April 1 Deadline for Entrepreneurs To Present New Technologies To Top Scientific Investors at Ag Innovation Showcase
Connecting entrepreneurs with leading companies and investors in ag community
March 16, 2009, St. Louis, MO – Entrepreneurs in plant and life sciences are invited to submit an application to showcase their groundbreaking technology to an elite group of leading agribusiness, life science and institutional investors at the Ag Innovation Showcase, May 18 and 19 at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Mo.
The deadline for applications is April 1 and there is no presentation or application fee. Presenters will be selected by the program’s Advisory Committee and notified by April 20. More information, including the on-line application for presenters, is available at www.agshowcase.com.
Criteria used to select companies to present include:
- Development of innovative and commercially relevant technologies
- Technology to increase yield, decrease inputs, and/or reduce environmental degradation
- Focus within one or more of the following sectors: plant productivity, ag-biotech, food and nutrition, renewable energy, animal health and productivity, geospatial systems or bio-infomatics
Those selected to present will have access to exceptional resources towards commercializing their technologies. In addition to having an opportunity to make a 15–minute presentation to an elite group of investors and industry experts, a business coach mentor will be available to assist every presenter prepare for the presentation. Presenters and their companies also will have exposure for their product at scheduled exhibition times and through event publicity materials.
Senior level executives attending the Ag Innovation Showcase will be representing companies and organizations such as Monsanto, Dow AgroServices, Kauffman, USDA, Cargill, Bunge North America, T2 Venture Capital, MidPoint Food and Ag Fund, Prolog Ventures, Finistere Ventures, Ltd., Sigma–Aldrich, and others.
“The Ag Innovation Showcase is designed to help facilitate interactions between investors, corporate executives, entrepreneurs and leading scientists in the plant science and agriculture markets,“ said Sam Fiorello, President of Bio-Research and Development Growth (BRDG) Park, which in June will open the first of three buildings for fledgling plant and life sciences companies on the campus of the Danforth Plant Science Center.
“The emphasis will be on strategic deals, partnering opportunities and collaborative business ventures. Entrepreneurs will learn what key industry players are looking for in early stage partners and co-investing, meet potential future syndication partners, gain insight on the future of agriculture trends and deals, and stimulate new deal flow,“ said Fiorello.
The Ag Innovation Showcase is a joint enterprise between BRDG Park, Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, Missouri Biotechnology Association and Missouri Technology Corporation. It will be produced by Larta Institute, a Los Angeles-based innovation hub that also manages the national commercialization programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Institutes of Health.
Coinciding with and following the Ag Innovation Showcase, the 2009 World Agricultural Congress will convene May 18-20 in St. Louis. The agenda will focus on seeking solutions to the issues of food supply and rising costs, impacts on global economies and the crucial resource of water.
About BRDG Park at the Danforth Center
Bio-Research & Development Growth (BRDG) Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center helps life sciences companies bridge research, resources and relationships to achieve commercial success. In addition to providing world-class wet laboratories, office space and a prominent incubator, BRDG Park’s location on the Danforth Center’s campus facilitates access to the intellectual capital of top scientists, as well as to greenhouse, growth chambers, microscopy and proteomics facilities and other vital resources. Located in suburban St. Louis County, Missouri, BRDG Park is being developed by Wexford Science+Technology LLC.