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Six startups named winners of 2020 Row Crop Challenge, accepted into AgLaunch365 program

December 23, 2020

After pitching in last week’s AgLaunch Row Crop Challenge, six startup companies have been chosen to participate in the AgLaunch365 program and to potentially receive investment from Innova Memphis and Ag Ventures Alliance.

These companies will spend early 2021 working on refining their business plans as part of the AgLaunch365 program all with the goal of being in the field in May for on-farm trials.

The AgLaunch Row Crop Challenge winners are addressing pain points identified by farmers like worker safety, traceability, weed management, and more.

The six startups are:

Global Neighbor (Dayton, Ohio)

Global Neighbor’s first product for ag, the weed seed destroyer, uses light to make weed seeds collected at harvest non-viable, thereby addressing the problem of escape and herbicide-resistant weeds in grain crops.

Index Biosystems (Toronto, Ontario)

Index Biosystems designs genetic traceability into food system products, like the genetically barcoded yeast product which can be used as a biological label alongside any food system product.

JLI Robotics (Aurora, Nebraska)

The Grain Weevil powered by JLI Robotics is a mobile robot that scurries across the top of the grain inside of a storage bin performing tasks that no human should ever do.

LeafTech Ag (Greenfield, Indiana)

LeafTech Ag provides an integrated handheld digital lab and crop management solution for enhanced crop quality and performance.

ReEnvision Ag (Nora Springs, Iowa)

The ReEnvision Ag Planter system works to allow farmers to plant in more diverse conditions without the pain of compaction the current industry standard causes.

Spornado (Toronto, Ontario)

The Spornado early alert system for crop disease helps growers optimize their pesticide use. The wind-powered air sampler and highly sensitive DNA analysis allows farmers to know when crop disease is in the air long before it is seen in the field, enabling them to spray precisely; saving time, money, and yields.

Previous coverage

Continuum Ag receives $50,000 investment from Ag Startup Engine and Ag Ventures Alliance -Nov. 12, 2020

Innova Memphis invests in Iowa companies as it expands its focus to agtech -Nov. 14, 2018

Tags: 2020 ROW CROP CHALLENGE ag ventures alliance Aglaunch365 Innova Memphis

Six startups named winners of 2020 Row Crop Challenge, accepted into AgLaunch365 program | 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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