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
$100K in federal funds take stage at Kansas City theater forced to relocate because of COVID
Challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic continue to impact the arts, said Evie Craig, whose organization was forced to relocate because of an unexpected revenue drop caused by the global health crisis. A recently announced $100,000 in American Rescue Plan grant funding from the Entertainment Industry Grant Program administered by the State of Missouri Department of…
KC Restaurant Week breaks down silos between diners, Kansas City’s chef-driven food scene
One of Johnson County’s favorite destination culinary experiences is back on the menu for Kansas City Restaurant Week, a 10-day showcase of innovative tastes from kitchens across the metro. “It helps the food industry,” said Laura Favela, executive chef at Silo Modern Farmhouse, said of the highly-anticipated, post-holidays event series. “The second goal is to…
Style on standby: How an 18th & Vine barber shop is turning heads inside KC’s airport
Armon Lasker’s barber shop inside security at the new Kansas City airport terminal flies a cut above the rest, said the former information technology professional-turned-entrepreneur. His spot — Director’s Cut: Take Two — allows travelers to conveniently get a haircut and other services before or after their flights. “This is the first one like this,” said…
Construction tech startup built for the job site, cementing quality data into infrastructure
A veteran Kansas City startup duo’s latest project — Tractics — is set to disrupt an in-demand, yet underserved, market with its construction management platform for heavy civil contractors. “True disruption occurs when behavior changes and I think we found an opportunity to change behavior in a positive way and continue to innovate in a…