29 minute read
PLUG & PLAY START-UPS
Photos provided by Archipelago Technology
The Archipelago Technology elevator pitch:
Archipelago's Powerdrop technology enables you to get the same results with half the amount of chemicals. Powerdrop makes the chemicals go where they need to go and nowhere else. Powerdrop largely eliminates drift, bounce-off and overspray.
How did you get the idea to start your company?
We wanted to create the next big thing in droplet delivery. We knew that spray technology wastes half the material and that if we could solve this problem we'd help people save a lot of money while also helping the environment.
It means a lot to Archipelago. Plug and Play attracts talented people and talented companies. There is a buzz about the program and we are meeting really key people across AgTech and beyond.
It would halve the amount of chemicals being used compared to what is put through spray applicators. This is a huge saving in money, in energy use, in CO2 emissions and of course it really helps the environment.
We are based in the United Kingdom. We are working with some of the leading growers there, but of course, we are keen to connect with growers in the US.
Where do you see your company in 10 years?
Archipelago's Powerdrop technology will have displaced spray applicators in farming and will be the standard technique for getting chemical treatments to where they need to be.
To your second point: Absolutely. I will be visiting Fargo and Minneapolis in May this year and this question is top of my list.
Archipelago's Powerdrop technology can help you save money through using fewer chemicals and getting them where they are needed; we are keen to connect and work with you.
The Barn Owl Precision Agriculture elevator pitch:
We provide farm weeding robots as a service to cut labor budgets in half and field and crop analysis to help get farm information faster!
How did you get the idea to start your company?
In 2017 we moved back home to rural Colorado to be closer to our family. We got to know our farm neighbors and communities and saw the lack of agriculture technology support in our area. We decided to figure out how to use our experience in drone analysis and software development to help our farmers and the seed of Barn Owl was planted. We started by flying drones to give farmers a different view of their fields and have worked to develop operations support in the form of autonomous micro-tractors and software to get information out faster.
This program is helping us be the best we can be for our farmers. For us, it is important that we have a well-rounded system that makes farmers' lives easier. Plug and Play is helping us polish and scale so that we can integrate our systems into every farm operation that needs it.
Our services would provide labor support where it is severely lacking or cut labor budgets and put money back into farmers' pockets. They would allow farmers to make earlier decisions and prevent massive crop loss. This combination would increase profits and yields, allow for wide adoption of climate-smart farming practices and help to secure our global food supply.
Growers are the most important member of the Barn Owl team. When we decide to bring our services to a region, we connect with local farm unions, research/extension offices and Departments of Agriculture to understand the farmers' needs. We build relationships with the growers in these regions to make sure we stay in line with what will really make a difference. If our services are a fit we work closely with our growers to integrate our systems into their current operation so they don't have to worry about it.
Where do you see your company in 10 years?
In 10 years we will be providing operational support to every farmer that needs it in the U.S. This will include planting, harvesting, weeding and soil sampling robotic support and field and crop analysis from the air and the canopy level. We will be able to help farmers maximize the square foot of their fields. Our farmers will know that Barn Owl has their back!
We are hoping to build connections in this region so we can eventually expand our services to farmers in these areas. After seeing the support for Agtech in this region we might be there sooner than expected.
You are vital to our health and futures and have been let down so many times with different Ag Tech solutions but we are working hard to get you the systems that you need!
Photos provided by Sensegrass INC.
The Sensegrass Inc. elevator pitch:
Sensegrass is a soil intelligence platform for fertilizer management. We use a combination of AI-based recommendations and soil sensors to deliver real-time soil health analyses and targeted nutrient management. We help farmers and companies reduce chemical fertilizer use, increase crop yields, and grow more sustainably.
How did you get the idea to start your company?
There are two reasons. The first reason is pretty personal because I am a third-generation farmer. I have never done farming, or I have never been to a village, but I have seen my forefathers’ grandfather and so on. So that was one of the key reasons and, of course, during my previous startup, I also lived with a lot of farmers.
