"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.""
"They are coming to market as experts say burgeoning technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and drones can help address long-standing issues in food production, thanks to innovations from automated harvesting and pest control to data-driven crop yield and logistics optimization. Gray says he expects multiple successful exits by startups within the next few years. Funding in the U.S. "agrifoodtech" sector grew 14% year over year in 2024, according to a recent report from venture firm AgFunder."
Purdue's Applied Research Institute hosts DIAL Ventures, a venture studio fellowship focused on digitizing agriculture and food. The program connects fellows with startup experience to corporate partners and university experts to develop market-focused businesses. The initiative targets incumbent food companies that lack digital-native capabilities and supports startups in farmland management, rural logistics, equipment maintenance, and farmer-focused digital marketing. Emerging technologies such as AI, robotics, and drones are being applied to automated harvesting, pest control, crop-yield analytics, and logistics optimization. Program leadership expects multiple successful startup exits in the coming years, while U.S. agrifoodtech funding grew 14% year over year in 2024.
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