DFA is looking for agriculture technology and food product companies, particularly those that are dairy-focused or dairy-based and in early stages.
The ideal ag tech applications, according to DFA, will relate to the dairy value chain, including product testing, data management, herd health and management, supply chain optimization, sustainability and traceability.
DFA emphasized its interest in categories like dairy ERP systems, drone technologies, robotics and automation technologies for the farm, sensor technologies in agronomy, digester efficiency and new technology in animal health around mastitis.
Doug Dresslaer, director of innovation at DFA, said, “For the food vertical, we’re looking to find companies that are doing new and interesting things with dairy as the main component.
“With ag tech, our goal is to identify companies with applications or technologies that can help us improve processes or reduce margins to ultimately enhance productivity on our members’ farms.”
The program will begin on March 30, 2020 and run for 90 days, combining on-site meetings and virtual programs for training, growth opportunities and mentorship. Six companies participated in this year’s accelerator, which culminates in a Demo Day with investors.
DFA said that most of the participating companies spend about four weeks at the DFA headquarters in Kansas City during the program, which allows them to meet with DFA executives and other relevant investors and industry leaders.
“Ultimately, we’re looking for companies where we see long-term potential, as the end goal is to hopefully help and partner with them in some way,” Dresslaer said.
The 2020 edition will mark DFA’s fourth annual accelerator, and the application can be found on the DFA website.
