This weekly podcast dives into agbioscience, where agriculture, life sciences and cutting-edge technology converge. Agbioscience is an in-depth conversation with leaders and entrepreneurs across food, animal health, plant science and agtech. This one-of-a-kind podcast offers updates on the latest advancements and future trends from those at the forefront of agbioscience innovation.
He’s an entrepreneur turned venture capitalist and today, he’s on the podcast. Christopher “Toph” Day, the new CEO of Elevate Ventures, joins us to talk about the venture fund’s work in Indiana, helping companies beyond capital and making intentional connections to bring big ideas together. He also digs into the agbiosciences, opportunities for growth and what can be expected ahead for the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Last week, AgriNovus had the privilege of an invitation to The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health where President Biden unveiled a five-pillar strategy to eradicate hunger by 2030. Mitch Frazier had the chance to catch up with the Deputy Under Secretary for USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, Stacy Dean, to discuss this new framework to end hunger and the role of innovation in the agbiosciences to make it possible. Using tech to connect those facing food-insecurity ...
AgTech is Indiana’s fastest growing agbioscience innovation platform and to continue that growth, a top-notch base of talent is required. This week, we are joined by Dennis Trinkle, Executive Vice President of TechPoint, and Sheila Simpson, Chief Human Resources Officer at Intelinair, to talk about a new opportunity to connect agbioscience employers to tech talent: Xtern. Learn how your company can collaborate with TechPoint + AgriNovus to participate in Xtern. Visit here: https://techpoint.org/...
There’s a new kid in town and he’s using artificial intelligence to grow shrimp in shipping containers near downtown Indianapolis. We are joined today by Daniel Russek, founder and CEO of Atarraya, a new Indiana company focused on transforming a nearly $50 billion shrimp industry. He talks about the hurdles he overcame before developing the company’s shipping container system, Shrimpbox, how their controlled environment creates a more sustainable product and when consumers can expect to see Atar...
Purdue University students competed earlier this year with one objective: who can create the best innovation using soybeans? The answer: Team Smulch. This week, we are joined by Zuhal Cakir, Libby Plassard and Ethan Miller, the founders of Smulch, to talk about their innovation, sizing up the competition and what’s next for these young entrepreneurs.
Taranis recently announced a $40M Series D fundraise to fuel growth, focus on global expansion and invest in new technologies. This week, we are joined by Mike DiPaola and Opher Flohr, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Financial and Operations Officer, for a bonus episode to talk about the news, agtech’s evolution and what’s next for Taranis.
Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance serve producers across the state, including value creation and innovation for their operations. This week we are joined by Ben Forsythe, Sustainability and Value Creation Director for the organization, to talk about AgriNovus’ newly announced Producer-Led Innovation Challenge. The Producer-Led Innovation Challenge tasks innovators with optimizing existing on-farm data to create a farmer-focused platform that will increase data accuracy ...
Mick Messman spent some time in Indiana early in his career and as CEO of DPH Biologicals, he is back. This week, he sits down with Mitch Frazier to talk about investor interest in biologicals, their positive environmental impact, DPH Biological’s Indiana operation and what’s next for the company.
Teri Willey’s impressive career has touched many college campuses in our state, and well beyond. This week, the Managing Director of IU Ventures joins us to talk about the next chapter of tech transfer, IU’s investment portfolio and the emergence of new startups operating on the idea of food as medicine.
United Animal Health has long been a leader in animal nutrition and now, they are looking to the future and adding new partnerships. This week, we are joined by Scott Holmstrom, Senior Vice President of Research and Development at United Animal Health, and Joel Harris, Co-Founder of Genvax. They talk about Joel’s recent fundraise, including a strategic investment from United Animal Health, how the two companies align well for a partnership and the future of animal health.
Melissa Proffitt’s career in law spans many industries, but agbioscience stands out to her. This week, the Partner-in-Charge of Client Relations at Ice Miller joins the podcast to talk about her path to becoming a lawyer, feeding the world and what sets Indiana apart.
AgriNovus issued a challenge to the tech community this year: unlock free delivery access to those participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a $100 billion federal program annually. Eleven teams answered the call and brought forth their solutions recently and a panel of judges selected a winner to receive a $25,000 prize to help launch their product to market. This week, we are joined by Geng Wang, the CEO of Civic Champs and winner of the HungerTech Challenge. Geng ...
Purdue University has been hosting the 4th cohort of The Mandela Washington Fellowship with agbioscience innovators from Africa spending time on campus this summer to hone and develop their professional and leadership skills. This week, we are joined by Boaz Berhanu and Molly Abende to talk about their experience with the program this summer. They talk about the critical issues facing their respective communities, what they’ve learned from the program and how they plan to enact change at home on...
How does a medical doctor with decades of helping women conceive children apply their experience and a mindset for innovation toward pregnancy in cows? This week, we are joined by Jim Donahue, founder of Indianapolis-based ReproHealth Technologies. He talks about how the idea came to be, the difference in treating humans versus cows and the future of the company and what they hope to achieve.
When her career started as a basketball coach, one could argue it was foreshadowing a future in Indiana. President of Huntington University, Sherilyn Emberton, joins the podcast this week. She talks about the evolution of the university’s offerings, how they’ve evolved since COVID-19 and the importance of connecting their students to diverse and vast opportunities in agbioscience.
