Wisconsin-based startup accelerator program gener8tor announced it’s launching two new programs in Champaign, Ill., that are focused on innovation in the agriculture industry.
gener8tor will bring its gBETA accelerator model to Champaign in a program called gBETA AgTech, which will offer early-stage startups a free, seven-week accelerator and a $25,000 investment. The first gBETA AgTech accelerator will begin this summer and is designed to help five young startups gain customer traction and improve their business models.
gener8tor also announced it’s launching an annual gener8tor AgTech accelerator that will bring top agriculture-tech startups from across the world to Champaign for a 12-week accelerator program. The program will select five startups who will receive a $100,000 investment and connect with gener8tor’s network of mentors, corporate partners and investors. The startups will also receive office space from gener8tor.
Both programs are currently accepting applications.
The programs are being run in partnership with Champaign-based VC firm Serra Ventures. The accelerators are also backed by Agri-Fab, Fox Development, GEM Realty Capital, The UIUC Research Park, the University of Illinois and The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation.
gener8tor, which is regularly ranked as one of the top accelerators in the U.S. by the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project, has expanded its programs to cities across the country in recent years, including Detroit, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Houston and Los Angeles. The new agtech programs represent the group’s first accelerators in the state of Illinois.
“We wanted to design programs that combined the core competencies and network of our Champaign-based corporate partners with a frictionless investment model to attract the best startups from around the world,” Troy Vosseller, co-founder of gener8tor, said in a statement.
