News Release
Contact:
Billi Hunt, executive director
bhunt@cultivationcorridor.org
515-864-0732 or 515-480-2394
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 30, 2024
AMERICA’S CULTIVATION CORRIDOR® TO PARTNER WITH UNITED KINGDOM FOR 2025 COHORT OF CULTIVO® VIRTUAL ACADEMY
Six-week program designed for agriculture scaleups planning to enter U.S. marketplace
DES MOINES, IOWA – America’s Cultivation Corridor® announced today that applications are being accepted from United Kingdom-based agricultural scaleup companies to join the 2025 cohort of Cultivo® Virtual Academy. The six-week interactive program will provide up to 10 participants mentorship, interaction with Iowa’s agricultural leaders and online curriculum focused on U.S. market entry, regulatory and financing systems and customer perspectives.
America’s Cultivation Corridor will host and coordinate the Cultivo Virtual Academy in partnership with its investors and supporting organizations. The tuition of participating companies will be underwritten by the United Kingdom Department for Business and Trade, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
“I'm delighted to launch this new partnership with America's Cultivation Corridor, which will deepen the ongoing relationship between our respective ag-tech sectors to the benefit of our famers and food producers,” said Richard Hyde, British Consul General in Chicago. “This is also an opportunity to showcase the incredible innovations that come from the UK and are helping to drive production and sustainability across the food and agriculture industries.”
Applications for the program are now being accepted through Dec. 6 for the program that will begin in February 2025. All sessions will be facilitated by Iowa business and university leaders.
“The goal of the Cultivo program is to provide a jumpstart for innovators to scale their business into the U.S. market. We’ve been working with the team from the United Kingdom for several years and look forward to the ideas, products and technologies UK entrepreneurs will bring to benefit the food and ag industry.” said Billi Hunt, executive director of America’s Cultivation Corridor. “We understand the leadership role that America’s Cultivation Corridor plays in Iowa, the U.S. and around the world in bringing innovative ideas to market to solve challenges for farmers, rural communities and the planet.”
The Cultivo Global Ag Innovation® program was launched in 2021 and features a six-week Virtual Academy as well as consultations, connections and curriculum for international scale-ups to learn from Iowa’s agricultural leaders and prepare for a U.S. market entry.
United Kingdom-based scaleups interested in more information or applying for the cohort can begin the application process on America’s Cultivation Corridor website www.cultivationcorridor.org/about-us/cultivo, or contact Billi Hunt, executive director of America’s Cultivation Corridor at bhunt@cultivationcorridor.org. Interest forms must be submitted by Dec. 6.
Investors and partners of America’s Cultivation Corridor are working together to accelerate the development of new technologies, strengthen Iowa’s ag bioscience workforce and attract economic development, all focused on meeting the challenge of feeding a growing world population in a sustainable way. And there’s no better place than Iowa, where more than 9,500 patents have been awarded to food and agriculture innovation over the last decade1 and venture capital funding for bioscience and ag-tech deals increased more than 175%.2
Stakeholders in America’s Cultivation Corridor include Iowa State University, Corteva Agriscience, Deere & Company, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Ames Regional Economic Alliance, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Kent Corporation, MidAmerican Energy Company, Iowa Corn Promotion Board, ISG, Chevron Renewable Energy Group, and Sukup Manufacturing Co.
More information is available at CultivationCorridor.org, or by following on X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
About America’s Cultivation Corridor
Focused on further developing and marketing the world-renowned agricultural and bioscience economy in Iowa, America’s Cultivation Corridor is building on a rich history of innovation to accelerate value-added agriculture business development by attracting companies, talent and capital from across the globe to the state. Representing a diverse public-private coalition of stakeholders including Iowa State University, Greater Des Moines Partnership, Ames Regional Economic Alliance, nonprofits and private sector companies from across the region and state, the Cultivation Corridor is one of the nation’s foremost cluster-based economic development organizations. For more information, visit CultivationCorridor.org.
Sources
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- Iowa Bioscience Strategy report, prepared by TEConomy for the Iowa Economic Development Authority, June 2023