Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a Kansas City, Kan.-based cooperative owned by family farmers across the United States, said applications are open for the 2019 Sprint Corporate Accelerator program, which helps identify and grow startup businesses — and bring innovation to the farm and the dairy case.
Kansas City, Mo.-headquartered Sprint and DFA, which is now in its third year of sponsoring the program, will look to recruit ag tech companies, as well as early-stage food product companies that are dairy-focused, DFA said.
“At DFA, we’re constantly searching for new ways to elevate and grow the dairy industry,” said Monica Massey, senior vice president and chief of staff. “For this reason, we are committed to connecting, mentoring and guiding rising entrepreneurs in food and ag.”
Features of the 90-day program, DFA said, include:
- Targeted, strategic meetings with the corporate partner teams to discuss business development, pilots and potential sponsorships.
- Mentoring from DFA senior members and their networks, as well as from the investor, business development and entrepreneurial communities.
- Business-building sessions around product, brand, marketing and entrepreneurship.
- State-of-the-art workspace facilities provided at Sprint Accelerator in Kansas City’s Crossroads Arts District.
“DFA has been a great sponsor, and we look forward to continuing our work with them in 2019,” said Doug Dresslaer, managing director of the Sprint Accelerator.
Additional details and applications are available at sprintaccelerator.com. The 90-day program will begin on April 1, 2019, and run through June 25, 2019.
