gBETA AgBioScience accelerator names fall cohort
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Wisconsin-based venture firm and startup accelerator gener8tor has kicked off the fourth annual gBETA AgBioScience cohort. gBETA says the seven-week program supports early-stage companies working in the agriculture, biotech and animal sciences industries throughout Indiana.
“AgriNovus is committed to working with innovators to accelerate agbioscience startup development across food, animal health, plant science and agtech,” said AgriNovus Indiana CEO Mitch Frazier. “We look forward to continuing to work with gener8tor to fuel the growth of agbioscience startups as part of Indiana’s $52 billion agbioscience economy.”
gener8tor says the fall cohort was recruited regionally as part of efforts to support homegrown companies while also attracting startups to relocate to Indiana. The program will culminate in a public pitch event where the startups will pitch their companies to investors and community partners.
The startups participating in the fall 2022 cohort include:
ArcticRx – Founder and CEO: Shane Bivens. ArcticRx addresses the global cold-chain transport and storage ecosystem with a storage pod for medicines and other products needing ultra-low temperature transport/storage. ArcticRx secured $250,000 for production tooling and design after confirming performance testing with 10 prototypes.
Seedsheets – CEO: Rob Kennedy. Seedsheets produces custom roll-out gardens that increase garden success by 50%, increase crop yields by 30%, and organically eliminates weeds. Seedsheet has generated $5 million in revenue since 2020.
Inland Shrimp Co. – CEO: Gary Beatty. Inland Shrimp Co. sustainably raises saltwater shrimp and other seafood items through indoor vertical farming processes in vacant, repurposed inner-city buildings. Inland Shrimp uses alternative energy, remote sensing, and automation to collect and manage data to reduce labor costs and dependence on traditional utilities.
Contango – Founder and CEO: Ben Brame. Contango optimizes the supply chain for physical commodities including fertilizer, grain, and energy. Contango has validated the product concept with half of the fertilizer industry and signed the first paying customer.
Avari Labs – Founder and CEO: Greg Schlensker. Avari Labs’ microalgae product addresses high mortality rate (40-60%), opens Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) to new species and provides customizable nutrients to the consumer market. Avari Labs established a pilot with Purdue University earlier this year.