“American agriculture is globally competitive and an important part of the economy of many states, particularly in rural communities,” John Selep, president of AgStart, said in a news release. “Technology innovation is essential to keep American agriculture competitive, and much of this innovation is emerging from innovative startups.”
AgTech Nation will connect entrepreneurs and startups across the country with other local networks for support, collaboration and funding.
AgStart also operates The Lab@AgStart, a wet-lab space in Woodland for startup companies in food and ag.
In addition to AgStart, other AgTech Nation partners include the Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology in Salinas; the Water, Energy and Technology Center in Fresno; Grand Farm in Fargo, North Dakota; The Combine in Lincoln, Nebraska; the 39 North AgTech Innovation District in St. Louis; AgLaunch in Memphis, Tennessee; and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
The SBA award will be used as seed funding to build out the national network of partner networks coast to coast, Selep said in an interview. The SBA funding runs for two years, but Selep said the plan is to find sponsors and supporters in industry to keep the network going indefinitely.
“Our expectation is that we will find a lot of ag and food companies that will want to sponsor it,” he said.
