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TAI holds first Innovation Roundtable on artificial intelligence

July 18, 2018

TAI held their first quarterly Innovation Roundtable on Tuesday. It was an interactive panel and group discussion looking at the challenges that come with preparing for the future of AI and its impacts on businesses.

The prospects of AI are being highly publicized, and there is a large disconnect between the aspirational picture of the AI-powered world and the way companies operate today. The discussion largely focused on the practical aspects of getting ready for AI.

The session began with three different panelists sharing their experience working with AI or plans to use AI across multiple sectors and a brief outline of some of the challenges of getting ready to take advantage of AI tools.

Following the panelists, the roundtable moved into a group discussion where people had a chance to asked panelists questions and share their plans, concerns and general thoughts of the future of AI.

These were the three panelists at the roundtable:

Daniel Ahmed – Daniel is part of the office of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry and Cabinet Affairs and the Future for the United Arab Emirates. He is helping develop the United Arab Emirates National AI Strategy under the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence. Daniel joined the discussion by webcam from Dubai.

Shashaanka Ashili – Shashaanka is an entrepreneur focused on bringing consumer-centric solutions by leveraging IoT and AI. He guides AI development at SmartDrivinc to streamline data acquisition and to maintain data integrity. In addition, he advises biomedical companies in leveraging AI for personalized medicine.

Patrick Dahlen – Patrick is a Director at Ventech Solutions in Urbandale and works with healthcare payers and providers to provide thought leadership and tools that enable exceptional customer service. His focus is on human-centered design and providing solutions that optimize the user experience and challenge existing paradigms of doing business.

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TAI holds first Innovation Roundtable on artificial intelligence | 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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