Thursday, February 18, 2016

Champaign, IL

#AgTech16

research park
un iversity of illin ois urbana champaign

COLLEGE OF

OFFICE OF
CORPORATE RELATIONS

Dear Friend,

Laura Frerichs,

Director of UIUC Research Park

Pradeep Khanna,

Associate Chancellor for Corporate and International Relations

Neal Merchen,

Associate Dean for Research in the College of ACES

research park
university of illinois urbana champaign

COLLEGE OF

OFFICE OF
CORPORATE RELATIONS

8:00AM
8:30AM

Registration
Opening Remarks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laura Frerichs, Pradeep Khanna and Neal Merchen

8:45AM

Morning Keynote
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Lee Strom and Tyler Strom, Farm Illinois

9:15AM

Precision Agriculture Landscape

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Session Leader: Andrew Selck, Ernst & Young

Connected Farm: Julian Sanchez, John Deere
Data Modernizing Agronomy: Chris Harbourt, Agrible
Agriculture Drones: Jack Marck, Horizon Precision Systems
Smart-IT Systems Revolutionizing Agriculture: Jason Bull, Monsanto
Farm Operations Management Systems: Bborie Park, Granular

10:15AM

Precision Agriculture: What are the Opportunities?

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Moderated Discussion

15 MINUTE BREAK
10:45AM

Future of Food

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Session Leader: Roger Vanhoy, University of Illinois Office of Corporate Relations

Food Traceability: Jeffrey Castillo, Barilla
Functional Foods: Keith Garleb, Abbott Nutrition
Animal Health: Aaron Gilbertie, Aptimmune Biologics
Food Products & Incubation: Tony Caccomo, National Foodworks Services

11:25AM

Future Food Chain Opportunities

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Moderated Discussion

12:00PM
12:30pM

Lunch Buffet
From Academic Life to Foods Entrepreneurs
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Lunch Talk + Q&A

Wes Jarrell and Leslie Cooperband, Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery

15 MINUTE BREAK
1:10pM

Entrepreneurial Resources

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University of Illinois resources available to help support agtech entrepeneurs.

Session Leader: John Quarton
NSF I-Corps Site & Ag Node, Jed Taylor
TEC Student Programs, Stephanie Larson
OTM Tech Transfer, Lesley Millar-Nicholson
EnterpriseWorks and AWARE, Laura Bleill

1:40pM

Entrepreneurship Success Stories

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The entrepreneurial journey, inspiration of what is possible.

Session Leader: Laura Frerichs, University of Illinois Research Park
Harlee Sorkin, Traco Labs
Paul Miller, Agrible
Dr. Federico Zuckermann, Aptimmune Biologics
Shawn Carlson, Chromatin
Tyler Leman, IntelinAir

2:20pM

What are Investors Seeking in Agriculture?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rob Schultz: Serra Capital

Tom Adamitis, The Yield Lab
Ron Meesusen, Cultivaton Sandbox Ventures
Vahid Aidun, Dow Ventures
Michael Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer

2:55pm

Closing Remarks
Be sure to visit the Lincoln Break Room
coffee and water service, vendors and resources, casual networking

AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY
INNOVATION SUMMIT
2016

8:00AM

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30AM

Opening Remarks
Laura Frerichs, Director of University of Illinois Research Park
Laura Frerichs is the Director of University of Illinois Research Park and the Director of Economic Development for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. Her responsibilities include managing startup company services at the EnterpriseWorks technology incubator, marketing the Research Park, and supporting the Universitys economic development
efforts. Laura has developed innovative entrepreneur support programs and attracted many
new companies interested in engaging with the University of Illinois. Laura is a graduate of
the University of Illinois College of Media.

Pradeep Khanna, Associate Chancellor for Corporate and International Relations

Pradeep K. Khanna serves as an Associate Chancellor for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Pradeep oversees the Office of Public Engagement, the Office of Corporate
Relations, the Center for Sustainable Environment, Business Innovation Services and the
ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss. He works closely with offices of the
vice chancellors, as well as academic units to achieve the campus goals of these offices.
Pradeep has displayed leadership with Campus Strategic Planning, which seeks to enhance
international engagement with the University.