In villages, the farmers are the ones who do the farming for part-time work and the rest of the time, they do other jobs to get some income. After seeing this and doing some research, we realized agriculture is a very broken industry, especially in developing nations. In order to help, we launched this idea of SenseGrass with highend technology, but a more efficient solution to the small-scale farmer because small-scale farmers are the majority of the global farmers.
Plug and Play North Dakota Agtech program has been really useful for us. It's one of the leading Agtech programs with the best corporate partners. Connecting with the right partners, mentors, investors in the agriculture heaven of North Dakota is very useful for us and we are extremely happy and excited to be part of the program.
As the world population continues to grow, we need innovative ways to feed people sustainably. That means leveraging the intelligence of nextgen technologies in the agriculture industry to make operations smarter and more efficient. Sensegrass continues to actively contribute to this socio-technical affair. We would have impacted around 1 million farmers across the world to reduce nitrogen and carbon in the soil.
We help users to:
1. Reduce Excessive Fertilisers 2. Improve Crop Yield 3. Increase Farm Income.
Sensegrass proffers an intelligent farming solution for fertilizer management and detects crop diseases to increase crop yield with the culmination of their smart NPK Soil Sensor and satellite data analysis. Sensegrass brings the best of human wisdom and deep tech into farming. Analyzing multiple metrics from various sources with their AI agronomist engine to prescribe best practices helping to increase the crop yield. We are B2B and B2C company. We are primarily focusing on the enterprises and we have a breakdown
for enterprises or B2B stakeholders classified into 4 or 5 categories. One is the food and agro companies. These are the private corporations like PepsiCo, Bayer, Danone, Cargill, Tata, ITC and so on. These are the companies that work with 1000s of farmers, especially the small to midsize farmers in the United States and all around the world. They are our primary stakeholders. Then, we work with the government. In the United State and many other countries, governments are the ones taking care of the soil.
The third one is the non-profits institutions. There are tons of nonprofits and they are our third group stakeholders. The fourth group is the banks and insurance agencies which work with a larger number of farmers.
The fifth category contains the tech companies like Microsoft, Accenture and Mahindra in India.
Where do you see your company in 10 years?
We would like to be the world's first FARM OS for agriculture that converts climate data into financial outcomes for growers using the recommendation engine by Sensegrass. Sensegrass will be the first agtech company in variable rate technology to go public by 2034. We are also planning to acquire a startup now before we go for our next fundraising. We want to open source our technology and be free for farmers around the world, and work with enterprises to make farming smart and sustainable.
The Midwest, including North Dakota, and the entire region is the farming heartland of the United States and our primary obtainable market. We are based out in the United States but we would like to set up our base in North Dakota or the Midwest region to expand. We are also exploring the opportunity to set up our research lab to work with universities, enterprises and growers closely to find more solutions in this space. If someone wants to collaborate, please do contact us.
Photos provided by Thylacine Biosciences
The Thylacine Biosciences elevator pitch:
We believe genetics will continue to profoundly change our understanding of life on our planet. We also believe the ability to benefit from and utilize the tools enabled by genetics should not be restricted to scientists and laboratories.
We create tools that put the power of a genetics lab in your hands. Whether you’re worried about a sick calf or a disease spreading through your crops, our products will enable you to get the information you need, where you need it, and in the time you need to make the right decisions for your farm.
How did you get the idea to start your company?
We initially developed our technology to combat illegal wildlife trafficking— with the goal of equipping enforcement officials with the tools they needed to stop illicit contraband in its tracks, wherever they encountered it. When we realized that this problem wasn’t unique to enforcement, we started our company so we could bring our technology to anyone who needed to safeguard their resources and get the information they needed without having to wait for a lab or a scientist to process it.
It means a lot to Archipelago. Plug and Play attracts talented people and talented companies. There is a buzz about the program and we are meeting really key people across AgTech and beyond.
