Chicago and Indiana startups lead with $25,000 AgriNovus Velocity awards

AgriNovus Indiana recently announced the winners of its inaugural Velocity accelerator program, an initiative designed to foster innovation across food and agtech. The program, launched to help inspire tech-enabled businesses in addressing pressing challenges within the sector, culminated in a Demo Day event held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Each of the three winning startups received $25,000 to further develop their technologies, targeting distinct categories: BioInnovation, Farmer-Focused Innovation, and Food is Health.

The BioInnovation category: 

Integrated Dynamics, based in Chicago, won the BioInnovation category. According to AgriNovus, the company offers a High-Temperature Fermentation (HTF) biomanufacturing platform to help customers leverage existing infrastructure to process low-cost biomass for new markets.  This technology is designed to integrate with current biomanufacturing systems to convert low-cost feedstocks into high-value products, with the aim of improving biomanufacturing efficiency and sustainability.

Farmer-Focused Innovation category: 

Indianapolis-based NanoBio Designs secured the top spot. The company provides rapid, on-site DNA testing services for seed suppliers and grain distributors. Their technology aims to enable users to quickly verify the presence, absence, or levels of specific genetic markers in seed samples, streamlining the seed quality assessment process and enhancing supply chain efficiency, according to AgriNovus Indiana’s announcement

Food is Health Category: 

NutriPop, a startup from South Bend, won the Food is Health category with its snack made from popped water lily seeds. The company’s product addresses consumer demand for high-protein, low-calorie, plant-based snacks with the snack reputedly containing 67% less fat, 20% fewer calories, and 50% more protein than traditional popcorn. 

Geoff Zentz, Senior director of innovation at AgriNovus Indiana, stated that Velocity was launched to inspire innovation addressing the critical forces of change shaping the future of the food and agbioscience economy, spanning the value chain from farm to consumer. The program ran over six months and attracted 42 participating teams who presented their solutions at Demo Day.

This accelerator is backed by several partners, including the Indiana Corn Marketing Council, Indiana Soybean Alliance, Elevance Health, Beck’s Hybrids, Ag Alumni Seed, and Gutwein Law. These organizations view Velocity as important for nurturing entrepreneurial ventures that may drive advancements in sustainability, productivity, and health within the agriculture and food sectors.

Registration for the Demo Day event was free and open to the public, reflecting AgriNovus’s commitment to fostering community engagement and collaboration within the agbioscience industry.

The achievements of Integrated Dynamics, NanoBio Designs, and NutriPop illustrate the breadth of innovation supported by the program, helping meet the evolving demands of agriculture suppliers and consumers.