DIAL Ventures

DIAL Ventures, a division of the Purdue Applied Research Institute, focuses on advancing digital innovation within the food and agricultural sectors. The organization addresses significant challenges such as food safety, supply chain shortages, sustainability, and environmental impact. DIAL Ventures employs a threefold strategy that includes a venture studio, a fellowship program, and co-investment opportunities for industry partners. The venture studio creates and de-risks startups through deep industry partnerships, while the fellowship program vets and develops successful entrepreneurs and founders. Additionally, DIAL Ventures provides co-investment opportunities for industry partners in their studio portfolio companies, aiming to quickly move research to the marketplace to introduce innovations that can rapidly affect market changes. Collaborating with Purdue’s highly ranked faculty and technology assets, DIAL Ventures engages corporate partners in their innovation process to develop new technologies and solutions. The organization offers a digital marketing platform that empowers farmers to become content creators by sharing their unique experiences and insights into agricultural practices, as well as an online platform for seasonal worker management with digital remote onboarding. DIAL Ventures has launched several AgriTech startups, including Make Hay and Croft, and was selected as a Mira Awards finalist in the Talent Impact category. Partnering with Purdue University, DIAL Ventures publishes articles in the Agriculture & Applied Economics Association and hosts the DIALed IN webcast, which features digital systems innovation at both the startup and corporate levels. The innovation ecosystem established by DIAL Ventures leverages Purdue University’s history and ranking in Agriculture and AgBioscience. DIAL Ventures conducts research on topics such as food traceability, transparency, and the impact of IoT on agriculture, and publishes the Agrifood Economy Index to provide insights into industry trends and sentiment. The organization focuses on creating broad positive impacts across the entire food and agricultural supply chain through digital solutions.