application?

You can submit your application by clicking here.

7. What is the deadline for detailed application?

Feb 28, 2021

8. My solution is not a tech solution. Can I submit it?

You are free to submit any solution that serves the problem statement. while the challenge seeks to bridge the digital divide in agriculture, any innovation with potential for scale is a worthy candidate.

9. Is there any age restriction to participate in the challenge?

No. There is no such restriction.

10. When will the semi-finalists and finalists be declared?

Kindly refer to the timelines section on home page.

11. Are you looking for a solution in a particular agricultural domain?

No. the solutions can come from any domain or stage of intervention in the agriculture cycle.

12. Will there be a designated number of hours/days I will have to put in during these 18 months?

We expect the challenge to be very competitive, with a lot of teams committing full-time, and rallying a base of supporters to accelerate their progress towards the goals of the challenge. however, there is no mandated number of hours/days which is expected to invest from your side.

13. How much travel should one expect during the fellowship?

There is no prescribed travel for the challenge other than what is needed to achieve the challenge goals. however, we may require you to travel for pitch days and grand events (contingent on COVID-19 travel and event restrictions).

14. Are there any other opportunities to get seed funding other than the announced grant?

During the course of the challenge, we will hold shark tank events with our investor circle which may provide the contestants an opportunity to pitch before the investors and engage with them outside the challenge.

15. Will I have to provide data during the different phases of the challenge?

Yes. we will collect data and updates from you in a standard format at regular intervals starting april which will help us to keep track of the progress you are making as well as showcase the updates on different channels.

16. Can I submit more than one solution?

Yes. you are free to do that provided each of these solutions meets the eligibility criteria

17. Is the Agri Challenge affiliated to any other contests?

The Agri Challenge is an independent contest run by The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation.

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