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Iowa AgriTech Accelerator will introduce its class of 2017, name executive director Tuesday

June 8, 2017

The class of 2017 for the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator will be announced Tuesday along with an announcement naming an executive director, according to a release issued Thursday afternoon.

The announcements will begin at 10 a.m. Tuesday, June 13 at the World Food Prize in Des Moines.

According to the release, The Iowa AgriTech Accelerator spent the last five months finding startups to participate in its inaugural class. Over 50 professionals from the agriculture, insurance, legal, marketing and startup community will participate as mentors for the 100-day program.

Startups this year will receive intensive mentoring and $40,000 in seed funding along with field trips to investor and mentor companies. They will also have office time for presentation and networking opportunities, education and outreach.

The program starts July 10 and ends with graduation at the World Food Prize on October 20.

The Accelerator is in collaboration with the Greater Des Moines Partnership and Cultivation Corridor.

The investors are:

• Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company

• Kent Corporation

• Grinnell Mutual Reinsuance Co.

• John Deere

• The People Company

• DuPont Pioneer

• Sukup Manufacturing Co.

• Scott McEntee

Iowa AgriTech Accelerator will introduce its class of 2017, name executive director Tuesday | Clay & Milk

A central Iowa ag-tech accelerator has secured more backers and finally has a name. The Greater Des Moines Partnership first announced the accelerator last year, naming four initial investors. On Monday, the Partnership said the program will be called the "Iowa AgriTech Accelerator" and named three new investors. The new investors include Grinnell Mutual, Kent Corp. and Sukup Manufacturing, all Iowa companies. They join investors Deere & Co., Peoples Co., Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Co. and DuPont Pioneer. Each investor has agreed to put up $100,000 for the first year of the accelerator. Startups entering the program will receive $40,000 in seed funding in exchange for 6 percent equity. Tej Dhawan, an angel investor and local startup mentor, is serving as interim director until the AgriTech Accelerator names a permanent leader. Dhawan held a similar role with the GIA before Brian Hemesath was named as managing director. As interim director, Dhawan said his main job includes hiring the accelerator's executive director, establishing a business structure and initial recruiting for the first cohort. The accelerator will place few filters, such as location and product, on the applicant pool, Dhawan said. "When you’re seeking innovation, innovation can come from every corner of the world so why restrict ourselves," he said. One area the the AgriTech Accelerator won't recruit from is biotech. For its first cohort, the AgriTech Accelerator will work out of the GIA's space in Des Moines' East Village, Dhawan said. A future, permanent home is still to be decided. The accelerator's program will host startups from mid-July through mid-October, ending with an event connected to the annual World Food Prize. The GIA, which the AgriTech Accelerator is based on, also ends with presentations at an industry event. The accelerator has also started lining up a mentor pool. The Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have agreed to provide mentors, as has Iowa State University. While the AgriTech Accelerator is loosely based off of the GIA, it will differ in its business structure, Dhawan said. The GIA runs through a for-profit model for both operations and its investment fund. The AgriTech Accelerator will have a nonprofit model for its operations and a for-profit setup for its fund. Dhawan said the nonprofit model is being used so the accelerator can better work with other nonprofit partners, such as trade associations. "These are all organizations that are nonprofits and can be amazing stakeholders without ever having to be investors in the accelerator," he said. "It becomes easier to work with trade associations in their nonprofit role when we are also a nonprofit." When it's up and running, the AgriTech Accelerator would be one of a handful of ag-focused startup development programs in Iowa. Others include the Ag Startup Engine out of Iowa State University and the Rural Ventures Alliance from Iowa MicroLoan. Matthew Patane is the managing editor and co-founder of Clay & Milk. Send him an email at mpatane@clayandmilk.com.

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