Taranis, a leading AI-powered crop intelligence company, today announced it has been recognized as Planet’s Agriculture Partner of the Year during the 2022 annual Planet Sales Kickoff, held in San Diego. The Taranis and Planet partnership provided the pathway for delivering ag retailers and farmers, daily Field Health insights and trends, by combining Planet’s high quality PlanetScope data with Taranis’ powerful AI and machine learning technologies.

The generated insights and trends, alongside stand count, weeds, diseases, and other crop threat insights, have been used by more than 100 agribusinesses around the world, helping ag retailers demonstrate value for their customers and build better relationships that allows them to accelerate data-driven decision-making, proactively manage their operations, and improve profitability.

Taranis provides the highest-resolution, leaf-level images in the market to help retail agronomists and farmers see exactly what is happening in every field and every acre. By utilizing those leaf-level images combined with the high-frequency satellite imagery from PlanetScope, Taranis not only shows what is in the field but also how it is impacting the health of the field throughout the year in millions of acres.

“We’re honored to be awarded the agriculture partner of the year by Planet. The challenges faced by ag retailers and growers are complex in nature, and we believe our partnership with Planet have been essential in helping our mutual customers achieve excellent business outcomes,” says Ofir Schlam, Co-Founder and President, “As we built a solution to deliver the most timely, actionable insights for ag retailers, co-ops and farmers, Planet was able to provide us unprecedented daily satellite imagery to pair with our leaf-level drone imagery, allowing our customers to quickly identify deviations from expected crop growth and make the right interventions in the right time.”

“Our partnership over the years with Taranis has empowered advisors, suppliers and growers,” comments John Atkinson, Vice President of Channel Sales at Planet, “Seeing how information and data from our satellite solutions is used, to deliver precise and impactful insights, is a testimony to our success in the agriculture industry. This partnership provides the insights necessary for productive, profitable, and sustainable farming.” 

About Planet Labs PBC:

Planet is a leading provider of global, daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions. Planet is driven by a mission to image the world every day, and make change visible, accessible and actionable. Founded in 2010 by three NASA scientists, Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest Earth observation fleet of imaging satellites, capturing and compiling data from over 3 million images per day. Planet provides mission-critical data, advanced insights, and software solutions to over 700 customers, comprising the world’s leading agriculture, forestry, intelligence, education and finance companies and government agencies, enabling users to simply and effectively derive unique value from satellite imagery. Planet is a public benefit corporation trading on the New York Stock Exchange as PL. To learn more visit https://www.planet.com.

About Taranis:

Taranis is the world’s leading AI-powered crop intelligence platform 100% focused on helping ag retailers demonstrate value for their customers and build better relationships through full-service, leaf-level data capture that allows them to accelerate decision making, simplify management, and improve the bottom line. Since starting in 2015, Taranis has worked with more than 100 world’s top agricultural retailers and crop protection companies, monitoring millions of acres worldwide. Taranis has offices located in Westfield, Indiana, Tel Aviv, Israel, and Campinas, Brazil. To learn more visit https://taranis.ag.

Funding will enable collaborative projects for the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and equity for Indiana’s economy

 

The CICP Foundation, as the supporting foundation for the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), has received five inter-related grants totaling $34.6 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. for work by CICP and four of its sector initiatives, AgriNovus Indiana, BioCrossroads, Conexus Indiana and TechPoint. CICP and its related sector initiatives are focused on the development and implementation of collaborative strategies and programs to build upon Indiana’s prosperity.

Approximately one-fourth of the grant funding will be used to support CICP’s coordinated leadership across the organization’s initiative structure to deliver programs and projects that include:

CICP identified these priorities based on the findings of the Indiana GPS Project. CICP commissioned scholars from the Brookings Institution and the American Enterprise Institute to produce this multi-dimensional study of Indiana’s economy to help spur growth across the state and to increase the number of good jobs in all types of industries.