We believe agriculture has been underserved for too long, and our society must do a better job safeguarding our crops and herds from the growing threats we face. Above all, we must do more to empower the growers and ranchers who are essential for the lifestyles we enjoy in our country today. While we believe our technology can serve and empower growers and ranchers, we recognize we still have a tremendous amount to learn about the problems they face. Being a part of an organization and program that shares our values and helps us deliver our technology and products in the most impactful way is an incredible honor and an invaluable opportunity.
Because of Plug and Play’s Ag Tech program, we will be better prepared to serve our agricultural communities and customers.
If our products had already been in use globally, the COVID-19 pandemic may not have happened. We wouldn’t be worried about swine flu spreading through herds in the U.S. or losing more and more crops to rusts or mosaic viruses. In a global society with global supply chains, a threat anywhere is a threat everywhere. While we need to be on the lookout for more and more threats than ever before, our technology is poised to make this more accessible and more affordable than previously possible. Widespread monitoring with our products could help us finally get ahead of emerging diseases and retake control of their spread and their impact on our crops and herds.
Accessibility is at the core of everything we do. We know growers don’t have time or money to check for everything little thing. We aim for our products to provide growers answers to their biggest concerns as soon as possible and implemented routinely at low cost by their trusted providers. However, our products will be affordable and easyto-use so that growers can’t be taken hostage by anyone and can use our products themselves if they don’t want to wait or pay someone else.
We still have a lot to learn about growers’ needs and are looking forward to connecting and learning through Plug and Play’s Ag tech program. One thing we have already learned through this program is that growers are too often excluded from reaping the benefits of the data they generate or that is generated in their fields. Data will become a big part of how we protect our communities, and we are exploring business models within which growers can share in the value their data creates.
Where do you see your company in 10 years?
Archipelago's Powerdrop technology will have displaced spray applicators in farming and will be the standard technique for getting chemical treatments to where they need to be.
Two of our co-founders were born and raised in rural and upper Michigan. We have witnessed firsthand the perseverance, integrity, innovation and brilliance of the people in and from the Midwest. As part of the Plug and Play Agtech program, we hope to better understand the challenges faced in the agriculture technology revolution we see being led by North Dakota and do our part to provide innovative solutions to long-standing challenges. Even prior to our participation in this program, we have been considering opening production and service facilities in the Midwest. While we have many challenges still ahead of us, we see our success inevitably leading to facilities and operations in the Midwest due to the critical importance this region plays for the planet as well as our personal history and ties to the people in it.
At Thylacine Biosciences, we are incredibly grateful for American farmers, and our goal is to provide products that can safeguard their crops and herds so they can focus on their work, which we all depend on.
Photo provided by Primary Ocean
What is your Primary Ocean elevator pitch?
Primary Ocean is on a mission to reverse climate change by taking CO2 from where it is most destructive, our oceans, and putting it where it is most productive, our soils, through seaweed farming and value-added processing to fertilize, fuel, and decarbonize the world.
How did you get the idea to start your company?
One of our Co-Founders, Brian Schmidt, went on a trip to Myanmar to learn to meditate. After spending two weeks at a monastery he found in the woods. During those two weeks, he slept on a wooden floor and no one around spoke English. While in meditation, he envisioned that seaweed was his life's purpose. Upon return, he and his other Co-Founders, his brother, Scotty Schmidt, and long time friend, Brandon Barney, spent one year interviewing all of the seaweed researchers in the world, ultimately deciding that seaweed could, indeed, play a major part in saving the planet, and was worthy of a life's purpose. That purpose led us into seaweed farming which further led us into seaweed refining, and now to our first commercial product, Organikelp, a novel, highly effective, seaweed biostimulant for the agricultural industry.
What does it mean to be part of Plug and Play's North Dakota Agtech Program?
We began as entrepreneurs coming from different industries, and we began as a company with a more broad focus on 'seaweed farming and seaweed products' in a general sense. With the launch of our first product in the agricultural inputs industry, having the opportunity to work within the Plug and Play ecosystem and learn from some of the best AgTech mentors in the world proved to be invaluable.
If your product/service was already being used by everyone... globally... what impact would that have?
