500 Startups’ new bets include email manners, farming, skincare – a sneak-peek

Dave McClure greets people in the 500 Startups restroom! Photo credit: Tech in Asia.

In the heart of San Francisco on Mission Street, Dave McClure and his team at 500 Startups are on a mission to change the world. Tech in Asia gets a sneak preview of the 16th and the largest ever batch of 500 Startups with over 50 companies.

The accelerator runs four batches per year and invests about US$125,000 in each startup for a 5 percent equity share. Its portfolio includes startups like Twillio, GrabTaxi, Udemy, and CreditKarma.

With all-you-can-drink-and-eat offerings, a come-anytime environment, and some of the world’s best startup entrepreneurs under one roof, it is one of the biggest idea factories for tech startups.

Here’s a pick from its latest string of startups.

Turn a farmer without owning any land

Ever wanted to be a farmer but don’t have any land to cultivate? Or maybe just wished to improve the lives of farmers while reaping a high return on investment from harvested crops?

Jakarta-based iGrow is trying to do just that. It is turning city dwellers into farmers at the click of a button.

The entrance to 500 Startups, San Francisco. Photo credit: TechinAsia.

The startup has a network of about 2000+ farmers and 1200+hectares of plantation. Investors can buy seeds of crops such as peanuts, banana, durian, longan,appl e fruit, etc.

The startup has a network of over 2,000 farmers and 1200 hectares of plantation. Investors can buy seeds of crops such as peanuts, banana, durian, longan and apple fruit.

The company was started in 2014 by software developer Andreas Senjaya, who hails from a farming family.

The platform has about 1,000 investors or ‘backers’ – as Andreas likes to call them.

Check if you were polite before sending that email

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