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
A comfy sweatshirt when the world is on fire? It’s just the start for this mental health advocate-turned-entrepreneur
Clever Babes founder Hannah Milks is passionate about building community around mental health and self care in Kansas City, she shared. The Liberty native is using her knowledge of design and somatics — plus her lived experience tending to herself through various mental health stages — to help other people care for themselves and connect…
This gumbo hits The Spot: How Prospect KC’s own students cooked up a prize-winning competition entry
Gumbo Fest brought two victories for Chef Shanita McAfee-Bryant and the Prospect KC. Not only did the weekend event earlier this month raise money to support the Prospect KC’s mission — empowering individuals and communities through increased food access, nutrition education and culinary job training — the Prospect KC’s culinary students also took home the…
Money in the tank: Health tech startup lands Pure Pitch Rally’s biggest catch of the day
The support of Kansas City’s entrepreneurial community — and the “land sharks” at this year’s Pure Pitch Rally — means the world to MedCurate founder and CEO Ashley McClellan, she shared. “They have just wrapped their arms around me as I’ve transitioned from corporate America to the entrepreneurship space,” she continued. “I’m very grateful for…
KC officially earns title of ‘Tech Hub,’ opening door to massive federal grant funding
The federal government’s designation of Kansas City as one of 31 U.S. Tech Hubs is expected to further cement the region’s reputation as a leader in vaccine development and biotechnology, said Quinton Lucas, as well as open access to newly launched federal funding opportunities. “The wins keep coming for Kansas City,” said Lucas, mayor of…