Neal Merchen, Associate Dean for Research in the College of ACES

Dr. Neal Merchen is the Associate Dean for Research in the College of ACES and Director of
the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station. In collaboration with the Dean and department
heads, he is responsible for implementing federal and state research programs within ACES.
Dr. Merchen was previously head of the Department of Animal Sciences, where he played a
critical role in establishing the Agricultural Animal Care and Use Program, a Program Priorities Initiative Team, and new, innovative undergraduate curriculum for the Department. As a
faculty member, he taught numerous courses in nutrition, and has conducted research with
beef and dairy cattle, sheep, and companion animals.

8:45AM

Morning Keynote

Lee Strom, Director of Farm Illinois, and Tyler Strom, Manager of Farm Illinois, will present its bold strategic
plan to develop Illinois and the Chicago region into a global hub for food and agriculture innovation. They will
show how we can address the challenges of local food security and sustainability.

Lee Strom, Farm Illinois

Lee Strom is the Director of FARM Illinois (a Food and Agriculture Road Map for Illinois), the comprehensive, integrated strategic plan to ensure sustained statewide leadership across the entire food and
agriculture system. Lee also serves as a principal at Open Prairie and its Rural Opportunity Fund, an
Illinois-based private equity company with a focus on food and agriculture companies. Lee has been
involved in agriculture production for over 35 years; his own family farm was one of the first to enroll in
Champaign Countys Farmland Protection Program, and received an Illinois Centennial Farm designation in 2015

Tyler Strom, Farm Illinois

Tyler Strom is the Project Manager for FARM Illinois and a fellow on global agriculture and food at The
Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Tyler is also principal operator of the Strom Family Farm, a family-owned farming operation, which produces and sells fresh local vegetables. His specific areas of
interest include agri-food systems, ecological sustainability, food supply chains, international development, local/regional food systems, energy and geopolitical relations and biomass waste residuals.

9:15AM

Precision Agriculture Landscape

Learn more about how data analytics, GPS, drones and the Cloud are revolutionizing how growers conduct
their daily operations and forecast into the future. The panel discussion will be moderated by Rob Dongoski,
Partner and Global Agribusiness Leader at Ernst & Young.

Session Leader, Andrew Selck, Ernst & Young

Andrew Selck is a Senior Manager in the Advisory Services practice of EY. As a member of EYs Global
Agribusiness Center, he works with various agribusiness clients on emerging trends and technologies
impacting the industry. Andrew has a MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University
and a BS Finance from Elmhurst College.

Connected Farm, Julian Sanchez, John Deere

Julian Sanchez is the Director of the John Deere Technology Innovation Center in Champaign, where
he oversees efforts in various advanced technology areas including mobile and automated solutions,
analytics, user experience and agronomic science. Recently, he has helped to define and execute John
Deeres mobility strategy, and has overseen the deployment of several mobile applications to market.
Julian has a PhD from Georgia Tech in Human Factors Psychology, has released more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and holds numerous patents.

Data Modernizing Agronomy, Chris Harbourt, Agrible

Chris Harbourt brings over 25 years of agricultural and entrepreneurial experience to his role as CEO
at Agrible. He has been at the forefront of incorporating big data into agriculture since the 1990s, and
strives to push the boundary of what is possible by making tools to increase the productivity of
agribusiness and farmers.

Agriculture Drones, Jack Marck, Horizon Precision Systems

Jack Marck works as a brand manager for Horizon Precision Systems. His responsibilities include
creating and maintaining marketing systems for Horizon Precision Systems, creating definitions for
new products, developing and maintaining marketing strategies and managing all branded marketing
campaigns for five key propriety RC brands for the largest hobby distributor in the world.