With 11% of the United States population using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, how can innovation create a better way to connect proper nutrition to more people? This week we are joined by Craig Gundersen, Snee Family Endowed Chair at the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty and professor in the Department of Economics at Baylor University. He talks about the role of innovation in food insecurity, the challenges facing the current SNAP system and his recommendati...
Microbiome science is a fast-growing field and Indiana is home to a new company focused on innovation in animal health based on the microbial communities in animals and the surrounding environment. This week, we are joined by Aaron Schacht, CEO of BiomEdit, a company launched by Elanco and Ginkgo Bioworks in 2021. He talks about the criticality of microbiome science in creating healthier animals, the value of revisiting innovative ideas that were once passed over and BiomEdit’s need to continue ...
Living Greens Farm announced in March that they would invest $70M to establish operations in Indiana, a move that will add up to 120 agbisocience jobs to the state. This week, Gerry Dick with Inside INdiana Business is joined by the company’s CEO, George Pastrana, and Melanie Faust, its VP of Supply Chain. They talk about Indiana as a great location to serve Midwest and surrounding area customers, Muncie’s upside for talent and how aeroponics differ from other operations.
Whether it’s 3D printers in food or personalized nutrition, the way consumers eat is continually evolving. On this week’s episode, we are joined by Purdue University’s Food Science Department lead, Senay Simsek. She dives into her work, the importance of carbohydrates, the opening of Purdue’s Food Entrepreneurship Manufacturing Institute and what she sees as the exciting future of food science innovation.
It's a bonus episode! AgriNovus hosted a panel discussion at Indiana's first Global Economic Summit last week and we've got the full session right here. Joining Mitch Frazier was Jeff Simmons, CEO of Elanco, Martha Hoover, Founder of Patachou, Inc., Jean Luc Tete, Founder of Paris-based Horus Impact, and Robert King, EVP of Crop Protection of Corteva Agriscience.
For the first time ever, Indiana Economic Development Corp (IEDC) will host a Global Economic Summit in tandem with The Greatest Spectacle in Racing – The Indianapolis 500. This week, we are joined by IEDC’s SVP of Global Investments, Andrea Richter-Garry, to talk about GES, what attendees can expect, what this means for Indiana and potential surprises that may come from the event. Learn more about GES at iges2022.com...
It’s a bonus episode! This week, we are joined by our very own Senior Director of Innovation, Geoff Zentz, to launch a new challenge to the tech community: HungerTech. The HungerTech Challenge by AgriNovus Indiana will be a month-long technology challenge looking to use mobile-first technology to improve access to nutrition for people using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Running throughout the month of June 2022, the HungerTech Challenge will help entrepreneurs, students, ...
Corteva Agriscience announced Indianapolis would become its global headquarters in March, making them the 4th largest company in the state by market cap and the second publicly-held agbioscience company to choose Indiana in the last 18 months. Susanne Wasson, President of Crop Protection at Corteva, joins the podcast this week to talk innovation in plant science, how it’s shaping a more sustainable future and moving headquarters closer to technology and customers.
Farmers make decisions every day and while variables change year in and year out, one thing remains constant: it all starts with seed. This week, we are joined by CEO of AgReliant Genetics, Paul Nselel. They dive into his career path, from Nike to today, driving on-farm innovation and what’s next for the company.
Inspired by the senses at a young age, Matt Rubin has taken that curiosity to a new level in his adult years. The founder and CEO of True Essence Foods joins us this week to talk all things SoChatti Chocolate, his lingering curiosity driving innovation in food and the company’s approach to sustainability.
Clean resumes. Companies with strong values. Transparency and communication. These are a few things running through the minds of gen-z talent as they search for internships or early-career opportunities. This week, Gerry Dick from Inside INdiana Business is joined by Field Atlas Ambassadors - Baylee Dwenger from Hanover College and Sriya Nagubani of Purdue University for a panel episode about agbioscience, challenges in their search and what they look for in companies while on the job hunt....
Happy Earth Week! Farmers work tirelessly to be good stewards of the land and innovation enables them to make better decisions than ever before. This week, we are joined by Sustainability Lead at Advanced Agrilytics, Jane Stautz. They talk about data science creating actionable insights for farmers, advancing data precision in the future and the ways that agtech is allowing farming to increasingly become more sustainable.
The silver shovels were out this week as Elanco broke ground on their new global headquarters west of downtown Indianapolis. CEO of Elanco, Jeff Simmons, made one thing very clear: this is a new era at Elanco Animal Health. The company’s new facility includes many amenities; biggest among them is the epicenter for animal health innovation and the opportunity for innovators across the globe to collaborate on new ideas, create, incubate and scale new animal health companies right here in Indianapo...
Byproduct feed for chickens. Solar panels to power facilities. MPS Egg Farms recently announced a partnership with Kroger’s Simple Truth Brand to bring the world’s first carbon-neutral eggs to the United States. On this week’s episode, Mitch Frazier talks with Sam Krouse, VP of Business Development for MPS Egg Farms. They talk about what it takes to make eggs carbon-neutral, the partnership with Dutch-based company Kipster and when you will find these available in a Kroger store near you....
A new tech platform is giving artisan food entrepreneurs the opportunity to manage their business in one place – from website creation all the way to order fulfillment. This week, Mitch Frazier talks with Mark Josephson, founder and CEO of Castiron. They dive into Mark’s idea for the platform during a High Alpha Sprint Week, creating opportunity for entrepreneurs and how established systems of success will grow the artisan food industry.
