Agbioscience

BONUS: Indianapolis, it’s our time

From COVID-19 to African Swine Fever and now a global recession facing supply challenges, Elanco has faced many circumstances since becoming an independent company in 2018. CEO Jeff Simmons addressed the Economic Club of Indiana last week to send a clear message: their greatest era of innovation and impact to society lies ahead (and is coming quickly). This week, we bring you his comments as a special bonus episode.  Jeff dives into Elanco’s new global headquarters being a destination, not an obligation, where people want to go and work with purpose and reaching the world’s animals from this new epicenter for innovation. And while acknowledging that great work has been done in Indianapolis, he calls on leaders to prioritize building an inclusive community where talent wants to be and to work quickly – because the window is small for us to seize our opportunity.  **A special thank you to the Economic Club of Indiana for allowing use of their audio for this episode. To watch Jeff Simmons’ full program, click here.** 

3. Finding your funding

Agbioscience companies attracted more than $50B in venture capital globally in 2021, but venture isn’t the only source of funding fueling innovation. Private equity and debt are also flowing into the agbioscience economy as investors seek new avenues to deliver returns while advancing innovation. With interest rates rising and a cool off in the tech economy, what does this mean for the future? This week, we are joined by Patrick Gilbert, Managing Director of Vine Capital, Randall Lewis, Managing Partner at Cleveland Avenue and Steve Witges, SVP of Ag Lending at Farm Credit Mid-America to examine all the potential tools for startups and early-stage companies to scale and grow.  They dive into how companies discern the right financial instrument for them given the current state of our economy, uncertainty driving the source of capital (along with an uptick in involvement from investors) and agbioscience as a growing market of attraction for investors. They also talk about capital efficiency and how it relates to trends and commitments made by companies, such as sustainability and environmental impact, and their ability to capture market while saving costs in the long-term. 

2. Thinking in systems to achieve sustainability

How does wrangling bulls compare to working in corporate America? Perhaps no one is more supremely qualified to answer that question than Anya Gandy. From Capitol Hill to The Great Plains, Google and now Inari, the Sustainability and Strategy Leader has an impressive resume.  This week, we talk with Anya about her career – from cowboy to tech star - and the common thread through it all: sustainability. She dives into nature-positive farming, Inari’s potential to go beyond net-zero pledges and the urgent need for more companies creating positive value to the planet (rather than a commitment to do less harm). Anya also talks about Inari’s plan to make that happen: AI-powered predictive design and a pioneering multiplex gene editing toolbox that unlocks the full potential of seed as a cornerstone of our food system.  She also busts the myth that sustainability comes at a cost to profits, walking through the relationship between economic and environmental sustainability and talks about the future of collaboration and partnerships for Inari. Want to learn more about Inari? Click here.

1. AgriNovus at CES 2023

An audible gasp filled the room at CES 2023’s opening keynote as the world’s leading innovators heard John Deere unveil its new robotic technology, ExactShot, which gives farmers the opportunity to dose fertilizer with precision rather than apply an entire stream – creating healthier plants with less chemical use while saving farmers money. AgriNovus caught up with John Deere’s VP of Production and Precision Ag Production Systems, Deanna Kovar, to talk about this continuation of the company’s smart industrial strategy and putting farmers at the heart of everything they do. Deanna also talks about the critical problems facing farmers – both economically and environmentally, the history of John Deere’s investment into groundbreaking technology and being precise to make sure their tools create efficiency.  She also dives into what’s ahead being bigger than what’s behind us, finding and creating new uses for their current tools and drawing inspiration on tech solutions at the show, paving the way for potential application in agbioscience.  

