Twelve Startups Accepted Into Program Focused on Creating Tech-Enabled Solutions Across Bioinnovation, Farmer-Focused Innovation, Food is Health
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 22, 2026) — AgriNovus Indiana, an initiative focused on growing the agbioscience economy, announced today that 12 startups will participate in its 2026 Velocity accelerator, a five-month program that awards entrepreneurs a total of $75,000 in cash prizes for their technology solutions divided equally between the strategic categories: bioinnovation, farmer-focused innovation and food is health.
For Velocity, AgriNovus commissioned research conducted by Arrowpoint Labs which synthesizes insights from key state and national agbioscience leaders. The study, Advancing Innovation: Priority Areas for Indiana’s Agbioscience Future, helps shape the program’s focus areas and provides real-world problem statements for participating startups to solve through their technologies.
“This year’s Velocity cohort represents an exceptional set of startups working at the intersection of innovation and industry need,” said Christy Wright, president and CEO of AgriNovus. “Across all three tracks, these teams bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that can help solve critical challenges in agbioscience, driving meaningful impact in Indiana and beyond.”
In 2026, Velocity has transitioned from an open-enrollment framework to a cohort model designed to maximize impact across the ecosystem. The teams selected for each innovation track include:
BIOINNOVATION
BioFique, Inc. is a plant-derived natural ingredient platform with an initial use case of improving animal protein production efficiency by addressing animal gut health and disease in poultry, swine and ruminant production. The result is improved feed conversion ratio and increased weight gain, two significant levers impacting producer return on investment, as well as reduced enteric greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Led by CEO Nassir Patel, BioFique’s natural ingredient can be used standalone or complementary to existing feed or pharma solutions including antibiotics, vaccines or probiotics.
ClearLeaf uses patented technology that is organic certified in the EU and Japan to provide a line of safe fungicides and bactericides for agricultural use with pre- and post-harvest solutions for several crops including specialty crops, row crops, vegetables and ornamentals. The solution, GotaBlanca, is currently sold in six Latin American countries and since going to market, has sold over $2 million in products. ClearLeaf is led by its CSO and Co-Founder Agustin Buchert.
Ecoatex converts agricultural byproducts into bio-based material inputs for packaging, coatings, nonwovens, fibers, composites and specialty applications. Its platform produces cellulose inputs, functional nanocellulose, lignin-derived materials and bio-based coatings that help manufacturers reduce reliance on petroleum-derived and PFAS-based materials. Ecoatex is led by founder and CEO Raha Saremi.
NAKI, led by founder and CEO Barak Manbar, is an environmental technology company that transforms high-cost food industry waste (sludge) into high-value, sustainable raw materials on-site. NAKI creates a profitable and regulatory-compliant circular economy model by solving a major waste problem for food factories and delivering carbon-negative local feedback that drastically reduces emission scores.
FARMER-FOCUSED INNOVATION
AgriTerra is a farmland intelligence platform that consolidates the soil, water, conservation, renewable energy and market data scattered across eight-plus federal agencies into a single instant analysis for any U.S. parcel. Its flagship product, Land Scout, lets a farmer or landowner type an address or draw a parcel and compare four futures for the same acres side by side in dollars: farm it, cash-rent it, enroll it in conservation or lease it for solar or wind. AgriTerra is led by Co-Founder Tim Fulton.
AgroNet ZERO is developing SoilSync, an AI-enabled decision platform that helps farmers, advisers and input suppliers evaluate where regenerative inputs and practices are most effective. Initially focused on biochar, the platform is designed to expand to other regenerative solutions, including compost, manure-derived inputs and biostimulants. The company is led by Chief Research Officer Tetiana McLemore.
Fallow Ag is a risk translation layer connecting farmers and lenders, converting a farm’s real, non-standard risk profile into a standard that capital providers can underwrite. The company uses a proprietary risk model and translation layer that turns messy, farm-level data (operational, agronomic and financial) into a standardized score a lender can use. Fallow is led by CEO Naveed Iqbal.
Verility, Inc., led by CEO and Co-Founder Liane Hart, is revolutionizing livestock reproduction with a low-cost, non-invasive, mobile fertility diagnostic, called Fertile-Eyez, bringing lab-grade accuracy on-farm. Its AI-driven, handheld system pinpoints the optimal breeding window for sows and gilts, reducing failed inseminations, cutting semen doses, labor and costs, while boosting herd productivity.
FOOD IS HEALTH
Arylium, Inc. is developing therapeutics and dietary supplements based on a novel class of small molecules in turmeric, creating a unique intersection between agriculture and biotechnology through the cultivation of a high-value medicinal crop as a source of pharmaceutical ingredients. The company’s lead programs focus on neurological and metabolic diseases and are supported by proprietary preclinical data and an exclusive position around a newly identified drug target with applications across multiple therapeutic areas. Arylium is led by CEO Alexander Crawford.
ClearPRO is developing a specialty whey protein technology that enables clear, heat-stable, high-protein beverages with improved taste, clarity and clean-label appeal. Their process modifies whey protein functionality to help beverage and ingredient manufacturers create shelf-stable clear protein drinks without excessive additives, bitterness, sedimentation or cloudiness after thermal processing. ClearPRO is a product of Purdue University, led by Sunandita Ghosh.
Crossroads Life Sciences is a biotechnology company focused on developing naturally occurring cembranoids, particularly 4R-cembranoid (4R), a nicotine-free compound synthesized on the surface of tobacco leaves and flowers, into products that support brain health (neuroprotection, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, traumatic brain injury, neuroinflammation, organophosphate and nerve-agent exposure). The company plans to continue exploration of their broader therapeutic potential through future scientific and clinical research. The company is led by CEO Dina Ferchmin.
Yellowwood Farmstop and Cafe puts hard-earned money back in farmers’ pockets, while providing a retail outlet for local food. Indianapolis has several grocery options, but none with Yellowwood’s specific geographic focus and mission-driven model. The retail market gives its farm and food partners 70 percent of the sale of each item and builds curated grocery boxes built on food-is-medicine partnerships. Yellowwood Farmstop and Cafe is led by Director of Cafe Operations Anna Holloway.
Presented by the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance, Velocity will culminate in a demo day and award presentation on Nov. 19, 2026. AgriNovus welcomes all industry partners, corporate innovators, investors and entrepreneurs who want to attend the event. A link to receive more information about Velocity, its participating startups and the accelerator’s Demo Day event is available here.