Additional funds from these Lilly Endowment grants will enable CICP to continue to explore new collaborative platforms around some of the region’s most compelling opportunities, such as the emerging AnalytiXIN platform. Headquartered at 16 Tech Innovation District in Indianapolis, AnalytiXIN is bringing together the state’s research universities and major corporations to deepen regional capacities in strategic technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics. Grant funds will also be committed to the specific advancement of Indiana’s industry sector initiatives in the agbiosciences, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and logistics and technology sectors.

“CICP is uniquely positioned to identify, understand and address many of our region’s greatest economic issues and challenges, thanks to the generous support of Lilly Endowment,” said David L. Johnson, president and CEO, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership. “Through our broad network of stakeholders, including our CEO board members, CICP and its advanced industry sector initiatives will be able to bolster already strong efforts in talent and workforce development and programs such as AnalytiXIN and Business Equity for Indy.”

“Lilly Endowment is pleased to provide this funding because of the extraordinary abilities of the leaders of CICP and its initiatives and their commitment to building the prosperity of our region and state,” said N. Clay Robbins, Lilly Endowment’s Chairman and CEO. “Indiana needs CICP’s strategic leadership to thrive in this increasingly competitive and dynamic global economy.”

 

 

Living Greens Farm, the largest indoor vertical aeroponic farm in the U.S., announced plans today to locate operations in Delaware County, creating up to 120 new jobs by the end of 2024.

“Indiana’s central location, strong agriculture sector and business-friendly climate make the Hoosier state the perfect place for companies like Living Greens Farm to put down roots,” said Governor Eric J. Holcomb. “As a state, we’re committed to creating an environment that enables companies like Living Greens Farm to scale operations, while continuing to innovate and grow agtech solutions geared toward a 21st century economy.”

Living Greens Farm, which is headquartered in Minnesota, will invest nearly $70 million to establish a 200,000-square-foot farming, processing and packaging facility at 2450 W. Fuson Road in Muncie. The indoor farm will feature smart automation at crop seeding, transplanting, harvesting, processing and packaging steps, which will allow growers to fully realize the natural potential of crops grown in an efficient, high-speed manner. It will also enable the company to expand its bagged salad and salad kit offerings to retailers and consumers across the Midwest and Midsouth regions of the country. The new facility is expected to be fully operational by early 2023.

“The Muncie facility is in an ideal location to begin our national geographical expansion,” said George Pastrana, CEO of Living Greens Farm. “It will help us to better supply our current retail partners, such as Walmart, Whole Foods, HyVee, UNFI and others, as well as allow expansion into additional leading retail and wholesale operations across the Midwest. I wish to thank the fine people of Muncie and Delaware County for the work they put into making this new farm a reality. As we are from a rural town in Minnesota, they made us feel that Muncie would be exactly the environment that would work well for us.”

The company, which currently employs more than 60 associates in Minnesota and Illinois, will begin hiring in Muncie for production, processing, shipping, management and administrative roles starting in Q2 2022. Interested applicants may apply online once jobs have been posted.

The farm in Muncie, which is among multiple state-of-the-art facilities the company plans to open across the U.S. in coming years, will use an advanced farming system requiring significantly less water than traditional farming methods, saving 103 million gallons per year (the equivalent of 156 Olympic-size pools). The facility will have capacity to grow and harvest nearly 5 million pounds of pesticide-free leafy greens each year and provide the company’s fresh salads, from harvest to shelf within 24 hours, to metropolitan areas across the Midwest.

“We are so pleased to have the Living Greens Farm investment in Delaware County,” said Delaware County Commissioner President Sherry Riggin. “Diversification of industry in our community is incredibly important. The leafy greens product is a wonderful addition, and we’re happy to welcome them to the county.”

Based on the company’s job creation plans, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) committed an investment in Living Greens Farm Inc. of up to $925,000 in conditional tax credits. The IEDC also committed up to $100,000 from the Hoosier Business Investment (HBI) tax credit program based on the company’s planned capital investment in Indiana. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired and investments are made. Delaware County approved additional performance-based incentives at the request of the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance.