47. A look back at 2022

Do you also feel as though the year flew right on past you? As we sat down to recap what 2022 looked like for Indiana’s agbiosciences, we realized how much can happen in a short amount of time. From food to agtech, creating new innovative opportunities and putting Indiana on a global stage, please enjoy our first-ever year-in-review episode of Agbioscience, and also, our season 5 finale. We appreciate your passion and enthusiasm each week and look forward to bringing you more episodes in the new year.  Reference episodes:   Jeff Simmons, Elanco: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/agbioscience/id1412179095  Pamela Whitten, Indiana University: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-the-crossroads-of-biomedical-engineering/id1412179095?i=1000587701375  Susanne Wasson, Corteva Agriscience: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/modern-crop-protection-making-an-impact/id1412179095?i=1000561550250  Luca Bonini, Hello Nature: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bionutrients-indianas-latest-agbioscience-collaboration/id1412179095?i=1000553925930  Sam Krouse, MPS Egg Farms: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/egg-celerating-innovation-in-indiana/id1412179095?i=1000557079928  Daniel Russek, Atarraya: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shrimp-shipping-containers-sustainability/id1412179095?i=1000580638895  Aaron Schacht: BiomEdit: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biomedit-betting-on-microbiome-science/id1412179095?i=1000567108868  Mike DiPaola + Opher Flohr, Taranis: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-taranis-recent-fundraise-brings-new-growth-opportunities/id1412179095?i=1000579439249  Stacy Dean, USDA: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bonus-agrinovus-at-the-white-house-conference-on/id1412179095?i=1000581518985 

BONUS: Introducing the winner of the Producer-Led Innovation Challenge

In partnership with Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance, the 2022 Producer-Led Innovation Challenge tasked innovators with optimizing existing on-farm data to create a farmer-focused platform that will increase data accuracy and reliability to impact speed and cost of capital from lenders. The winning prize: $25,000 to help accelerate commercialization of their solution. This week, we are joined by the winning team, Orlando Saez and Tom Uthell with Aker Technologies.  They dive into their approach to the Challenge, how their solution fits within their existing tech stack and their plans to accelerate the platform’s growth in the future.  Learn more about AgriNovus Indiana’s Producer-Led Innovation Challenge: https://agrinovusindiana.com/producer-led-innovation-challenge/ 

46. Connection + community driving innovation

From restaurant tech to climate science, innovation taking over the agbioscience sector continues to diversify and grow as the problems we face when it comes to food get more attention. This week, we are joined by Jennifer Marston, senior reporter at AgFunder News, to talk about venture capital’s $51B investment in the global market last year and “the hype cycle” surrounding new tech and innovation. She also looks ahead at emerging innovations in the agbiosciences, market correction following the pandemic and how funding might shift more to the farm-side in the near future. 

45. A manifestation of his vision

David Johnson’s impact on Central Indiana and its economic growth cannot be overstated. This week, the CEO of Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) joins us to tell his story, from Harvard and Oxford to Capitol Hill, being a lawyer and coming home to Indianapolis (eventually to lead CICP). David also talks about the necessary formation of CICP as an organization, the emergence of AgriNovus as an agbioscience initiative of the organization and the industry’s vast opportunity for sustainable growth in Indiana. As he prepares for his retirement, David looks back on the evolution of the state’s economy during his run at CICP, examines the headwinds Indiana will face in the future and what comes next for him. 

44. Building the crossroads of biomedical engineering

She’s the 19th president of Indiana University and the institution’s first female leader. Today we welcome Dr. Pamela Whitten to the podcast to get her take on IU’s strength at the intersection of tech and health, the university’s deep interest and application in agbioscience and creating a seven-year strategic framework during a time where higher education is facing enrollment decline. She also talks about collaborating alongside Purdue University president, Mitch Daniels, to split IUPUI into two world-class establishments in the heart of Indianapolis and what that means for the future of our state. 

43. Disrupting the coffee industry

How are coffee and cryptocurrency related? In the case of this week’s guest, the more you consume, the greater your investment portfolio. Andre Ramsey, Co-Founder of CoinCoffee, joins us to talk about rewarding members through java coins that are redeemed for cryptocurrency, going to market and the consumer reaction and the massive validation he felt from Starbucks launching a similar program.