PLUG AND PLAY TOPEKA WELCOMES THIRD BATCH OF STARTUPS TO LOCAL ANIMAL HEALTH, AG-TECH ACCELERATOR

GO Topeka is pleased to announce Plug and Play Topeka has selected 12 startups to participate in the third cohort of its local accelerator program focused on innovation in animal health and agriculture technology.

These early-to-mid-stage startups hail from several different states — including California, Pennsylvania, Washington and Washington D.C. — and six different countries — including Chile, Israel, Italy, Spain and the U.K. The startups were selected following a pitch competition held virtually this month.

The startups, chosen by partners of the program — including corporate partners Cargill, Evergy and Hill’s Pet Nutrition — represent a broad range of new innovations in areas like sustainable packaging, food systems, pet and livestock health, and energy. Entrepreneurs representing those startups will participate in a three-month-long accelerator program aimed at connecting them with resources and helping their businesses get off the ground.

Learn more about the 12 startups selected for the program:

• Adrich — Adrich helps brands and retailers get the right product to the right customer at the right time through a smart-packaging and post-sales data analytics platform.
• Full Cycle Bioplastics — Full Cycle is a biotech company that converts organic waste into bioplastics. Their proprietary technology addresses climate change by reducing food waste and plastic pollution.
• Hargol FoodTech — The world’s first commercial grasshopper farm, harnessing the power of nature’s most efficient protein source.
• Helpet — Helpet was created to help pet owners take simple care of their friends, in an effective and organized way.
• Kauel Technologies — Experts in asset and productivity monitoring with artificial intelligence using computer vision and data processing in energy-sector-related industries, such as oil and gas and electricity.
• Moolec Science — An Ag-Foodtech company consolidating a unique pipeline of projects and capabilities, using Molecular Farming to introduce a hybrid concept between plant and cell-based technologies in the alternative-proteins landscape.
• Natural Machines — Natural Machines is a manufacturer of 3D-food printers.
• NovoNutrients — NovoNutrients is working to upcycle industrial-waste gases, notably carbon dioxide.
• PupPod — PupPod represents the gamification of pet nutrition.
• TeleTails — TeleTails is a veterinary telehealth platform that provides live video, messaging and payment capabilities for pet owners.
• W-Cycle — Offers a green and compostable single-use packaging solution for hot meals and beverages.
• Yoran Imaging — Introducing industry 4.0 to the heat-sealing arena.

“We’re excited to invite these 12 startups to participate in our Plug and Play Topeka accelerator,” said Lindsay Lebahn, program manager for Plug and Play Topeka. “Our selection process reflects our partners’ animal-health and agtech needs, ensuring potential partnerships between these companies and startups are that much more impactful — not only for the businesses themselves but for everyday consumers looking for meaningful solutions to some of today’s biggest health-science challenges.”

“Cargill is proud to be a corporate partner of Plug and Play Topeka,” said Donna Niles, senior business development analyst for Cargill’s North American Protein business. “The startups selected for our next cohort represent some of the sharpest minds in animal-health and agriculture-technology innovation. We’re excited to collaborate with these startups over the next few months to help Cargill innovate and advance its mission of nourishing the world in a responsible, sustainable way.”

“As Evergy and our fellow corporate partners have welcomed subsequent batches of startups to the Plug and Play Topeka program, we’ve been impressed by the depth and scope of their innovations,” said Jeff Martin, Evergy’s vice president of customer operations. “Evergy is a company focused on moving energy forward, and as such, we’re always on the lookout for cutting-edge technologies that help advance and improve our industry. We’re excited about this latest cohort and look forward to seeing how the next few months unfold.”

“Hill’s Pet Nutrition is proud to continue our support of Plug and Play Topeka and the dynamic lineup of startups selected for the third cohort,” said Dave Baloga, vice president of science and technology for Hill’s Pet Nutrition. “Innovation is at the forefront of everything we do, including our support of the next generation of animal-health startups, and we are confident that they will bring some of the brightest ideas to the industry.”

“Plug and Play’s Topeka accelerator has really shined a light on the local and regional resources powering innovation in northeast Kansas,” said Molly Howey, president of GO Topeka. “GO Topeka is excited to continue our partnership with Plug and Play, as we introduce a new batch of startups to all Topeka and Shawnee County have to offer. The future of animal-health and agtech innovation is being shaped right here in our capital city, and these startups are a vital piece of the puzzle.”