December 1, 2022
Dear Friends of Ag Innovation Showcase,
It has been an extraordinary 13 years presenting the Ag Innovation Showcase (AIS), the world’s premier event focused on the convergence of agriculture and technology. Through these many years, we partnered with leading technology centers – including The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center – to bring together a global community of entrepreneurs, government, academia, investors, philanthropists, and educators.
Since its inception, we continuously evolved AIS to examine the latest AgTech innovations and industry trends, enabled commercial acceleration for early-stage startups, whilst creating thought-leadership to advocate for emerging markets. Many of the emerging trends that were fostered at AIS are now mainstream investment areas supporting today’s global sustainability & climate change agenda.
Since 2009:
- We featured 250+ Startups.
- We welcomed 4,000+ attendees.
- There were 18 M&As of participating companies.
- Participating startups raised over of $1.8 billion in funding.
Check out our AIS web page, curating content dedicated to 13 wonderful years.
The Future of Sustainability
We are thrilled to announce that Larta Institute will broaden the event’s scope to ensure we continue to address the most urgent sustainability challenges of our time. Our new flagship event – Eco LA – will be a festival & ecosystem gathering centered on ‘sustainable innovation’.
Eco LA builds upon the success of Ag Innovation Showcase (AIS), and will span the convergence of innovation across Larta Institute’s six critical impact areas: Environment & Climate, Agriculture & Food, CleanTech & Energy, BioScience & Healthcare, Education & Community, and Marine & Oceans.
Our first event in Los Angeles (TBD Q4 2023) will move beyond the pre pandemic formula of traditional VIP panels & networking and will offer a multidisciplinary experience designed to foster innovation for a sustainable planet, giving a voice to local communities and supporting innovators who can provide solutions for impact. We are planning six threads of programming focused on moving beyond talking to enabling impact & change – from communities & people, to discussion, policy, showcases, connections and funding. Featured lineup & timing will be announced in the coming months.
Check out our Eco LA ’23 page, looking ahead to the future.
Also check out our 2021 Impact Report.
We want to keep you in the loop
To stay up to date on planning for Eco LA ‘23, we invite you to follow us on Linkedin, and invite you to sign up for our email list to receive the latest announcements, https://larta.org/newsletter.
Thank you to our valued attendees, sponsors, and past partners for your support in embracing our vision and helping us grow this important community for many years. We look forward to welcoming you to our new event in Q4 2023.
Thank you,
Founder & CEO
Larta Institute & Ventures
About Larta Institute
Larta Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization accelerating innovation & entrepreneurship. Our mission is to foster science & technology innovation for a sustainable planet.
Our planet is experiencing significant global problems created by human behavior and policies affecting the environment, food, education, energy, & healthcare systems. New science & technology plays a critical role in transforming how we sustainably feed, fuel, and heal the world.
Larta was founded in 1993, in Los Angeles, as one of California’s Regional Technology Alliances to stimulate the economic development of technology-based enterprises. Larta quickly became the national partner for numerous federal government agencies to commercialize novel research & innovation – including DARPA, NIH, DOE, NSF, NIST, NOAA, and USDA. Today, our innovation platform & ecosystem accelerates new science & technology from idea to sustainable enterprise – by providing a unique combination of connections, resources, and funding.
We have helped over 4,500 startups, and our alumni have raised over $6.5 billion in funds.
Together, let’s feed, fuel, and heal the world.
For more info visit: Larta.org
About Larta Ventures
Larta Ventures, a subsidiary of the non-profit organization Larta Institute, invests in promising founders and startups who are working to feed, fuel, and heal the world. Through our Venture Fellows program, we invest in diverse innovators to pilot good ideas that help communities become more resilient in response to the impacts of climate change. Our co-creation studio model invests resources and expertise in sustainability-focused ventures to prepare them for seed or Series A funding. We invest capital into impact-driven startups alongside our active funding network.
For more info visit: Larta.Ventures
