Sprint and Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) announced the nine companies participating in the sixth annual accelerator program. The 90-day immersive program launches today and runs through June. Startups in three verticals — 5G Technology, Ag Tech and Dairy Food Products — will work directly with leaders from Sprint, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), CoBank and other industry experts and mentors to create strategic, long-term partnerships. The Sprint Accelerator program culminates on Demo Day, June 27, in which the startups showcase their ideas.
"We’re excited to once again provide mentoring, collaboration and resources that will help fuel the growth of this year’s start-up companies through our Sprint Accelerator program," said Bryan Fries, Sprint vice president, 5G market strategy and global services. "We’re about to begin the next-generation of wireless in nine markets, including Kansas City. So, this year, Sprint added a new 5G vertical so companies can use our 5G network to bring innovative products and services to customers, that help transform industries such as mobile gaming, entertainment, and transportation."
"It’s been rewarding to help mentor these entrepreneurs, and we’re thrilled to get started with another class for this year’s DFA Accelerator. Plus, we’ve found that we learn along the way too," says Monica Massey, executive vice president and chief of staff at DFA. "By working and collaborating with ag tech and dairy food startup companies, we’re helping develop solutions that will not only provide value for our farm families and their operations, but will also help drive consumer demand for dairy."
The 2019 Class of the Corporate Accelerator
5G Technology
Nodecraft (Oklahoma City, Okla.). Nodecraft is a cloud platform that enables Game Developers, E-sports tournaments, and direct-to-consumer (gamers) the ability to instantly create unforgettable online multiplayer experiences.
Portl Media (Toronto, Canada). Portl Media eliminates idle time by providing education and entertainment options to users through a network of strategically placed media and entertainment screens starting off in rideshare cars.
Ag Tech
Bezoar Laboratories (Bryan, Texas). Bezoar’s current innovation is a patent-pending probiotic for cattle that, when paired with nitrate, decreases their methane production by 50%, while providing additional benefits
Cattle Care (San Francisco, Calif.). Using low-cost video cameras Cattle Care detects, recognizes and tracks every cow as well as business processes and makes decisions for the farmer about the treatment of a particular cow or a whole barn.
Healthy Cow (Toronto, Canada). Healthy Cow is an ag-biotech helping dairy farmers to produce more wholesome, natural, and nutritious milk while simultaneously reducing their dependence on antibiotics and hormones.
Labby, Inc (Boston, Mass.). Labby is an AI-powered smartphone platform for food and agro analytics.
Dairy Food Products
Brooklyn Buttery (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Brooklyn Buttery is reimagining butter for the 21st century as a fun convenient product for home cooks to turn up the flavor on their dishes using sustainably sourced ingredients.
Numa (Bridgewater, N.J.). Numa makes all-natural sweet, chewy milk treats with just six natural ingredients and four grams of protein.
RifRaf (Brooklyn, N.Y.). RifRaf offers cool, creamy ricotta cups that are one part cheese and one part unexpectedly delicious flavor.
Since its inception in 2014, the Sprint Accelerator has worked with 45 start-up companies. These companies have raised an aggregate of over $36 million since participating in the program. Visit the Sprint Accelerator calendar for public opportunities to engage with these companies at sprintaccelerator.com.
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