Smart-IT Systems Revolutionizing Agriculture, Jason Bull, Monsanto

Jason Bull is the Trait and Field Solutions Lead at Monsanto, where he has worked since 1998. He
received his PhD in Agriculture, Genetics and Analytics from the University of Queensland in 1993.
#AgTech16

Farm Operations Managements Systems, Bborie Park, Granular

Bborie Park is the Director of Platform Engineering at Granular. He is a technology generalist with
experience delivering comprehensive solutions for client problems. From defining problems to
deciding on hardware and software while working under budget constraints to developing and
documenting software, Bborbie has done it all.

10:15AM

Precision Agriculture: What are the Opportunities?

Moderated Discussion

10:45AM

Future of Food

Roger Vanhoy, University of Illinois Corporate Relations Director of Life Sciences, leads a panel discussion on
how technological innovations are changing the way we produce, process and distribute our food.

Session Leader, Roger VanHoy, University of Illinois Office of Corporate Relations

Roger VanHoy is Director, Corporate Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is
responsible for managing all aspects of strategic corporate relationships across the campus. Rogers
portfolio focuses on the chemical, materials, and life sciences industries. Prior to joining Corporate
Relations, Roger spent seven years in the Illinois Office of Technology Management and ten years as a
life scientist. Roger holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Purdue University and an MBA from University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Food Traceability, Jeffrey Castillo, Barilla

#AgTech16

Jeffrey Castilo is the Quality and Food Safety Senior Manager for the Americas at Barilla Group. He is
responsible for Quality and Food Safety for the Americas, and operates within the Research, Development and Quality (RDQ) Americas Unit, and works closely with the Global RDQ Excellence Center of
Parma.

Funtional Foods, Keith Garleb, Abbott Nutrition

Keith Garleb joined Abbott in 1989, and is the current Director of R&D Programs. He also serves as the
co-director of the CNLM, a partnership between Abbott and the University focused on studying the
effects of nutrition on cognitive performance. Keith holds a BS, MS, and a PhD from the University of
Illinois, 17 patents and has released over 45 publications.

Animal Health, Aaron Gilbertie, Aptimmune Biologics

Aaron Gilbertie joined Aptimmune in June 2015, bringing with him over 15 years of animal health experience. At Aptimmune, he has worked to develop and commercialize first in class/best in class mucosal
vaccines for swine. Aaron has worked with numerous global and startup animal health companies in a
variety of roles, including third-party vaccine production management, marketing and sales.

Food Products and Incubation, Tony Caccomo, National Foodworks Services

Tony Caccomo is a co-founder of National Foodworks Services, an incubator, commercial kitchen, and
co-packing facility. He moved to Decatur in 2010 to expand his gourmet food business, Antonios Gourmet Shop, Ltd. In less than a years time, Tony had purchased a mail packaging business in Decatur, and
rebranded it as My Shipping Place, Ltd., the only full pack and ship facility within Macon County. Tony
graduated from Niagara University in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Transportation and
Logistics. He later earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from Marist College in 1986 and a Master
of Science in Information Systems form Marist in 1990.

11:25AM

Future Food Chain Opportunities

Moderated Discussion

12:00PM

Lunch Buffet

12:30PM

Lunch Keynote

From Academic Life to Foods Entrepreneurs

How does an academic become a food entrepreneur? Wes Jarrell, former ACES professor, and
Leslie Cooperband will describe their journey to creating one of the most celebrated goat dairies in the
Midwest and perhaps the U.S. Prairie Fruits Farm is one of the communitys most celebrated foodie
entrepreneurial stories, one with many twists and turns.

Leslie Cooperband & Wes Jarrell, Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Leslie Cooperband and Wes Jarrell own and operate Prarie Fruits Farm & Creamery, Illinois first
licensed goat dairy and farmstead creamery. For more than a decade, they have produced artisan goat
cheeses and goat milk gelato, and have hosted farm-to-table meals, tours, workshops and private
events.

1:10PM

Entrepeneurial Resources

Resources to Help Get Started

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has extensive services and resources available to prospective
faculty, student, and staff entrepreneurs. This panel will discuss the depth and breadth of such resources,
which include (but are not limited to) education, early-stage funding, and IP protection. It will be moderated by
John Quarton, Director of The Hoeft Technology & Management Program in the College of Business.

