As Indiana continues its push to become a global leader in agbioscience, AgriNovus Indiana has turned to a veteran entrepreneur and startup builder to help drive the state’s next wave of innovation.
The agbioscience initiative announced Tuesday that Tim Dixon, former managing director of Purdue DIAL Ventures, will serve as its new senior director of innovation. In the role, Dixon will lead efforts to expand startup activity, foster company creation and strengthen collaboration among universities, industry leaders, investors, government agencies and nonprofit organizations across Indiana’s agbioscience sector.
The appointment comes as Indiana seeks to capitalize on growing momentum in agricultural technology, biotechnology and food innovation, industries that state leaders view as critical to future economic growth.
“Tim brings to the AgriNovus team a unique mix of startup experience, strategic vision and a deep understanding of transforming big ideas into real-world impact,” said Christy Wright, president and chief executive of AgriNovus Indiana. “As Indiana accelerates its position as a global leader in agbioscience, Tim’s experience will enable entrepreneurial activity, new company creation and strengthen ties across industry, academia and capital providers that are critical to our sector’s growth.”
Dixon arrives at AgriNovus after nearly five years leading Purdue DIAL Ventures, an agrifood technology venture studio affiliated with the Purdue Applied Research Institute. There, he helped connect academic researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and corporate partners to develop and commercialize new technologies aimed at improving the global food system.
Under his leadership, DIAL Ventures launched 10 startup companies during its first three years by employing what the organization described as an entrepreneur-first approach to innovation.
Dixon’s career spans more than three decades in startups and technology businesses. Before joining Purdue, he led Doyen Analytics, a human capital diligence firm, and InterOptic, a high-speed optical networking company backed by Pritzker Ventures. Earlier in his career, he held leadership positions with startups and Fortune 500 companies in Silicon Valley, Dallas, Washington and Europe, helping launch data center technologies and raising more than $300 million in startup and private-equity funding.
His background reflects a broader trend in Indiana’s innovation economy, where leaders increasingly are looking to leverage expertise from technology and venture capital sectors to address challenges in agriculture, food production and biological sciences.
At AgriNovus, Dixon will oversee the organization’s flagship innovation initiative, Velocity, an accelerator program designed to help entrepreneurs, students and existing companies develop solutions in three strategic areas: bioinnovation, farmer-focused innovation and food-as-health.
The program, conducted in partnership with the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and Indiana Soybean Alliance, provides mentorship and research support to participants as they work to solve industry challenges. Up to 10 teams are selected in each track, with winning teams receiving $25,000 awards to advance their ideas.
The next Velocity accelerator is scheduled to begin in mid-July.
AgriNovus is one of five talent and industry initiatives operating under the umbrella of the Indiana Corporate Partnership, which earlier this year rebranded from the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership to reflect its statewide mission. The organization’s other initiatives focus on life sciences, workforce development, advanced manufacturing and logistics, and technology.
For Dixon, the new role represents an opportunity to build on work he began at Purdue by helping translate research and entrepreneurial ideas into businesses that can strengthen Indiana’s economy and address challenges facing agriculture and food production.
With Indiana home to one of the nation’s largest agricultural economies, AgriNovus leaders say accelerating innovation and startup activity will be key to maintaining the state’s competitive position in an increasingly technology-driven global marketplace.