If all 2.3B acres of global cropland were using Organikelp, we would be able draw almost 3M tons of CO2 from the ocean every year through seaweed cultivation. Furthermore, we would be able to reduce chemical fertilizer requirements by 10%-20%, reducing massively the CO2 footprint of the fertilizer industry, save farmers money and reduce fertilizer runoff, pollution, and dead zones. Additionally, we could save land from being fallowed as we can save farmers 10% of their water requirements and help to regenerate eroded soils to store additional gigatons of CO2. Ultimately, the world would have more food, use less chemical inputs, have healthier soils, and a more sustainable and resilient food production system.
How are you incorporating growers into your business plan?
Growers are our end-user customers and we are a customer-focused organization! We are not selling seaweed to farmers, we are selling profits and solutions to farmers. First, we are providing a return on investment to the farmer through increased yield and reduced input costs. Then, we provide environmental stewardship and improvement to their land assets. But, the grower's business is our first priority.
Where do you see your company in 10 years?
In 10 Years, Primary Ocean will have three production facilities in North America, the production facilities in South America, two in Africa and one in Australia providing for a regional production and distribution model to serve regional markets with agricultural inputs, bioactive animal feeds, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and biofuels derived from seaweed.
North Dakota, Minnesota and the Upper Midwest are embracing Agtech like never before. By participating in the North Dakota Plug and Play Agtech program, what do you hope to accomplish? Have you considered expanding your operations in the upper midwest?
We hope to introduce and/or further educate the Upper Midwest community about the benefits of seaweed biostimulants in conventional and organic agriculture and establish relationships to advocate for our economically and environmentally valuable products.
This magazine reaches 16,000+ farmers. In one sentence, what would you like to tell them?
Organikelp and seaweed biostimulants are not a replacement for products in a nutrient program, but rather complementary to any existing fertility mix. Organikelp ultimately allows the farmer to reduce other inputs, saving costs, while increasing yield and sustainability with a very strong ROI. Organikelp is not just good for your plants and soil, it's good for your P&L .
What is your EcoBloc elevator pitch?
EcoBloc sustainably protects farmers' stored assets from rodent destruction.
How did you get the idea to start your company?
Completely by accident. I was advising the person who owned the technology. After nearly a year of helping, I bought the technology from him.
What does it mean to be part of Plug and Play's North Dakota Agtech Program?
Plug and Play has an extensive network that puts EcoBloc in front of companies it would otherwise have difficulty getting meetings with and provides access to mentors that provide meaningful insights. Being part of the program is invaluable.
If your product/service was already being used by everyone... globally... what impact would that have?
48% of the world's food is destroyed by pests annually, of which rodents represent a significant portion, meaning that much has to be grown twice. If used throughout the entire food supply chain we would significantly improve global food security, and reduce carbon emissions. We increase food safety and reduce the spread of disease and viruses to animals and humans alike. Finally, we improve soil and water health and reduce the amount of secondary animal poisoning, including protected species, by reducing the amount of chemicals used to fight rodents.
How are you incorporating growers into your business plan?
Growers have stored inventory and equipment that is constantly under threat from rodents. Our precision Ag solution dramatically reduces the labor required to fight this problem while also protecting those assets, leading to increased profitability.
Where do you see your company in 10 years?
The #1 pest intelligence and exclusion solution provider in the world.
North Dakota, Minnesota and the Upper Midwest are embracing Agtech like never before. By participating in the North Dakota Plug and Play Agtech program, what do you hope to accomplish? Have you considered expanding your operations in the upper midwest?
As a result of Plug and Play, we will work with some of the largest, most important Ag and food companies in the region and world. We are considering expanding to the upper midwest which will in large part be based on the level of success we expect to achieve with Plug and Play's help.
The Uniphage elevator pitch:
Uniphage is developing microbialbased alternatives to crop antibacterials and antifungals. Uniphage’s organic pesticides are safer and more efficient than the currently existing ones. Uniphage’s first target is citrus greening.
How did you get the idea to start your company?