About Living Greens Farm
Headquartered in Minnesota, Living Greens Farm is the world’s largest vertical plane aeroponic farm. Living Greens Farm produce requires 95 percent less water and 99 percent less land to grow year-round and all products are grown without pesticides or GMOs. Living Greens Farm has a full product line that includes salads, microgreens, and herbs available throughout the Midwest. For more information, please visit livinggreensfarm.com.

Hello Nature, a global leader in organic fertilizers, biostimulants and microbials, has partnered with 6th-generation Indiana business MPS Egg Farms to form a joint venture that will make a nearly $50 million investment in Wabash, Indiana to construct and operate a specialty fertilizer manufacturing facility.

The joint venture, Bionutrients, will combine high-quality raw materials and cutting-edge technologies.  Bionutrients will employ 46 people and construct two facilities totaling nearly 300,000 square feet to be built at 1555 Manchester Avenue, Wabash, IN 46992.  The partners will break ground this spring, with the facility fully operationally in the summer of 2023.

This facility will expand Hello Nature’s Indiana presence and complements its two facilities in Anderson, Indiana.

“By expanding our offerings into Indiana’s growing organic farming sector and supporting a sixth-generation, Hoosier-owned business, we couldn’t be more excited to join this partnership,” said Ann Lathrop, executive vice president of global investments for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). “As we work to sustain our local communities, we continue building on our strengths of manufacturing and agribusiness, which allows us to connect locally, regionally and globally. Hello Nature’s investment in Wabash County is impressive, and we’re excited to see the impact it will have for Hoosiers and our state.”

Based on the company’s job creation plans, the IEDC committed an investment in Hello Nature Specialty Fertilizers of up to $490,000 in the form of incentive-based tax credits. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired.

“We believe that this new production facility will be a turning point for the North American market,” said Luca Bonini, Hello Nature’s CEO. “Today the fertilizer industry undergoes multiple challenges such as rising prices, logistics issues and shortage of inputs, and there is a desperate need for innovative solutions to feed a growing population with less inputs and less land available. Our facility will ensure a regular production of sustainable fertilizers to help North American farmers achieve their yield goals. We are honored to partner with MPS and the Krouse family in this important project.”

The project will also enhance MPS operations in and near Wabash.  “MPS is excited to partner with Hello Nature to bring their expertise to Wabash. After a thorough review of potential sites in two states, we determined Wabash was the most attractive location and allowed us to expand at home,” said Dan Krouse, vice president of operations at MPS Egg Farms. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to make this investment and hire more Hoosiers in Wabash County.”

“We are honored that Hello Nature and MPS Egg Farms have chosen the City of Wabash as the location for their new joint venture, Bionutrients.”  Wabash Mayor Scott A. Long said.  “Wabash County has always been a strong center for agribusiness and manufacturing, and this investment is the perfect marriage of the two, continuing the legacy of innovation in our community.”

Intelinair and Airbus announced today a multi-year collaboration agreement that will provide high-resolution Airbus satellite imagery as an input to Intelinair’s artificial intelligence (AI) powered crop analytics AGMRI® platform to deliver a complete view of every acre, every field from planting to harvest.

High-resolution imagery services from the Pléiades and SPOT 6/7 satellites will provide 50cm and 1.5m geospatial imagery into the AGMRI platform as an additional input, so that farmers and ag retailers can make data-driven decisions and proactively manage their operations with confidence.

“We are very pleased to be providing high-resolution imagery from Pléiades and SPOT 6/7 satellites, whose complementarity makes them the ideal assets for enriched crop management. They deliver fresh information along with historical insights to help drive decisions in the field. Our data along with powerful machine learning and computer vision from Intelinair will help improve crop yields,” said François Lombard, Director of the Intelligence business at Airbus Defense and Space.

