Aug 7, 2019

AgHelp receives more support to expand its labor services

Agtech company AgHelp (aghelpusa.com) has been accepted into the 2019 Techstars Impact Accelerator Program.

According to a news release, AgHelp has built a marketplace for agricultural employers, workers, and support services to connect on any device. The Techstars Worldwide Network helps entrepreneurs succeed by helping founders make connections and giving access to robust resources globally. Each year, Techstars Impact selects ten teams to join the three month, mentorship-driven accelerator.

While investing $120,000 in the companies, Techstars provides hands-on mentorship and access to the Techstars Network for life. All of these resources will help AgHelp scale as the company seeks to onboard over 10 thousand additional employers over the next four years. AgHelp was created to resolve the agricultural labor shortage by connecting workers to agricultural jobs and basic life resources (i.e. health clinics, education, and training programs).

The American Farm Bureau Federation estimates that the agricultural industry could lose up to 60 Billion dollars in agricultural production due to the shortage of labor. Over 30 percent of farm workers are at or below the federal poverty level. This is why the connection to local federal, state, and nonprofits that assists this workforce is critical. These support resources are also being under utilized by 43% nationally. AgHelp leverages its technology platform, and industry-centered design to provide modern, convenient services at a cost of $30 per job post. 

Founded in 2016 by Feliciano Paredes and Sadoc Paredes, AgHelp was accepted to the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator in 2018 and is part of the 2019 TechStars Impact class. The company launched its platform nationally March of 2019. To date, the company has onboard 15 employers, 400+ workers, and has had over 40 support agencies that have created profiles.

Speaking on the funding, AgHelp’s CEO, Feliciano Paredes said, “This funding fuels our next phase of growth, allowing us to increase our reach into the worker community and solidifying the strategic partnership we’ve been working on with employers and support agencies in order to grow our marketplace. As former farm workers we’ve seen, first hand, the challenges that employers face in trying to connect with labor and the struggles this workforce has in connecting with basic life resources. We’re ready to make a social and economic impact on this industry and the entire ecosystem.” 

Earlier investors in AgHelp include Iowa AgriTech Accelerator and the Techstars Impact Accelerator. 

The Techstars Worldwide Network helps entrepreneurs make the connections and access the proven resources they need to succeed. Each year, Techstars impact selects ten teams to join our three-month, mentorship-drive accelerator, investing $120k and providing hands-on mentorship and access to the Techstars Network for life.