It’s a bonus episode! This week, we are joined by our very own Senior Director of Innovation, Geoff Zentz, to launch a new challenge to the tech community: HungerTech. 

The HungerTech Challenge by AgriNovus Indiana will be a month-long technology challenge looking to use mobile-first technology to improve access to nutrition for people using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

Running throughout the month of June 2022, the HungerTech Challenge will help entrepreneurs, students, technologists, and existing companies ideate and iterate toward a minimum viable product that can be launched in a pilot with the State of Indiana. Participants will receive access to AgriNovus research data, connections to subject matter experts and mentors, as well as one-on-one coaching to develop their idea. 

The winning team will be given the opportunity to launch their pilot during Q3 2022, be featured in a report to the United States Congress and receive $25,000 to launch their product to market. Learn more at agrinovusindiana.com/hungertech. 

Corteva Agriscience announced Indianapolis would become its global headquarters in March, making them the 4th largest company in the state by market cap and the second publicly-held agbioscience company to choose Indiana in the last 18 months. Susanne Wasson, President of Crop Protection at Corteva, joins the podcast this week to talk innovation in plant science, how it’s shaping a more sustainable future and moving headquarters closer to technology and customers. 

Farmers make decisions every day and while variables change year in and year out, one thing remains constant: it all starts with seed. This week, we are joined by CEO of AgReliant Genetics, Paul Nselel. They dive into his career path, from Nike to today, driving on-farm innovation and what’s next for the company.  

Inspired by the senses at a young age, Matt Rubin has taken that curiosity to a new level in his adult years. The founder and CEO of True Essence Foods joins us this week to talk all things SoChatti Chocolate, his lingering curiosity driving innovation in food and the company’s approach to sustainability.  

Clean resumes. Companies with strong values. Transparency and communication. These are a few things running through the minds of gen-z talent as they search for internships or early-career opportunities. This week, Gerry Dick from Inside INdiana Business is joined by Field Atlas Ambassadors - Baylee Dwenger from Hanover College and Sriya Nagubani of Purdue University for a panel episode about agbioscience, challenges in their search and what they look for in companies while on the job hunt.  

Happy Earth Week! Farmers work tirelessly to be good stewards of the land and innovation enables them to make better decisions than ever before. This week, we are joined by Sustainability Lead at Advanced Agrilytics, Jane Stautz. 

They talk about data science creating actionable insights for farmers, advancing data precision in the future and the ways that agtech is allowing farming to increasingly become more sustainable. 

The silver shovels were out this week as Elanco broke ground on their new global headquarters west of downtown Indianapolis. CEO of Elanco, Jeff Simmons, made one thing very clear: this is a new era at Elanco Animal Health. The company’s new facility includes many amenities; biggest among them is the epicenter for animal health innovation and the opportunity for innovators across the globe to collaborate on new ideas, create, incubate and scale new animal health companies right here in Indianapolis. 

This bonus episode of Agbioscience comes from the groundbreaking event as AgriNovus spoke with Jeff Simmons, CEO of Elanco, and Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb on what this new headquarters brings to the state – and the world. 

Byproduct feed for chickens. Solar panels to power facilities. MPS Egg Farms recently announced a partnership with Kroger’s Simple Truth Brand to bring the world’s first carbon-neutral eggs to the United States. On this week’s episode, Mitch Frazier talks with Sam Krouse, VP of Business Development for MPS Egg Farms. 

They talk about what it takes to make eggs carbon-neutral, the partnership with Dutch-based company Kipster and when you will find these available in a Kroger store near you. 

A new tech platform is giving artisan food entrepreneurs the opportunity to manage their business in one place – from website creation all the way to order fulfillment. This week, Mitch Frazier talks with Mark Josephson, founder and CEO of Castiron. 

They dive into Mark’s idea for the platform during a High Alpha Sprint Week, creating opportunity for entrepreneurs and how established systems of success will grow the artisan food industry. 

Earlier this year, Ivy Tech announced the launch of their Garatoni School for Entrepreneurship and Innovation with the idea that entrepreneurs needed to know better than how to just run a company – they needed to know how to start one, too. This week, Gerry Dick hosts our monthly panel episode with Ronda Taylor, the statewide dean for Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Ivy Tech, and Iris Hammel, executive director of RISE (Regional Innovation and Startup Education). 

They talk about the need for more entrepreneurs in Indiana, starting kids early with the idea of entrepreneurship as a career and how this program can connect startups to their local communities, enabling them to thrive.