DTexH2o, an alarm system that detects wash-up water in the milk line before it enters the vat, designed to avoid waste and loss of milk quality, has taken the Most Viable Business prize in the Fieldays Innovation Den.

It was one of nine ventures whose teams pitched to an audience of more than 100 investors and business leaders, organised in partnership with Waikato incubator Soda.

DTexH2o’s award was worth $15,000.

“We were blown away by what we learned through Soda’s intensive workshop programme in the lead up to this event,” says Alison Franklin, a member of DTexH20.

LiquidStrip won the Gallagher Brilliant Simplicity award, worth $3000. LiquidStrip offers a continuous filtration system designed to efficiently separate liquids and solids from dairy waste effluent.

Gallagher research and development director, Rob Heebink, said it was a “brilliant piece of engineering that solves a major environmental issue in the dairy industry, with crossover into other sectors”.

Ice Cycle won the $1000 Angel Association Best Pitch award for a pitch that explained the market opportunity for its snap milk chiller capable of cooling milk from the cow to the vat in three seconds.

“International investors recognise that New Zealand is a world leader in the agriculture industry. This often makes it easier for international companies to enter offshore markets and the end result is the growth of New Zealand’s overall economy,” said executive director of membership-based investment network Enterprise Angels, Bill Murphy.