Agbioscience

From tightening margins to shifts in the regulatory landscape, growers face a series of headwinds that challenge the success of their operations every year. One constant? Data on the farm. This week, American Autonomy CEO Mariah Scott joins us to talk data as a differentiator and unlocking access in a new American market for drones. Highlights include: The work American Autonomy is leading to bring drone software to dealers and farmers that sets their businesses apart AcreConnect as the company’s first software platform designed to assist during the spray season, the gaps in the market that led to its creation and how it enables farmer success What’s happening with drones in the current market landscape and how Mariah sees the future changing Regulatory shifts and their impact on technological adoption on farms right now How American Autonomy defines success in this environment and how this evolution in the industry has created new opportunities Leveraging farmer relationships to refine and improve technologies; and the farmer’s role in defining the future of innovation in this space What innovations Mariah sees playing the biggest role in drone imagery and spraying in the future — from AI to automation, sensing technologies and regulatory advancements — and how might they reshape both farm operations and the broader agtech landscape Momentum for the American Autonomy team over the last year and how that’s enabled them to grow and scale in new ways Integrations as a critical driver for the American Autonomy team’s success and how partnerships have created high-quality tech adoption in the field Mariah’s non-traditional ag background and how that’s positioned her to lead in the space thus far How she sees talent evolving and reshaping the agbioscience industry over the next decade What’s ahead for the American Autonomy team in 2026

Our March recap is here and it's a busy one! Highlights include: The launch of AgriNovus research and 2026 Velocity. Apply to participate in this year's cohort here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/velocity/Indiana's announcement of a $1B investment in agriculture and bioscience to position the state as a global leader in One Health innovationCICP's launch of the Catalyst Scholars fund focused on advanced chemistry talent, research and commercialization in IndianaCal-Maine Foods' acquisition of Creighton BrothersCorteva Catalysts's investment in gene editing company TropicJoin us for Quadrant on 5/13 in Indianapolis! Register here: https://agrinovusindiana.com/quadrant/

AgriNovus will release new research today identifying critical challenges ripe for innovation that will serve as the foundation for the 2026 Velocity Accelerator, a six-month program that awards entrepreneurs three separate $25,000 cash prizes for their technology solutions in bioinnovation, farmer-focused innovation and food is health. Joining us on the podcast is Tayo Sanders from Arrowpoint Labs, authors of the study that shape the foundation for this year’s accelerator. Are you interested in participating in this year's Velocity? Ten teams will be accepted for each track, so space is limited! Apply to participate today: https://agrinovusindiana.com/velocity/ Highlights include: Tayo’s work at Arrowpoint Labs and who they serve through insights and research The report that his team did for AgriNovus tied to 2026 Velocity, its findings and how it shaped this year’s challenge statements Indiana’s “right to win” across the agricultural value chain, the state’s strongest advantage right now and biggest opportunities to grow A theme in the report that emerges – bridging the gap in innovation among farmer-focused innovation, bioinnovation and food is health Engaging with local, state and national stakeholders to gain insights for this study and how their input provided support or opposition to what had been gathered as existing research The challenges that exist within the food is health space and gaps they identified in the report that could serve as opportunities for startups to innovate for in this year’s accelerator Priorities that were shaped through insights and research on a growing bioeconomy and how entrepreneurs can tackle the challenge being presented in that track for Velocity The value of connecting innovators at the farmgate to create new technologies that impact ROI and help develop new companies that can grow and scale through a program like Velocity What excites Tayo the most about this report and its potential to inform and inspire new innovation

The demand for biobased materials is growing on a global scale, with no signals of that pace slowing any time soon. One startup has leveraged the power of synthetic biology to turn industrial byproducts into biomaterials. This week, Ourobio CEO Alec Brewer joins us to talk the company’s founding, contributing to a circular economy and their innovation process – end-to-end. Highlights include: The company’s origin story out of the University of Virginia and how it has evolved Ourobio’s innovation process, end-to-end, that produces bio-based materials Pivoting as an entrepreneur and knowing when they needed to tilt their business model to capture and offer value The Ourobio differentiation, which includes safety, color of pigmentation of polymer and affordability Alec’s perspective on the regulatory environment, what needs to be defined and how this conversation should evolve as this market continues to grow Biggest headwinds Ourobio has faced as a startup and how they’ve navigated their challenges in the early stage Feedback from companies that are moving to more bio-based materials Where Alec sees the biggest opportunity for bioinnovation reshape traditional industries in the coming decade Tools and technologies that have had the greatest impact on accelerating innovation for Ourobio’s scale and precision How partnerships and collaboration have paved the way for Alec and the Ourobio team’s entrepreneurial success What success looks like at this stage for the company and what’s ahead for Ourobio that has Alec most excited

From seed selection to input purchases and beyond, farmers are responsible for a litany of data points that require decisions on their operations each season. Having tools to enable confident, informed decisions isn’t just a “nice to have” in modern production agriculture, it’s imperative. We are joined by Beck’s Hybrids’ Jim Schwartz, Director of Research, Agronomy and Practical Farm Research, to talk about the launch of their new platform – SeedIQ – its capabilities and the dealer, and farmer, mindset heading into a growing season. Highlights include: What PFR (Practical Farm Research) does to help farmers grow their operations and how it’s different than other research projects within companies Conversations with growers heading into the planting season; what those entail, how they are preparing and their sentiment given the current headwinds being faced The power of certainty being tied to decision-making and how Jim has seen expectations shift over the years when it comes to seed performance, agronomic support and digital tools The balance of innovation adoption and risk management “Innovation that matters” and what that means to the Beck’s team, their definition of innovation and its implications beyond ROI Launching SeedIQ, what the platform does and how it better serves dealers and farmers The gaps Jim and the team identified that led them to develop the SeedIQ platform Dealer and grower response to the launch of the tool heading into a growing season What’s ahead for Beck’s this planting season that has Jim excited