Session Leader, John Quarton

John Quarton joined the University of Illinois in 2013 as the Director of both the Hoeft Technology &
Management Program and the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership. After serving in many leadership positions in the information technology field, John joined the State Farm Research & Development Center in the University of Illinois Research Park, where he worked as both IT and Oversight manager from 2006 to 2011. Leveraging this experience, John now serves as the Site Director-in-Residence
in the Research Park where he consults companies on best practices for running development centers.
John graduated from the University of Illinois in 1987 with a degree in electrical engineering.

NSF I-Corps Site Ag Node: Jed Taylor

Jed Taylor is the Director of Operations for the Technology Entrepreneur Center at the University of Illinois. He also serves as an Entrepreneur-In-Residence at EnterpriseWorks. He has previously worked as
the Director of Sales and Operations at Pattern Insight at EnterpriseWorks, and as a Project Manager
for Honeywell Aircraft Landing Systems. Jed received his MS in Computer Science from the University
of Illinois, where he was a Siebel Scholar.

TEC Student Programs: Stephanie Larson

Stephanie Larson is the Assistant Director of Student Programs and Marketing at the Technology
Entrepreneur Center, TEC. Prior to joining the TEC, Stephanie worked on numerous grassroots marketing and event marketing campaigns. Stephanie graduated from the University of Illinois with a BS in
Advertising and Communications.

OTM Tech Transfer, Lesley Millar-Nicholson

Lesley Millar-Nicholson has served as the Director of the OTM Tech Transfer at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign since 2006. She is the President-Elect of the Board of Governors of Certified
Licensing Professionals Inc., on the Board of Managers of Illinois Ventures LLC, and a regular contributor to articles for Technology Transfer Tactics. Lesley received her MBA from the University of Illinois in
2002, and her M.Ed in Recreation Management from the University of Georgia.

EnterpriseWorks and AWARE: Laura Bleill

Laura Weisskopf Bleill is the Associate Director of the University of Illinois Research Park. She serves
as the evangelist of the Research Park and EnterpriseWorks incubator, meeting routinely with external
stakeholders, prospective corporations and new entrepreneurs. An accidental entrepreneur, Bleill is
the Mom-in-Chief of chambana.oms.com, an online magazine for Champaign-Urbana families. Laura
was part of Central Illinois Business Magazines 40 Under 40 class of 2014, and received a 2013 Difference Maker Award from the United Way of Champaign County. Laura holds a masters and bachelors

1:40PM

Entrepreneurship Success Stories

The Entrepreneurial Journey, Inspiration of What is Possible...

Laura Frerichs, Director of the Research Park, hosts a panel discussion with some of the Champaign-Urbana
areas entrepreneurs in the agtech space, who have a mix of backgrounds and are in different stages. Panelists
will share their stories of how they got started and built their companies, what resources helped them, and will
reflect upon lessons learned.

Session Leader, Laura Frerichs, University of Illinois Research Park

Laura Frerichs is the Director of University of Illinois Research Park and the Director of Economic Development for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. Her responsibilities include managing startup company services at the EnterpriseWorks technology incubator, marketing the Research
Park, and supporting the Universitys economic development efforts. Laura has developed innovative
entrepreneur support programs and attracted many new companies interested in engaging with the
University of Illinois. Laura is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Media.

Harlee Sorkin, Traco Labs

Harlee Sorkin is the co-founder and Managing Director of Common Place Holdings, LLC, a health-tech
venture studio that provides management and seeding funding for companies that it helps to form.
This builds upon a 15-year consulting practice with an emphasis on business formation, capitalization
and product and consumer development. Prior to that, Harlee helped to lead Traco Labs, Inc., a manufacturer of health and nutrition ingredients, to a successful exit to Degussa, AG. Harlee is the NSF
I-Corps program instructor and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at EnterpriseWorks in the Research Park.
He holds a BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois.