With satellite and other aerial imagery sources, farmers receive a new perspective of the agronomic conditions in the form of emergence, plant health, weed detection and harvest readiness in their fields throughout the growing season. From this perspective, product performance and crop damage issues become visible so timely management decisions can be made to protect yields and optimize financial returns.

“We are excited to extend our collaboration with Airbus for the next three years,” said Tim Hassinger, CEO & President of Intelinair. “Airbus’ high-resolution satellite imagery provides another technology to pair with our analytics platform, AGMRI, so that farmers are able to identify issues in their fields before they become a problem. The use of satellites also will provide the ability to serve growers and ag retail channel partners on a global scale.

 

Following two years of virtual events, award winners will be announced during an in-person gala at the JW Marriott on Saturday, April 23, 2022

TechPoint, the nonprofit, industry-led growth initiative for Indiana’s technology ecosystem, today announced the nominees for its 23rd annual Mira Awards program presented by Salesforce. The Mira Awards are the state’s largest, best known and most prestigious technology awards, and the annual gala celebrates the “The Best of Tech in Indiana.” The last time it was held in person, all 1,400 gala tickets were sold out six weeks before the event.

The nominees include individuals, community organizations, investors, educators, entrepreneurs and tech employers with remarkable achievements in the prior year. In aggregate, the 76 company nominees that provided data, employ more than 52,000 people in the state of Indiana and represent nearly $23 billion in annual revenue (excluding Salesforce).

Also represented are newly launched startups and fast-growing scale-ups with tech solutions targeting industries ranging from healthcare, transportation and logistics, security and law enforcement, business intelligence and operations, construction, agriculture, education and human resources.

“The Mira Awards gala is not only the biggest tech event in the state, it’s also the barometer of Indiana’s tech industry growth, strength and dynamism,” said Mike Langellier, president and CEO of TechPoint. “The robustness of this year’s class of nominees bodes well for our tech community’s future, and we’re excited to finally, hopefully, celebrate together in person after two years of remote galas during the pandemic.”

Nominees were selected by 52 independent judges who evaluated and ranked the applications. In early March, nominees will present their cases and be interviewed by judging panels, after which the judges will deliberate and select the winners. Judges include company founders, CEOs and presidents, CTOs, CIOs and other community leaders and subject matter experts.

The 2022 TechPoint Mira Award nominees are:

Tech Product of the Year – (Highly innovative and ground-breaking tech products that burst onto the scene or achieved a major milestone in 2021)

Service Partner of the Year – (The year’s best service provider delivering remarkable, impactful service to clients— external or internal)

Innovation of the Year – (A brand new way of doing things that revolutionizes, advances, or creates new tech industries and fields)

Rising Entrepreneur Award – (A class of passionate and creative entrepreneurial leaders thriving in Indiana)

Tech Education Award – (Celebrating educators and education innovators who inspire and have a positive impact on student achievement)

Investor of the Year – (The venture firms or angel investors who bring capital plus outstanding connections, advice and attention to Indiana companies)

Community Impact Award – (Individuals and organizations that have gone above and beyond to support the advancement of Indiana’s tech community)

Exceptional Employer Award – (Companies doing an exceptional job of hiring and developing talent, cultivating workspaces and workplace culture and deliberately increasing diversity)

Talent Impact Award (Initiatives and programs that are influencing Indiana’s critical recruiting, attracting and hiring talent pipelines as well as training and retaining efforts)

Startup of the Year – (Startups with great potential that demonstrate the creative, strategic and innovative entrepreneurial spirit of Indiana’s technology industry)

Scale-up of the Year – (High-growth, innovation-driven companies that provide technology products or services, are gaining traction and could be Indiana’s next big success stories)

Large Enterprise of the Year – (Companies with exceptional innovation and market position that are helping Indiana to become a recognized technology leader, putting Indiana on the map in the technology world)

In addition to the 12 adjudicated categories, two special industry recognition awards—the TechPoint Trailblazer Award and the TechPoint Foundation for Youth Bridge Builder Award—are selected by the TechPoint and TechPoint Foundation for Youth boards of directors. Both awards are announced prior to the Mira Awards gala in April.

