VERI NANO ACCEPTED TO 2021 DFA COLAB ACCELERATOR FOCUSING ON INNOVATIVE DAIRY PRODUCTS AND EMERGING AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES
VERI Nano will participate in the 90-day, dairy-intensive program, launching this week
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 6, 2021) — VERI Nano announced, today, that it is one of the seven startup companies that are convening, virtually, for the 90-day Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) 2021 CoLab Accelerator Program.
“We’re really excited about this year’s class and the potential for their innovations,” says Doug Dresslaer, director of innovation at DFA. “It’s a very diverse group with some cutting-edge ag technologies that can help solve problems and benefit our farm family-owners as well as product-focused startups that are exploring new possibilities for dairy foods.”
VERI Nano was chosen for its novel approach to the prevention and treatment of bovine mastitis using nanotechnology.
Veri Nano is an innovative, bionanotechnology company that is creating the future by designing novel nanotechnologies that are being applied to multiple industries such as human and animal medicine, agriculture and cosmetics. By using different types of biomaterials as building blocks,VERI Nano has fabricated diverse types of novel systems such as nanoengineered hydrogels, nanosized molecular delivery systems, and nanocomposite materials.
The core members of the VERI Nano team consist of: Co-Founders Samson Afewerki, PhD, Joseph Bonventre MD, PhD, Nathan Lee, PhD, Guillermo U. Ruiz-Esparza, MD, PhD, and team leaders, Lauren Fish and Ketian Zhang, PhD.
“Our team is very excited for this opportunity to work closely with Dairy Farmers of America. Our unique approach to mastitis treatment will help farmers everywhere, ” said Cofounder Guillermo U. Ruiz-Esparaza, MD, PhD, FRSA. “We think being a part of the DFA Accelerator will be an integral part of bringing our product to market.”
The DFA CoLab Accelerator Class of 2021
Ag Tech
- CattleEye – Aims to deliver a deep learning, cloud-based AI platform that is designed to interpret visual imagery of cattle from industry standard web cameras. The platform autonomously identifies individual animals to extract insights including measuring gait, applying mobility scores to track lameness, and other positive welfare indicators.
- DairyOffice – Designed as a central location for all data sets collected on a farm, this platform is built to integrate with herd management software and sensors, feed systems and ration formulation programs. The platform then manages the collection of data and provides various spreadsheets and other analytical tools that are updated with the collection of new data.
- H2Ok Innovations – Data analytics platform and propriety sensor that is designed to help manufacturers gain comprehensive, real-time visibility into industrial liquid systems. This enables data-driven optimization operations that can be utilized in manufacturing facilities, as well as potentially on farms.
- VERI Nano – Created a patent-pending nanotechnology that is utilized as a bovine teat sealant, disinfectant, antimicrobial coating, skincare and wound care treatment. It is aimed to be more cost efficient and effective than current mastitis treatments.
Dairy Food Products
- Saga Ventures – Designed a single-serve cheese snacking bar to provide healthy and satiable fuel between meals. It utilizes fresh California ingredients infused with two cups of milk, local fruits, nuts, and spices to create your own snack-sized cheeseboard with 17g of protein.
- SimpliFed – Utilizing the latest nutritional and microbiome science to develop a better, personalized organic formula and nutrition supplements to bridge the gap between breast milk and infant formula.
- The Modern Milkman – Designed an online platform that offers fresh, local quality products that are delivered right to your doorstep. The subscription-based model connects farmers with their communities and communities with fresh and local products.
A Dairy-Centric Program Focusing on Business Growth and Mentoring
The DFA CoLab Accelerator is a 90-day immersive program focused on dairy product innovations and new technologies for dairy farms. Startups will gain a thorough understanding of the dairy industry and will have the opportunity to work with top executives from DFA and other relevant investors and industry leaders. Throughout the program, participants will receive advice and participate in educational sessions on a variety of topics important for startup growth, including finance, business development, distribution and supply chain, product development, brand building, sales and marketing, packaging and pricing.
Dairy Farmers of America is a national, farmer-owned dairy cooperative focusing on quality, innovation and the future of family dairies. While supporting and serving more than 12,500 family farm-owners, DFA manufactures a variety of dairy products, including fluid milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, dairy ingredients and more that connect our Cooperative’s family farms to family tables with regional brands such as Alta Dena® Dairy, Meadow Gold® Dairy, Friendly®’s, Borden® Cheese, Plugra® Butter and Kemps® to name a few. On a global scale, we work with some of the world’s largest food companies to develop ingredients their customers are craving, while staying committed to social responsibility and ethical farming. For more information, please visit dfamilk.com.
ABOUT VERI NANO, INC.
Veri Nano is an innovative bionanotechnology company emerged from world-renowned experts, innovators and serial entrepreneurs trained at Harvard Medical School and MIT. We are creating the future by designing novel nanotechnologies that could be applied to multiple industries such as Human and Animal Medicine, Agriculture and Cosmetics. By using different types of biomaterials as building blocks, we have fabricated diverse types of novel systems such as nanoengineered hydrogels, nanosized molecular delivery systems, and nanocomposite materials. The startup was selected for its novel approach in the prevention and treatment of bovine mastitis. To find out more about what we are doing, please visit www.verinano.com
For additional information, visit colab.dfamilk.com/. The 2021 DFA CoLab Accelerator will culminate with a Demo Day in late June, where the startups will pitch and showcase their ideas.