Over the last year, DWFI and Invest Nebraska have collaborated to support Midwest agtech startups through the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) Channel Partner Strategic Award. The award was used to understand critical agtech ecosystem needs in the Midwest and strengthen collaborations to help startups manage COVID-19 disruptions.
As IN2 channel partners, DWFI was the primary award recipient and we were eager to use the award as an opportunity to work with Invest Nebraska's agtech incubator, The Combine. The Combine provides entrepreneurial support to companies serving tens of millions of acres of row crop agricultural production.
Highlights of what the team was able to accomplish with the funds and help of our many partners in the ecosystem include:
- Rent relief and operational support for agtech and cleantech startups
- Workshops, events and blog posts related to customer discovery in agtech, state resources for ag startups in Nebraska
- A first-of-its-kind Nebraska agtech startup ecosystem map
- Report on COVID-19 impacts on Midwest agtech ecosystem