Most currently existing crop antibacterial and antifungal solutions are not only toxic but also inefficient. Did you know that more than 90 percent of Americans have detectable amounts of pesticides in their bodies while around one-third of crops are being lost to fungal and bacterial diseases? We decided to improve on the natural solutions to tackle this massive issue with a safe, sustainable and efficient approach, both for humans and nature. Do you want your health to continue being damaged because better alternatives to established pesticides don't exist?
What does it mean to be part of Plug and Play's North Dakota Agtech Program?
It means having an amazing community and P&P support!
If your product/service was already being used by everyone... globally... what impact would that have? >100 Million lives saved + <5% of people worldwide would have detectable amounts of toxic pesticides in their bodies (>90% of Americans have detectable amounts now).
How are you incorporating growers into your business plan?
We want to sell directly to the growers to eliminate as many middlemen as possible and bring the most cost-efficient solutions directly to the growers.
Where do you see your company in 10 years?
The leading producer of organic antifungal and antibacterial solutions as well as potentially other nature-inspired and safe pesticides.
Where do you see your company in 10 years?
The #1 pest intelligence and exclusion solution provider in the world.
North Dakota, Minnesota and the Upper Midwest are embracing Agtech like never before. By participating in the North Dakota Plug and Play Agtech program, what do you hope to accomplish? Have you considered
expanding your operations in the upper midwest?
We're considering conducting more trials in the midwest and are excited to connect with more growers there!
This magazine reaches 16,000+ farmers. In one sentence, what would you like to tell them?
Please look into new ways to remove toxic pesticides from your value chain as they are very damaging to the environment as well as to humans, primarily those working in the agricultural business!
The Rest of the Cohort
Greensight is a company focused on autonomous aerial intelligence, meaning they leverage drone technology to help you ensure that you are getting the most out of your plot of land.
Picsel is an up and coming end-to-end crop insurance platform, from quotation to claim adjustment.
BY MARISA JACKELS The Ag Innovation Campus:
PHOTO VIA THE MINNESOTA SOYBEAN RESEARCH & PROMOTION COUNCIL
When it comes to innovative agtech, adoption can be a challenging hurdle to overcome. A 2021 study by the Farm Journal Initiative & the Sustainability Consortium found that 62 percent of farmers surveyed do not rely on farm management software, and twentyeight percent store and manage their data primarily on paper records. In many cases it is because farmers don’t trust these new gadgets, aren’t sure where their data is going, or there hasn't been enough testing to prove these new technologies actually work.
The Ag Innovation Campus, a 10-acre facility under development in Crookston, Minnesota, is aiming to tackle the last part of that challenge—creating a place where agtech can be tested at scale. They broke ground in October 2020 and dirt work began in August 2021. Since then, amidst COVID-19 related delays, the campus continues to move towards its goal of crushing soybeans during the 2022 growing season. At full capacity, the campus will be able to crush 8,000 soybeans per day and 2.5 million soybeans annually. It was a soybean that first inspired the idea for the Innovation Campus—the high oleic soybean. The Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council was investing in two things; the high oleic soybean, and the transesterification, or chemical production, of biodiesel. During this process, they had great success in laboratories and small scale productions. But they realized there were major limitations in moving forward to commercial scale markets without large scale testing.
“There are hundreds of thousands of great ideas sitting on bench tops and garage facilities all over this country, because they can’t find a location that is available or affordable to prove they work on a large scale,” said Tom Slunecka, CEO of the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council.
There are hundreds of thousands of great ideas sitting on bench tops and garage facilities all over this country, because they can’t prove they work on a large scale,” said Tom Slunecka, CEO of the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. “I call this the valley of death. And with the Ag Innovation Campus, we’re setting up camp right there in the valley.”
Without testing space to see how these products or technologies work on a large scale—a new type of soybean, or a new food processing system, for instance—it’s extremely difficult for anyone but the largest of companies to buy-in, Slunecka said. Most operations don’t have time or resources to shut down part of their plant simply to test out a new product. The Ag Innovation Campus plans to fill this gap by serving as an incubator for ag innovations. The goal, they write, “is to foster new and novel products, create jobs, and increase the value of agriculture in the region and state.”
