Megan Vollstedt
Leaders of an initiative to help startup companies involved in agriculture have identified the program’s sophomore class.
Megan Vollstedt, executive director of the Iowa AgriTech Accelerator, says they received many great applicants from around the country and world. “Agriculture is everywhere. It’s the base of so many communities and industries. The innovations that we see can affect agriculture in any location, customers are everywhere for these innovations,” Vollstedt said.
Five early stage ag tech companies were selected by a board of directors comprised of agribusinesses that invest in the Accelerator program. “Solving legitimate problems in the industry with a solution that really resonates with the industry and the need that’s there,” Vollstedt said.
The five ag tech startups chosen to participate in the 100-day Accelerator are Osceola, Iowa-based U.S. Design Consultants, Krobel Corp of Mankato, Minnesota, AgHelp in Grand Rapids, Michigan, VakSea, based in Baltimore, and Nigerian company BirdPreneur.
The program will begin May 29 and conclude on August 30. The five startups will receive intensive mentoring and $40,000 in seed funding.