Nominees may purchase tickets now using their purchase codes and tickets will go on sale to the general public on March 15, pending availability. A limited number of sponsorship opportunities, which include gala tickets, are available for the event. For more information, view the 2022 Mira Awards Sponsor Prospectus. The gala will sell out and the best way to ensure that you have tickets is to become a sponsor.

As the urgent, time-sensitive issues of hunger and climate change lead headlines around the world, Elanco Animal Health (NYSE: ELAN) announces two new resources aimed at helping the cattle industry make a positive impact.

According to the United Nations, the world only has until 2030 – just eight years – to curb emissions or see irreversible damage to the planet1. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization shows a full 60% of the world’s population lacked proper nutrition in 2020, either through inadequate year-round access to nutrition2 or the wrong nutrition3, leading to problems ranging from hunger and malnutrition to obesity. These statistics are driving significant increased focus on the footprint and sustainability of many industries. They’re also creating value creation opportunities for industries, like animal agriculture, that can make an impact.

“We believe environmental sustainability is the next era of opportunity for livestock production,” said Jeff Simmons, president and CEO of Elanco Animal Health. “We have to empower our farmers and ranchers with innovation, tools and insights to help them create value and make a difference on these societal issues. We cannot solve these global challenges this fast any other way. We need innovation. We need better regulatory pathways to speed adoption. We need common metrics and an ability to measure progress.”

The stakes have never been higher, and Simmons addressed thousands of producers at the National Cattleman’s Beef Association annual meeting outlining significant advancements in Elanco’s efforts to move from commitments to action. The company has pledged to be a leading partner in helping its customers reach Net Zero emissions through four key areas: Innovation, Analytics, Value Creation, and Reputation Narrative. Elanco today announces forward-progress in both Analytics and Value Creation.

Analytics: Creating a Platform to Track and Drive Progress

Elanco is piloting UpLook™, an insights engine based on more than 20 years of knowledge gained from its Elanco Knowledge Solutions (EKS) portfolio. UpLook is designed to predict greenhouse gas emissions and identify key drivers of an operation’s carbon footprint, providing producers with a baseline of their current stewardship efforts. UpLook can help cattle feeders better understand their baseline, be empowered to recognize the key drivers of their carbon footprint and determine actionable steps to help move their operation toward improved sustainability and stewardship along with access to Elanco’s industry-leading consultants. Elanco believes this established baseline and tracking of progress is the first step to certification and monetization of carbon reduction for producers. Initial pilots of the system are beginning with cattle feeders and availability is expected in the second quarter.

While livestock producers have long been stewards of the land, today they often don’t get credit for their efforts. Elanco believes livestock are a central solution to help address the dual challenges of nourishing the population while mitigating climate change. Voluntary use of tools and resources such as UpLook can help document the great stewardship efforts of cattle producers and evolve their sustainability efforts towards being a value-driver for their operations in the future.

“We are excited to start to turn our commitments into action,” said Dr. Sara Place, chief sustainability officer at Elanco. “This is the first step in a long-term commitment to learn and collaborate with our customers’ as we navigate this new frontier of opportunity, while helping to make a significant difference for our world.”

Value Creation: Creating a Marketplace for Economic and Reputational Value

Elanco is also announcing its investment in Athian, a start-up company created in partnership with venture studio High Alpha Innovation. Athian’s key mission will be to help the cattle industry capture and claim carbon credits earned through sustainability efforts where possible, primarily by validating and certifying GHG reductions and carbon capture from services like UpLook. Athian is expected to aggregate data for producers of all sizes and then work to create a carbon credit marketplace to monetize and capture value from sustainability efforts. Through Athian, farmers and ranchers may have a greater opportunity to keep this value within the food system so that carbon credits do not flow out of the food chain to other industries, which is often called “off-setting.” When an off-set occurs, the other industry is able to take credit for the reduction. By in-setting the credits, protein producers could potentially keep not just the economic value, but also the societal value of reducing the footprint for the products they produce.