“I call the space between benchtop and full commercialization the valley of death. We’re setting up camp right there in the valley,” Slunecka said. “We’re providing what they need scientifically, and mechanically, and we’ll be there financially.”
The Ag Innovation Campus is a not-forprofit backed by The Minnesota Soybean Growers Association, the Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI), and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Management of the group is currently six individuals; farmers and members of Ag Utilization and Research Institute (AURI). Slunecka anticipates ongoing profits to come from the crush facility, rent of the labs, custom work from the labs, corporate sponsorships, and future investments from checkoff organizations. In turn, they will be providing grants, job training, and research pods. They plan to sell the soybeans through a mix of domestic and exporting.
“It’s limitless as to who all will want to see success come from this,” he said. “It’s not just ag. Advancements in renewable fuels. Advancements in plastics. Advancements in automation. All of these are potential investors.”
The hope is that products developed and tested at the Ag Innovation Campus can be used to move the ag industry forward in significant ways. For products like the Nutrient Value Calculator from Genesis Feed Technologies, showing how the calculator works on a large scale will help demonstrate a new way for soybeans to be traded—with a long-term vision of shifting the way soybeans are traded in the global ag industry. “Peter (Schott, co-founder of GFT) knows, and I agree, that in today’s world everyone buys soybeans based on crude protein,” Slunecka said. “But it’s old, it's outdated, it's not accurate. Why are we holding on to it? Because it’s cheap and simple.”
Rather than measuring the quality of soybeans by crude protein, nutritionists are looking at the amino acids, which provide more nutritional value. Katelyn Engquist, Market Development Manager at Northern Soy Marketing, noted that there are five essential amino acids that are important for monogastric livestock, poultry diets, and aquaculture; animals need them for their overall health, muscle growth, and production of meat and eggs. When these amino acids aren’t present, they are added synthetically which results in higher production costs.
“If the buyer can see how focusing on amino acids will make a difference for them and their rations and livestock, they’ll be more likely to see the dollars and cents on how beneficial it is,” Engquist said.
With the Nutrient Value Calculator, the data is there. Buyers can use this product to see the long-term cost benefits of
AG INNOVATION CAMPUS
measuring soybean value based on amino acid rather than crude protein. But how to put this into action?
This is where the Ag Innovation Campus partnership is crucial for products like the Nutrient Value Calculator.
“At GFT, we recognize that growers are innovative risk-takers who bet their livelihood each year on the crops they produce,” Peter Schott, GFT co-founder, said. “We love working with innovative partners like the team at the AIC, so we can work together to support farmers in the midwest and throughout the United States.”
At the Ag Innovation Campus, Schott will be able to find answers to questions like, What is the best type of equipment to use to show farmers the value of their beans? How do you do invoicing? How do you retain your samples?
“The Nutrient Value Calculator matched with equipment is what we need,” Slunecka said. “To show the value, we have to be able to test for it. And the Ag Innovation Campus will test them.” The dream, Slunecka and Schott agree, is the day when a farmer can bring a truckload of beans to the holding bin, and be handed a receipt based on the quality of their product. Near-Infrared Technology can be used to scan and evaluate the amino acid content in their truckload of soybeans. This in turn, will provide a premium value for the beans and more profit for the farmer. In the end, that’s the goal; to bring more value back to the farmer.
Slunecka sees the Ag Innovation Campus as a significant step towards that goal, and a key piece to moving the ag industry forward as a whole.
“I would like to see that within four years, developments that have moved through the campus are now in full commercialization someplace in the world. And I would like to think that the only way they got there is because of the campus,” he said. “Realistically, we could see 3-4 projects move through annually. And not all of them will be successful. We’ll see a good amount of failures. But for those handful that make it — it will mean big things for the environment, consumers, farmers, and agriculture.” Learn more about their plans at
