UAccel: AgTech

Overview

UAccel:AgTech, a regional I-Corps program, offers professional development and experiential learning opportunities to innovators in agriculture interested in learning the best commercialization path for their solutions.

This program is hosted in collaboration with Bluegrass AgTech Development Corp and is ideal for startup founders and academic researchers working on ag technologies, products or services.

The UAccel: AgTech program includes tailored curriculum elements, guest speakers and mentors for those with agriculture-related solutions. The goal of the program is to advance an innovation toward commercialization, including preparations for grants like SBIR/STTR or National I-Corps applications.

 

  • Small or mid-sized agricultural operations in Kentucky could benefit from new tools and advancements developed for their scale of operations. This could also include projects that improve access to markets for small producers and processors. 

  • Kentucky’s existing agtech and food economy make it primed to be resilient to supply chain disruptions and to meet increasing consumer demand for sustainably produced local foods. This could include projects that improve the sustainability, production, processing, or distribution of high-quality products for local markets. 

  • There is a need to promote better nutritional and health outcomes through healthy foods as well as to develop new opportunities for farmers to contribute to pharmaceuticals and functional food ingredients. This could include products and offerings that improve health outcomes for consumers and could ultimately provide for strong collaboration with the healthcare sector, particularly in rural communities.

  • Protein production and supply chains must align with consumer preferences to bring continued value to producers. This could include unique approaches to supporting and improving product differentiation, efficiency, sustainability, or welfare to ensure the future of animal protein production in Kentucky. 

  • Kentucky’s global leadership position in the distilled spirits and equine industries is often recognized, along with its diverse crop and livestock production sectors. This may include projects that grow and support these traditional sectors, specifically with consideration to their impact on farms and agribusinesses. Additionally, many nationally and globally known food brands reside within Kentucky and could benefit from advances in supply chain management and technologies for retailing and restaurants. 

Focus Areas

Program Description

    • One-hour cohort meetings featuring guest speakers and feedback sessions. Cohort meetings are held weekly (summer programs) and bi-weekly (fall, spring programs) via Zoom.

    • Guided independent study with original Launch Blue high-quality training materials and application exercises.

    • One-on-one coaching sessions that take place on Zoom.

  • In order to qualify for program completion for regional NSF I-Corps, a participant must:

    • Be in attendance at cohort meetings

    • Attend a minimum of 4 coaching sessions with program instructors

    • Complete a minimum of 20 customer interviews

    • Review all required online learning content hosted on Thinkific.

    • All cohort meetings and coaching sessions are hosted virtually via Zoom.

    • Meetings are held weekly on Fridays at 10 a.m. ET and are one hour in length.

    • All meetings will be captioned using Zoom's ASR. If other accommodations are needed, please let us know.

  • This program is open to startup founders and faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and staff from institutions of higher education.

    Candidates affiliated with the University of Kentucky or a Kentucky Commercialization Ventures partner institution must submit or be working on submission of an Invention Report or Idea Report to the University of Kentucky Office of Technology Commercialization or to Kentucky Commercialization Ventures.

    If you are affiliated with another institution of higher education and are interested in the UAccel program, have your tech transfer office reach out to us at x@launchblue.org.

  • We encourage all members of a startup or research team to actively participate in the program. In I-Corps, academic teams are encouraged to assign team members to the roles of Entrepreneurial Lead and Technical Lead, which are:

    • Technical lead: Typically, a faculty member who is the inventor and serves as principal investigator, or a postdoctoral researcher who has deep expertise in the core technology area to be evaluated for market potential.

    • Entrepreneurial lead: Typically, a graduate student or postdoctoral researcher who leads the team and is committed to commercialization.

Have more questions? Watch our latest Information Session or come to our Virtual Office Hours.

 

How to Apply

Applications for our Summer 2026 Program will open March 30, 2026.

Virtual Info Session

  • Applications open: March 30 - April 30

  • Applicants notified by May 4

  • Cohort: May 15 - June 24

Important Dates

Partners