“We are pleased to partner with Elanco and other thought leaders in the livestock production value chain as we launch Athian to certify, aggregate and monetize carbon credits,” said Paul Myer, CEO of Athian. “Our partnership enables farmers and ranchers to fund sustainability projects that will enable the industry to reach their Net Zero emissions targets.”

Elanco Launches Leave it Better™

Additionally, Elanco is announcing the launch of the Leave it Better™ initiative. Inspired by the universal desire of farmers and ranchers to leave their land, their livestock, and their business better than when they started, the initiative will serve as an overarching program for Elanco’s cattle sustainability outreach. This will include producer education, innovation, and partnerships, such as the multi-year partnership with Ducks Unlimited to help restore working grasslands in support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency’s SAFE (State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement) program.

Elanco believes platforms such as UpLook™, PenPoint™ livestock placement and sorting system, and Athian are important pieces in the complex matrix of sustainable beef production, which is key to both feeding families and reducing the warming impact of food production. This suite of Value Beyond Product offerings are foundational to the company’s differentiated approach in the livestock industry.

For more information on Elanco’s Sustainability Efforts, visit https://www.elanco.com/en-us/sustainability

Globally, growers are impacted by the dual challenges of growing more food while making the best use of limited resources. New solutions are required if the needs of the people and the planet are to be met. Inari, the SEEDesign™ company, aims to address these challenges using multiplex gene editing with goals of increasing yield by 20% in soybeans and 10% in corn while developing future products that require 40% less water and nitrogen. Now, by using its proprietary gene editing technology, Inari has created a unique opportunity to deliver proven GM traits in combination with novel gene edits to plants’ natural DNA — unlocking the full potential of seeds for growers and the environment.

Since the beginning of the year, Inari has been granted two U.S. patents related to gene editing GM traits:

The grant of these patents confirms the uniqueness of the approach and makes it proprietary to Inari. Additionally, Inari has 10 trait-specific patents pending, as well as five concept patent families pending which cover in general the editing of any GM trait in corn, soybeans, canola and cotton. The edits have been established using Inari’s proprietary CRISPR-CasS system, and these gene edited GM traits are outside of third-party patents, enabling the path to commercialization.

“We are proud to be the first company granted patents for gene editing GM traits,” said Inari CEO Ponsi Trivisvavet. “Inari can give growers access to the leading GM traits for pest control they have come to rely on, coupled with the sustainability benefits of our unique gene edits — all available through our proprietary technology platform. We aim to commercialize our products in the coming years, providing significant value to our customers and shareholders while delivering on our environmental commitments.”

The suite of GM traits to be delivered through gene editing will have the same functionality as those currently on the market, which have been proven effective by growers. Today, more than 90% of corn and soybean crops grown in the U.S. include GM traits. Globally, the commercial seed market is currently valued at $60 billion with more than half derived from GM-traited seeds. Seventeen million farmers across 29 countries deploy GM seeds on nearly 200 million hectares of farmland.

“Inari is focused on using our cutting-edge technology platform to develop novel, value-added seeds for growers,” says Trivisvavet. “GM traits have become a foundational tool for growers over the past 25 years. We are pleased to apply our proprietary technology to bring these solutions to market in a new way. Our gene editing technology aims to reduce land, water and fertilizer — by packaging this technology with our edited GM traits, we can reach more growers and increase our potential for a positive impact on the planet.”

And Inari continues to expand its SEEDesign™ platform. Utilizing a two-step approach to technology, Inari uses predictive design to build blueprints for its advanced multiplex gene editing toolbox. From standard on/off editing to more unique regulations of gene expression and proprietary replacement editing, combining tools for multiple changes within a single plant allows Inari to reveal the full potential of every seed.

