ICL Planet Startup Hub Launches activity in Brazil 

As ecosystem partner of the Brazil based AgTech Garage, the Planet offers start-ups in Brazil investment support and fast-track to the marketplace

Tel Aviv, Israel; Dec 1st, 2022 – ICL (NYSE: ICL) (TASE: ICL), a leading global specialty minerals and specialty chemicals company, today announced it has launched ICL Planet Startup Hub activity in Barzil in its quest to invest in startups focused on new ways to address global challenges in food and agricultural production.  These challenges range from increasing yields and tackling food insecurity, to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

ICL Planet was created as an innovation catalyst serving early stage, pilot-ready start-ups, as well as more mature, market-ready start-ups operating within the agriculture and foodTech domains.  The initiative was driven to advance and nurture game-changing technology companies active in addressing critical global needs and making a positive and sustainable environmental impact. Activity was first launched in 2021, ICL Planet has so far 4 portfolio companies: CropX, Protera Biosciences, Plantible Foods and Lavie Bio.   “ICL Planet Startup Hub seeks to establish a new generation of plant nutrition and foodtech solutions, and our aim is to invest in startups, which can make a meaningful difference,” said Hadar Sutovsky, vice president of External Innovation at ICL Group “We seek start-ups aligned with our organization on sustainability values and product direction,” stresses Sutovsky.  “The goal is to synergize efforts and know-how to meet the fundamental needs of our customers and to work together solve key challenges in the food and agri industries.  Start-ups that join us benefit from our corporation’s accrued wisdom and advanced infrastructure, and to attain a fast-track route to commercialization.”

ICL Growing Solutions Division mission is to Become a major, driving force in the global transformation of the advanced Ag-Solutions field; proactively push the industry frontier in the major growing markets while providing growers’ distinctive, novel solutions supporting their emerging needs. “The Brazilian market is a significant market to ICL, it’s growing rapidly (8-10% CAGR), but to shift gravity to where the opportunity evolves is not enough” says Ithamar Prada, vice president of Marketing and Innovation, South America “we must continue to develop our innovative offering in terms of next generation
crop-nutrition portfolio, services and beyond nutrition solutions in order to become a true leader of change” continued Prada.

Based in Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil, AgTech Garage is one of the most important Ag innovation hubs in the Brazilian ecosystem it thrives to bridge the gap between, startups, producers, investors, academics and other stakeholders of the agricultural innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem to develop technical solutions that increase the sustainability and competitiveness of the Brazilian Agribusiness. Agtech Garage and ICL have joined forces in the Brazilian ecosystem to develop next generation of crop nutrition and food tech startups, “Through this ecosystem partnership, Agtech Garage aims to support startups’ in scaling up and, at the same time, support ICL in finding the best startups, which match their innovation challenges.  Our team is working on identifying startups looking to partner and to help tap into the innovation unmet needs for ICL via its ICL Planet” said Tomé José, CEO AgTech Garage. “To excel in innovation, the AgTech Garage actively connects startups to top tier players in the global agri industry and having ICL and ICL Planet as a partner will gain our startups with a meaningful collaboration including market access, expertise and world class scientists, as well as the ability for sample testing” Tomé José added.

Startups interested in partnering with ICL Planet Startup Hub should contact AgTech Garage to arrange an introduction.

About ICL

ICL Group is a leading global specialty minerals company, which also benefits from commodity upside.  The company creates impactful solutions for humanity’s sustainability challenges in the global food, agriculture and industrial markets.  ICL leverages its unique bromine, potash and phosphate resources, its passionate team of talented employees, and its strong focus on R&D and technological innovation, to drive growth across its end markets.  ICL shares are dually listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (NYSE and TASE: ICL).  The company employs more than 12,000 people worldwide, and its 2022 revenues totaled approximately $9 billion. 

For more information, visit ICL’s website at www.icl-group.com.

To access ICL’s interactive Corporate Social Responsibility report, please click here.

You can also learn more about ICL on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

For more information on ICL America Do Sul, visit ICL-ADS’s website at https://iclamericadosul.com/. 

About ICL Planet Startup Hub

ICL Group is a leading global specialty minerals company, which creates impactful solutions for humanity’s sustainability challenges in the global food, agriculture and industrial markets.  ICL Planet Startup Hub is the vehicle in which ICL cultivates, nurtures, and accelerates innovation and technologies in the AgriFood tech ecosystem. It seeks to invest and grow disruptive companies that can favorably affect the industries it works in and leads.

For more information, visit ICL Planet website at https://www.icl-planet.com/. 

You can also learn more about ICL on  LinkedIn.

About AgTech Garage

AgTech Garage is an innovation hub specializing in agribusiness. Created in 2017, today it has more than 80 large partner companies, leaders in their segments, and more than 1050 startups connected in its virtual community. Pioneer in promoting the practice of open innovation in agribusiness, its initiatives, practices and tools are responsible for supporting the competitiveness of its partners in the construction of innovative products and services for an increasingly digital and sustainable agrifood chain. 

For more information, visit Agtech Garage website at https://www.agtechgarage.com/homepage/
You can also learn more about Agtech Garage on LinkedIn. 

Forward Looking Statements

This announcement contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements, many of which can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “should,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate” and “potential,” among others.

Forward-looking statements appear in this press release and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the company’s intent, belief or current expectations.  Forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management.  Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to: estimates, forecasts and statements as to management’s expectations with respect to, among other things, business and financial prospects, financial multiples and accretion estimates, future trends, plans, strategies, positioning, objectives and expectations, general economic, market and business conditions, supply chain and logistics disruptions, the potential for new COVID-19 variants, global unrest and conflict, governmental and regulatory requirements and actions by governmental authorities, including changes in government policy, changes in environmental, tax and other laws or regulations and the interpretation thereof.  As a result of the foregoing, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward‐looking statements contained in this press release concerning the timing of the transaction, or other more specific risks and uncertainties facing ICL, such as those set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of its Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on February 23, 2022, as such risk factors may be updated from time to time in its Current Reports on Form 6-K and other filings ICL makes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

Forward-looking statements refer only to the date they are made, and the company does not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information or future developments or to publicly release any revisions to these statements in order to reflect later events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

For further information, please contact: