Sacramento Inno Under 25 highlights some of the entrepreneurs and technologists under the age of 25 in the local innovation community.
Amanda Portier, 22
Amanda Portier is program director for AgStart, the nonprofit that operates The Lab@AgStart in downtown Woodland, and she is also program assistant in the Woodland City Manager's Office of Equity, Environment, Economy and Engagement.
“Amanda is instrumental in helping our AgStart-affiliated entrepreneurs achieve success,” said John Selep, co-founder and chairman of the AgTech Innovation Alliance, which operates AgStart.
The Lab@AgStart is an incubator for agriculture and food technology startups, which opened in mid-2021 with a $1.5 million lab and office complex at 1100 Main St. in Woodland, and it filled up by the end of that year. A $1 million expansion of The Lab@AgStart is now underway, and Portier’s duties include outreach to attract tenants.
“The team is small, so I do a lot of different things,” Portier said.
She handles social media accounts, marketing and she will be planning and managing events that will start taking place at a small ground-floor events center in TheLab@AgStart.
Events are nothing new for the Northern California native.
Portier had been involved in University of California Davis’ annual student-run open house called Picnic Day since her first year in college. In her senior year, she led the Picnic Day group, which marked the return to an in-person event following two years of virtual participation.
Picnic Day, started in 1909, has grown to be the largest student-run college event in the country, attracting more than 50,000 visitors and alumni.
Portier also supports the needs of entrepreneurs in the labs and helps them promote their successes, Selep said.
Portier graduated in June from the University of California Davis with a bachelor's degree in community and regional development, and she was awarded the school’s University Medal for excellence in undergraduate studies, outstanding community service and contributions to society. Only one member of a graduating class is awarded the medal. She graduated with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
“Although Amanda has been with AgStart only a short time, the impact of her contributions has already been significant,” Selep said.
The Lab@AgStart allows entrepreneurs to develop startup food and ag-tech companies using shared equipment, wet lab space and offices. It is a working example of the kind of economic development incubator she got her degree in at UC Davis, she said. "It's a perfect fit."
