TechAccel advances on two agriculture deals
September 10, 2015 | Ashley Jost
Technology Acceleration Partners, or TechAccel, advanced two deals that significantly boost the group’s investment effort into the agriculture sector.
The deals include a licensing agreement with Kansas State University for a patent on a bio-pesticide, and an equity investment in Benson Hill Biosystems. The private capital development company — founded by Michael Helmstetter and the Bicknell Family Holding Company — announced the deals on Sept. 9, less than a year after TechAccel’s inception. TechAccel focuses on the agriculture, animal health and food sectors.
The Kansas State bio-pesticide builds on “a naturally occurring and biodegradable platform,” while doing its job of preventing crop damage from insects. TechAccel leaders hope to sublicense the technology to global leaders in the crop agriculture industry.
The investment in Benson Hill comes after the biosystem company’s new crop platform was named as the breakthrough technology of the year for 2015 by The MIT Review. Benson Hill focuses on boosting photosynthetic efficiency in crops in tumultuous environments like drought or high temperatures.
“We spent much of our first year assessing the complex and evolving agriculture and animal health ecosystem, understanding scientific and market gaps as well as potential innovation solutions,” TechAccel CEO Michael Helmstetter said in a news release. “Both of these transactions demonstrate TechAccel’s fierce commitment to collaboratively advance transformative science. Our diverse and expanding portfolio of investments remains focused on highly impactful technologies in need of scientific advancement and acceleration to the global marketplace.”
Featured Business
2015 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
$500K state grant bolsters KU’s startup ecosystem; here’s what KU Innovation Park is launching with the funds
LAWRENCE, Kansas — A $500,000 Forging Opportunities for Research, Growth & Entrepreneurship (FORGE) grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce will help KU and KU Innovation Park create software, infrastructure and financial mechanisms needed to bridge the gap between academia and industry, growing the state’s economy while enhancing the university’s teaching and research missions. As…
ProX names equity-centered leader as first executive director of its popular student intern program
The new leader of ProX — one of the largest paid internship programs in the country — is expected to be instrumental in taking the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation affiliate to the next level, said Dr. Bill Nicely. ProX and the Kauffman Foundation on Thursday announced the appointment of Solissa Franco-McKay — a longtime supporter…
How an animal health leader’s $130M investment in KC will boost its fight against canine parovirus
ELWOOD, Kansas — A $130 million investment from global animal health leader Elanco is a testament to Kansas’ pro-business economy, said Laura Kelly, lauding this week’s expansion announcement and its plans to bring 70 new jobs to the region’s animal health corridor over the next two years. “Elanco’s expansion not only is creating new job…
Staying transaction-ready in uncertain market conditions
Editor’s note: The perspectives expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. The following is a paid thought leadership piece from The Ferguson Smith Cohen Group at Morgan Stanley. In the face of market uncertainty, one thing private companies can control is their “transaction-readiness” for an IPO or secondary offering. Discover three things a company…