Purdue Ag-Celerator invests $100,000 in DISCOVER startup

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue Ag-Celerator has invested a total of $100,000 in a Purdue University startup for the fall round of investment.

The recipient is DISCOVER (DIagnostic Sensors for Cause of bOVinE Respiratory disease), a startup created by Mohit Verma, an assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering at Purdue.

DISCOVER is a device for suggesting which antibiotic is most likely to succeed for treatment of bovine respiratory disease on a case-by-case basis.

“We are excited about the investment and are looking forward to developing our prototype and build the business,” Verma said. “Using paper-based biosensors, DISCOVER (Krishi LLC) aims to improve animal health. The Ag-Celerator funds will help bring this novel technology from the lab to farms and veterinary clinics.”

The startups presented their technologies to the Ag-Celerator Selection Committee, which includes entrepreneurial, investment and industry professionals from Purdue and beyond.

“The goal of this fund is to help Purdue entrepreneurs commercialize innovations and technologies that impact the plant sciences,” said Riley Gibb, director of business development for Purdue Ventures. “This was a great showcase of high-quality Purdue startups.”

The Purdue Ag-Celerator was founded jointly by Purdue Ventures, Purdue Foundry and Purdue’s College of Agriculture in 2015.

About Purdue Research Foundation

The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Established in 1930, the foundation accepts gifts; administers trusts; funds scholarships and grants; acquires property; protects Purdue's intellectual property; and promotes entrepreneurial activities on behalf of Purdue. The foundation manages the Purdue Foundry, Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization, Purdue Research Park and Purdue Technology Centers. The foundation received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. For more information on licensing a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org. For more information about funding and investment opportunities in startups based on a Purdue innovation, contact the Purdue Foundry at foundry@prf.org.

Writer: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org 

Sources: Mohit Verma, msverma@purdue.edu

Riley Gibb, rtgibb@prf.org