SAN DIEGO, May 31, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Radicle, an acceleration fund dedicated to growing early stage agricultural and food technology startups into proven industry leaders, today announced that Neal Gutterson, vice president of research and development, and Dan Cosgrove, vice president of business development, both from DuPont Pioneer, will serve as mentors in Radicle’s venture partner network.
Gutterson and Cosgrove will mentor portfolio companies so they can reach critical milestones, faster. Their guidance and support will help grow Radicle portfolio companies into successful businesses.
“Radicle’s dedicated pool of capital bridges the gap in seed-stage investing in the Ag and food industries,” noted Kirk Haney, CEO and managing partner, Radicle. “Adding veteran Ag industry experts like Neal Gutterson and Dan Cosgrove to our venture partner network adds deep domain and technical expertise and product development knowledge for our portfolio companies.”
Neal Gutterson, Ph.D., leads global R&D and product development functions to create innovative agricultural products, services and integrated solutions. Prior to joining Pioneer in 2014, he was with Mendel Biotechnology, first as vice president of research and development, and later serving as president, chief executive officer and board member. Before Mendel, Gutterson held senior research and development roles at biotechnology start-up companies, including Advanced Genetic Sciences and DNA Plant Technology Corporation, where he managed diverse research programs and corporate relationships.
“For the past 30 years, I’ve been dedicated to the improvement of agriculture by working primarily in small biotech companies and, more recently, at DuPont Pioneer at the helm of one of the largest R&D teams in global agriculture,” said Gutterson. “I look forward to lending my experience to the Radicle network of innovators to help cultivate the next big breakthroughs for our industry.”
Gutterson is currently program committee chair for the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) Board of Trustees. He earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Yale University and a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. He has also attended the Stanford Business School Emerging Companies Executive Program and is a named inventor on more than 30 patents and pending patent applications.
Dan Cosgrove is an experienced business development leader with a demonstrated history of working in the agriculture industry. He leads a group responsible for mergers and acquisitions, venture investment and all licensing and collaboration activity at Pioneer. Prior to taking a business development role, Cosgrove was the leader of the intellectual property group and corporate counsel at Pioneer. He came to Pioneer from the law firm of Zarley, McKee, Thomte, Voorhees & Sease, where he was a partner and practiced primarily in the area of patent litigation.
“DuPont Pioneer continually seeks out novel ways to improve agricultural productivity and aims to stay at the cutting edge of AgTech developments,” said Cosgrove. “Working with Radicle helps us augment our innovation efforts by creating direct connections with brilliant AgTech entrepreneurs who have already been vetted by Radicle’s expert team.”
Cosgrove currently sits on the local Iowa board of The Nature Conservancy and previously served on the board for Agriculture Future of America. He is also a member of several bars, including the State Court of Iowa and the United States Supreme Court, and is licensed to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Cosgrove earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Iowa State University, his law degree from Drake University, and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.
Cosgrove and Gutterson join an expansive group of corporate, academic and industry leaders around the globe working with Radicle to drive the future of agriculture. Radicle finds and invests in technology innovators solving global farming problems.
About Radicle
Radicle is an acceleration fund backed by leading AgTech investors including Finistere Ventures, Bayer Crop Science, DuPont Pioneer and OurCrowd. Radicle carefully selects innovative Ag and food tech startups for investment, ensuring that powerful, disruptive technologies reach their full potential. We provide a fertile environment for visionaries in the Ag space, not just to grow but to flourish. Our proprietary platform is the only one of its kind in the agriculture industry, filling a huge void in the market by identifying the most innovative technologies and accelerating them with a range of value-creation initiatives. To learn more, visit radicle.vc.
About DuPont Pioneer
DuPont Pioneer is the world's leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere. Science with Service Delivering Success®.