Corteva, Inc. (NYSE: CTVA) today announced that Rajan Gajaria, who has served as Corteva’s Executive Vice President of Business Platforms since 2019, will retire from the company effective February 18, 2022. Mr. Gajaria’s direct reports will report to Tim Glenn, Executive Vice President, or Sam Eathington, Senior Vice President, on an interim basis.

“Rajan made enormous contributions to the formation and development of Corteva, and we will always be grateful,” said Chuck Magro, Chief Executive Officer. “Over his long career he developed respect among our customers and colleagues around the world. We look forward to building on the solid foundation he helped to establish, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

The company also announced that it will designate its existing Indianapolis, Indiana site as its global headquarters. The change will be effective immediately.

“In today’s flexible world of work, we have seen clear proof that our dedicated employees can be productive wherever they are. Designating our Indianapolis location as the Corteva headquarters brings us closer to our operations, our technology, and our customers, while optimizing our flexibility,” said Magro.

Rajan Gajaria Bio

As Executive Vice President of Business Platforms at Corteva Agriscience, Gajaria has been responsible for shaping the global business strategy, defining capital and R&D investment priorities, as well as overseeing the supply chain for Corteva Agriscience’s Crop Protection, Seeds, and Digital businesses around the world. Most recently, he served as Vice President, Crop Protection Business Platform. His career spans several decades, continents and functions as he helps build the business and advocate for modern agriculture.

Expanding Verifli technology to additional crop pollination markets

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. | February 7, 2022 — The Bee Corp  has secured another $1 million in funding from Flywheel Fund, IU Ventures, IU Angel Network and several other contributors. These investments in The Bee Corp will be used to expand access to Verifli and introduce the technology to more growers whose yields depend on the strength of hives rented for pollination. Additionally, the funding will be used for key hires focused on supporting market expansion and meeting the demand for noninvasive, accurate pollination assessments.

Verifli uses infrared (IR) imagery to measure the strength and pollination value of a honeybee colony without opening the hive. Beekeepers use Verifli to reduce labor costs associated with sorting hives before pollination and prove the value of their bees when negotiating pricing. Users gain access to tools and information to improve pollination management on the Verifli dashboard, including an interactive hive mapping tool and a customizable report builder.

“We’re motivated by the positive feedback we’ve received since we first started building Verifli in 2018,” said The Bee Corp CEO, Ellie Symes. “We’re eager to accelerate product development and introduce Verifli to more growers and beekeepers around the world with this new round of funding.”

“This new investment round will provide the resources to maintain our momentum and capitalize on the mounting interest for fast, accurate, non-invasive hive strength assessments,” said The Bee Corp Co-founder and COO, Wyatt Wells. “These funds will allow us to scale our technology and hire key personnel necessary to support the product as we add more users to the platform.”

Funding will go to scaling the technology beyond the almond industry. Access to hive grading services is a luxury uniquely available to California almond growers. Third-party hive assessments simply aren’t offered to growers of most crops that rely on bees for pollination — including berries, apples, avocados and other staple foods. This new funding will allow The Bee Corp to enter these underserved markets and introduce Verifli to more growers whose yields depend on strong bees and more beekeepers who need an objective method to prove the value of their hives.

“The Bee Corp has always been a winning team. I’m personally a three-time investor and proud the Flywheel Fund has the opportunity to support their innovative hive health technology. Ellie Symes is one of Indiana’s best young CEOs — resourceful, pragmatic and well-connected,” said Pat East, Executive Director of The Mill, which manages the Flywheel Fund. “Her drive to overcome obstacles that would defeat others will continue to serve The Bee Corp well as they scale their tech to break into new markets.”

“We are extremely pleased to advance the development of one of IU’s most successful student-initiated startups, which marked its fifth anniversary last year, through the support of our expanding IU Angel Network,” said Jason Whitney, vice president of venture development at IU Ventures and executive director of the IU Angel Network. “We hope this new investment will enable The Bee Corp to further optimize its breakthrough technology platform for improving bee colony management and crop pollination and expand the use of this platform in more markets across the nation and world.”
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