TOPEKA, KAN. — GO Topeka and Plug and Play Topeka have collaborated once again for the fall 2024 cohort of its global industry-specific accelerator program. The program, which has been extended from three to nine months, includes companies from nine countries. 

The startups were selected by the program’s founding partners including Cargill, Evergy, Bimini Pet Health and Hill’s Pet Nutrition. Startups will participate in business development webinars and mentor sessions with industry experts. Additionally, for the first time, the program will include five in-person events and a series of themed virtual events featuring industry leaders and startup pitches.

“All good things take time — and that includes relationships and innovation,” said Lindsay Lebahn, director of Plug and Play Topeka. “With this new program and the intentionality behind the structuring and the sourcing, I’m excited about the potential this program can offer for the relationships between startups and our corporate partners and how the new aspects will allow us to increase our engagement with other ecosystem players.”

This year’s cohort includes two startups with a focus on pet nutrition — Medipups and MicroHarvest. 

Medipups is a dog supplement manufacturer using drug free, medical-grade, natural ingredients, according to the company. It offers supplements targeted for specific issues including joint care, skin and coat, digestive health and anxiety relief. 

MicroHarvest is a biotech developer of alternative protein. The company uses the power of microorganisms to produce nutritious, sustainable proteins that can be used in pet foods and treats, as well as aquaculture feed and human food. VEGDOG recently partnered with the company to develop a microbial protein dog treat.

The selected startups are based all over the world, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Argentina, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Israel. Other startups selected to participate in the fall 2024 cohort include: 

•            Agarea 

•            Atolla Tech

•            Biome Makers 

•            Blomso 

•            Convergent Bio 

•            Excarta 

•            Gripp 

•            Ground Truth Agriculture

•            KoraLabs 

•            M4Life 

•            NAXSolutions 

•            Newwave Biotech 

•            NutriSen 

•            Upside Robotics 

•            AlgaeBioMas 

•            ControlPoint Inc.

•            Earthodic 

•            Hinalea Imaging 

•            HT Vet 

•            Natáur

•            ProPetDX Inc.

•            Queva

•            SnapDNA 

“GO Topeka and Plug and Play Topeka have been instrumental in fostering growth and innovation in the animal health and ag-tech sectors, which is propelling economic development in Topeka and the surrounding region,” said Stephanie Moran, senior vice president of innovation for GO Topeka. 

Plug and Play’s last animal health and ag-tech accelerator program, held in the spring of 2024, included four pet nutrition focused startups — Arch Pet Food, Dog Child, Friends & Family Pet Food Company, and CheckForPet. 

Since its inception in the spring of 2021, more than 100 startups have graduated from the Plug and Play Topeka accelerator program. 

Find more articles about pet food industry startups.