The future of the agbioscience workforce will look different than it does today – as it does than it did ten years ago. At the heart of its change and evolution are college students and young professionals pursuing new fields of studying, from business to biology, and asking themselves one critical question: how do I apply what I’m learning today to my future in the working world? This week we are joined by AgriNovus’ Career Success Manager, Karis Witte, to dive into the organization’s career exploration platform, Field Atlas, exposing young talent to the agbioscience industry and connecting their hearts and minds to a future that matters. Highlights include: The story of Field Atlas and who it aims to serve Biggest headwinds agbioscience companies are facing when it comes to finding talent and buildling a workforce of the future Who Field Atlas is designed for and what makes it different than other talent programs and platforms The brand’s growth into experiential programming and how exposure has created a new dimension of industry recruitment for agbioscience companies Field Atlas as a brand “for students, by students” that is enabled by a network of campus Ambassadors The feedback Karis gets about the impact of Field Atlas – from students, colleges, universities and companies The Company Tours available to students and how that program has created new impact on students with no prior background in agbioscience Launching the Agbioscience Mentorship Program (AMP) and creating new, meaningful connection for late college students and young professionals that are looking to advance their careers How Karis sees Field Atlas evolving as it grows in the coming years What’s ahead in 2026

For farmers looking ahead to a fresh growing season, decisions for their operations require clarity and a certainty around impact and ROI – from inputs to innovation adoption. This week, we are joined by PJ Smith, Senior Global Product Manager at Indigo Ag, to get into soil health’s impact on our food system; and how strengthening agriculture today helps reduce risk and protect food security for the future. Highlights include: The work Indigo Ag is leading and problems their team solves through innovation Conversations with farmers right now as they look ahead to the growing season, their concerns and how they are making decisions based on their needs Indigo Ag’s unique intersection of ag, sustainability and data Balancing opportunities that data can provide with a hesitant mindset that can sometimes linger around a farmer’s data, technology adoption or participation in emerging technologies Benchmarks and measures of success the Indigo Ag team has in front of them over the next 3-5 years Indigo Ag’s launch of Nemora to fight soybean cyst nematode, the leading cause of soybean loss in the U.S How in-field experience with farmers shapes R&D priorities for Indigo Ag PJ’s thoughts on their biggest room for growth Farmers as a part of the solution to climate and sustainability challenges over the next decade and where he sees shifts and changes coming in the market What’s ahead for Indigo Ag in 2026

There is an increasing desire from consumers to better understand food’s overall impact on their health; however, there haven’t always been the proper tools – until now. This week, we are joined by FoodHealth Company’s CEO and co-founder, Sam Citro-Alexander, to talk about the launch of their consumer and brand facing tech-platform, FoodHealth Score, which rates products and suggests smarter swaps in real-time as you shop. We also get into leveraging innovation to better connect the value chain and empowering consumers and food brands alike to make better informed decisions based on data. Want to try out FoodHealth Score for yourself? Download the Chrome extension for free here! Highlights include: What FoodHealth Company does and who they aim to serve through technology Gaps in the market that Sam identified that led to her endeavoring this new startup and systems change How FoodHealth Co. Works across the food system to drive better health outcomes – from consumers to food brands alike Sam’s launch of their flagship product, FoodHealth Score, and what the feedback has looked like across the value chain Retailers and brands using data to better inform purchasing and formulation decisions How FoodHealth Co. Is thinking about impact measured through their platform What food is health means to Sam and her team The role she sees farmers playing in the FoodHealth Score and the opportunity to better align food production and health The company’s $7.5M Series A funding round from 2025 and how it’s enabled them to grow and scale How Sam views partnerships and collaboration as a necessary tool to the growth of FoodHealth Company Where she believes they’ve just started to scratch the surface on their full potential when it comes to FoodHealth Score What’s ahead for the company with the launch of FoodHealth Score in 2026

From sweeteners and starches to sustainable packaging, the bioeconomy is on the move. At the helm is Primient, a leading producer of food and industrial ingredients made from plant-based, renewable sources – corn being its primary feedstock. Today we are joined by CEO Jim Stutelberg to talk about the $4 trillion global bioeconomy and the rapid innovative trajectory shaping its future. Highlights include: The Primient story and who they aim to serve through innovation How Jim has seen the bioinnovation market evolve and what the competitive landscape looks like for bioinnovators like Primient today The collective headwinds facing the industry Primient’s market differentiation Consumer behaviors influencing company priorities and how they set the tone for R&D and product pipelines The critical role of corn and other feedstocks in the work Primient does and how Jim sees that relationship evolving over the next decade Acquiring Primient Covation and what integrating them into their portfolio will enable their team to do The power of partnerships for the Primient team, how they approach collaboration and what it means to their business Jim’s approach to the business of people, his belief in team culture and how he sees building a talent pipeline for the future What Jim believes to be Primient’s biggest areas of untapped potential What’s ahead for Primient in 2026