Paul Miller, Agrible

Paul Miller is the Chief Science Officer of Agrible, where he leads product design and development.
Paul received his Bachelors and Masters in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign, and his PhD in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Purdue University. His
Post-Doc appointment was at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Federico Zuckermann, Aptimmune Biologics

Dr. Federico Zuckermann is the Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Aptimmune Biologics, Inc. He
received his PhD in Immunology from the University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 1986. Dr. Zuckermann is a Professor of Immunology at the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign.

Shawn Carlson, Chromatin

Shawn Carlson was a Senior Scientist at Chromatin from 2005 to 2015, when the company graduated
from the EnterpriseWorks incubator. She was Chromatins first employee in Champaign. Prior to joining
Chromatin, Shawn completed her graduate work at North Carolina State University, and had previous
research experience at the University of Illinois, Dekalb Genetics, and Mycogen Corporation.

Tyler Leman, IntelinAir

Tyler Leman is a Senior Engineer with IntelinAir, which is developing advanced aerial data collection
and imagery analysis tools for agricultural applications. Prior to joining IntelinAir, Tyler spent five years
at the Boeing Company developing guidance and control software fro a wide range of manned and
unmanned aircraft. He received his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign.

2:20PM

Investors

What are Investors Seeking in Agriculture?

Ag tech is gaining the attention of venture capitalists from coast to coast, but especially here in the Midwest.
Our panel of investors from across the region will give context as to why ag tech is trending topic, and will
provide insight into what makes a company stand out. Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs will discuss the states
recent pledge to invest more than $220 million in venture funds focused on emerging local technology
companies.

Session Leader, Ron Meeusen, Cultivation Sandbox Ventures

Ron Meeusen is the Managing Director at Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, LLC. Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, LLC is the management company for the Cultivian Sandbox Food & Ag Fund II, a $115 million
venture fund focused exclusively on high technology opportunities in the food and agtech sectors
(www.cultiviansbx.com). Current board positions with Rivertop Renewables, Proterro Inc., Virgin Plants
Inc., Vestaron Corp., Agrivida Inc. (Board Chair), Abcelex Inc., enEvolv, Asilomar Bio. Formerly board
member of Allylix Inc (Sold to Evolva), Divergence Inc. (Sold to Monsanto) and Aratana Inc. (2013 IPO).

Rob Schultz, Serra Ventures LLC

Rob is a Managing Partner with Serra Ventures and Serra Capital. Prior to Serra Ventures, Rob was a
Managing Director at Illinois Ventures, and is a founding member of the Illinois Emerging Technology
Funds. Rob has worked in the University of Illinois technology community since 2002 having mentored
and funded dozens of start-up companies.

Tom Adamitis, The Yield Lab

Tom is Managing Director at The Yield Lab, an AgTech accelerator based in St. Louis.
Previously, he spent 22 yrs at Anheuser-Busch InBev where he was responsible for annual
spend of $7 bil. Tom spent three years in Belgium as VP - Global Raw Materials, where he
sourced ingredients supporting the global operations of the worlds largest brewer.

Vahid Aidun, Dow Ventures

A native of Canada, Vahid earned his Ph.D in Crop Science from U of Guelph. Vahid joined
DAS in 2010 and is the Licensing Leader and chair of the Ventures External Technology
Team. Before joining Dow, Vahid held IP and licensing roles at Syngenta, Cargill and the
biofuels company POET.

Michael Frerichs, Illinois State Treasurer

Treasurer Frerichs was elected Illinois State Treasurer in November 2014. Treasurer Frerichs was
previously elected to the Illinois State Senate in 2006 to represent East Central Illinois, where he
served as the Chairman of both the Higher Education Committee and Agriculture and Conservation
Committee. Prior to entering state politics, Treasurer Frerichs successfully launched his own
technology business, and served as a volunteer firefighter. He has also served on the Champaign
County Board, and was elected as Champaign County Auditor. Treasurer Frerichs received his BA from
Yale University.

2:55PM

Closing Remarks