Ag venture group TechAccel invests $250K in research partnership
December 9, 2016 | Meghan LeVota
A new partnership will advance agricultural innovation in the state of Missouri.
TechAccel, a Kansas City-based technology and venture development firm, recently announced it will work with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, a St. Louis-based nonprofit research institute.
TechAccel will provide $250,000 in grants to the Danforth Center to help it demonstrate proof of concept and commercial feasibility with research projects affiliated with the research center. The two organizations will split returns on the technology they commercialize.
Founded in 2014, TechAccel specializes in ag and animal health technology. The firm invests in, sources and acquires early-stage innovations through collaborations with various institutions.
TechAccel CEO Michael Helmstetter said that the partnership is an important milestone for the company as well as the agricultural ecosystem.
“Agriculture research can and will change the world, but only if it has the backing to move from concept to proof to product,” Helmstetter said in a news release. “We bring capital coupled with science advancement to support that push to the finish line — the commercial market.”
The Danforth Center’s mission is to improve the human condition through plant science. Although the nonprofit has received grants in the past, the partnership with TechAccel marks the first grant specifically targeted at commercializing its innovations.
“The Path to Commercialization program provides a new tool for translating our discoveries into real-world solutions,” Danforth Center president James C. Carrington said in a release. “We look forward to seeing even more of the Danforth Center’s research delivering transformative products and technology to market.”
TechAccel participates in a similar research partnership with the University of California-Davis established in April 2016. As part of the Science Translation and Innovative Research program at UC-Davis, TechAccel invested $400,000 for grants to commercialize or prove out agriculture- and animal health-related innovations.
2016 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Arrowhead of the future? Chiefs reveal $800M vision for sports complex (without Royals)
Editor’s note: The following story was published by KCUR, Kansas City’s NPR member station, and a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. Click here to read the original story or here to sign up for KCUR’s email newsletter. The renderings were released as Jackson County residents prepare to vote on a proposed sales tax extension that would help fund…
Troost entrepreneurs laying cornerstones of east side’s emerging restaurant row
Editor’s note: This story was originally published by Kansas City PBS/Flatland, a member of the KC Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, The Kansas City Beacon, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story. Chris Goode took a chance on his old neighborhood. He opened Ruby Jean’s Kitchen &…
Brothers behind new show at Zhou B Art Center KC paint space as gift to creatives, community
The Zhou B Art Center KC is going to be the next hub for great art, Bryce Holt shared, and he’s thrilled to be a part of it. The Overland Park-based artist’s “The Bible in Art” is on display at the new art center, located in the former Crispus Attucks School — which underwent a…
Planned serendipity: Endeavor Heartland’s launch aims to put founders in the right place at the right time
A global nonprofit that supports high-impact entrepreneurs is gearing up for its March 6 regional selection panel in Kansas City — the organization’s next big step in establishing a KC footprint, said Shawn Morris. “This will double as our launch into the Kansas City market and our commitment to our office expanding there,” said Morris,…