Ag Showcase Has Big Growth Spurt in Second Year

Dan Broderick
Networking sessions both days were well attended.

May 26, 2010, St. Louis, MO – The second annual Ag Innovation Showcase, sponsored by BRDG Park and others in May at the Danforth Plant Science Center, built on the great foundation of the first Showcase in May 2009, which had been widely praised by attendees and presenters alike.

The 2010 event brought together more than 250 leaders from around the world in all the key agriculture sectors to explore the frontiers of commercialization in ag bio, food and nutrition, biofuels, sustainable materials, clean-tech, information technology and animal health. Preliminary feedback indicated that almost 3 out of 4 attendees plan on contacting one or more of the 17 early-stage companies that made presentations.

With attendance up 28 percent over last year’s hugely successful inaugural Showcase, the event attracted entrepreneurial companies from India, Malaysia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and across North America, as well as industry leaders such as Pioneer-DuPont, Dow AgroSciences, Kaneka Nestle, Monsanto, Sigma Aldrich, Solae BASF, Bunge North America and Novus International. Investors in attendance included TPG Capital, US Venture Partners, CMEA Capital, MidPoint Food and Ag Fund, Finistere Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners and Syngenta Ventures.

“As a event for the ‘who’s who’ in worldwide agriculture, ag scientists, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and established companies with a common purpose – to bring innovative science to the ag marketplace, the success of the Ag Innovation Showcase just keeps growing,” said Sam Fiorello, President of BRDG Park and one of the event organizers.

The Ag Innovation Showcase, a joint enterprise of BRDG Park, Nidus, St. Louis County Economic Council, Missouri Biotechnology Association and Missouri Technology Corporation, is 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.

About BRDG Park at the Danforth Center
BioResearch & Development Growth (BRDG – pronounced “bridge”) Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center helps life sciences companies bridge research, resources and relationships to achieve commercial success. Building I, opened in June 2009, is a LEED Gold facility featuring world-class wet laboratories and office space, a prominent incubator, and on-site workforce development and training. BRDG Park’s location on the campus of Danforth Center facilitates access to the intellectual capital of top scientists, as well as to greenhouse, growth chambers, microscopy and proteomics facilities and other vital resources. BRDG Park, which will include three buildings and 450,000 sq. ft., is being developed by Wexford Science+Technology LLC, a privately held real estate developer and investment company specializing in university facilities and science research parks in leading research markets. More information is available at www.BRDG-Park.com.

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