AgIntel has been named the winner of the first Florida Chamber Foundation Technology and Innovation Summit Innovation Pitch Competition. The company’s artificial intelligence-powered platform provides large-scale crop insights to help farmers improve yields, cut waste, and increase profitability. AgIntel reports that its technology is supported by enterprise contracts and gross margins above 90 percent.
“I want to thank everyone who put on this event,” said Matt Donovan, CEO & Co-Founder of AgIntel. “I know the Florida Chamber is striving to make Florida a great place for innovation. We built our company in Florida, for Florida’s needs, but also to be able to export to the world…It’s been a pleasure to be able to come here and to participate in this first pitch competition.”
Mark Wilson, President & CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Foundation, commented on the significance of the event: “The Florida Innovation Pitch Competition is an opportunity to showcase the cool innovations being born out of Florida and Florida’s future economy will be driven by innovators, like our five finalists, who solve real-world challenges with scalable solutions. A special congratulations to Matt Donovan and AgIntel for taking home the win. Their work shows how Florida technology can strengthen key industries like agriculture while making Florida more competitive on the global stage.”
The competition featured several startups from across Florida presenting their business solutions before a panel of judges. The judging panel included Kevin Burgoyne from Florida Venture Forum, Frank Downing from ARK Invest, Robert Harvey from Florida Opportunity Fund, Mitchel Laskey from DeepWork Capital, Linda Olson from Tampa Bay Wave, TJ Villamil from eMerge Americas, with Dr. Keith Richard of the Florida Chamber Foundation serving as emcee.
Other finalists were ZoraSafe—founded by Catherine Karow—which develops cybersecurity tools aimed at protecting vulnerable users; VeriChem Inc., led by Jay Letendre, which focuses on forensic technology for drug detection; Baseline Bio under Jimmy Lee pursuing new approaches for Type 1 diabetes treatment; and Energy to Power Solutions (E2P), headed by Dr. Christopher Rey designing superconducting magnets and cryogenic systems for defense applications.
As part of its prize package, AgIntel will present at the 2026 Florida Venture Capital Conference—one of the largest gatherings for venture capitalists nationwide—and participate in eMerge Americas’ Global Startup Accelerator + Showcase program where it will have access to mentorships and networking opportunities.
A follow-up virtual webinar open to summit participants and business leaders is scheduled for September 15 at 11 am as part of ongoing efforts to advance technology leadership in Florida.
The Florida Chamber Foundation describes itself as a statewide research organization focused on long-term strategies for economic competitiveness through initiatives such as improving talent pipelines and fostering innovation-driven growth. Its work is supported by members of its Community Development Partnership Council.