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The Salinas Valley AgTech Summit Kicks Off ‘AgTech Season’ in Salinas

Posted on April 03, 2018 16:47 PM by WGCIT

By Emily Lyons

Last week, dozens of WGCIT startups participated in the Salinas Valley AgTech Summit at Hartnell College’s main campus. It was the fifth annual event, but the first time at this venue. Hartnell’s main campus allowed for all of the events’ activities to be spread out and held in their own space, for their own audience.

A fireside chat featuring Salinas-native and Radicle Growth CEO and Managing Partner Kirk Haney kicked off the two-day event on March 27th. The fireside chat was moderated by WGCIT Lead Dennis Donohue and will be available on our website in the near future. Haney talked about the opportunities for ag technologists, and the landscape for startups looking for funding. Haney’s parents were in the auditorium audience, beaming with pride, while he talked about his parents teaching him the entrepreneurial spirit and about starting businesses. He learned business acumen around his own kitchen table from his mother and father and carries those lessons with him through his work at Radicle. Haney also credits being a college athlete with teaching him how to “put in the work.” The kick-off reception and fireside chat set a fabulous tone for the rest of the summit.

Please take a minute to view our WGCIT residents’ booths at the Salinas Valley AgTech Summit in our Facebook photo album. Here is the list of companies that exhibited inside the sold-out summit: http://svagtechsummit.com/exhibition/.  TracMap USA was awarded the winner of the ‘Startup Ag Tech’ competition, and Nick Pasculi (TMD Technology Solutions) was recognized as the ‘AgTech Leader’ of the year.

The Salinas Valley AgTech Summit was the first of several large events that will showcase WGCIT startups and the technologies changing the way growers farm. Here are the upcoming agtech events to keep in mind:

  • May 2-3: PMA Tech Knowledge, Monterey, CA
  • May 3: Minority Women Entrepreneurs in AgTech Documentary at Maya Cinemas, Salinas, CA
    • 6-8 PM
    • Free of Charge for WGCIT Residents & Affiliates
  • May 3: AgTech Silicon Valley, Mountain View, CA
  • May 8: WGCIT’s Innovation in the Central Valley, Reedley, CA
  • June 4 - 7: BIO International Convention,  Boston, MA
  • June 25 – 27: United FreshTEC, Chicago, IL
  • June 26 – 28: Forbes AgTech Summit, Salinas, CA