Universities have long launched startups in fields like software and biomedicine, but many are now taking increasingly prominent roles backing entrepreneurship around farming, food, and agricultural technology.

Part of Purdue’s Applied Research Institute, DIAL Ventures hosts a fellowship aimed at digitizing the agriculture and food industry. The “venture studio” connects fellows with startup experience to corporate partners and university experts who help them hone businesses addressing real market needs, says Professor Allan Gray, the program’s executive director.

“The problem is our incumbent companies who feed the world—they’re not digital-native, and so for them to innovate in the digital space is actually quite difficult for them,” he says. “That’s where DIAL Ventures steps in.”

So

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