Sept. 25, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by South Dakota Biotech.

A partnership to expand fresh food production and health research activities throughout rural South Dakota and on tribal lands has been awarded growth accelerator funds through the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Led by BioRise, a 501(c)(3) organized by the leaders of South Dakota Biotech, the group received $150,000 in its second phase of the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition through the SBA.

“Our vision is to partner with Native American communities to develop and implement activities supporting entrepreneurs and existing small businesses to address their food sovereignty and health challenges,” said Joni Ekstrum, executive director of South Dakota Biotech. “This grant allows us to build relationships with new partners — Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, Missouri Breaks Industries Research and Oglala Lakota College — to help expand fresh food production and marketing, and expand health research activities involving tribal members.”

BioRise has committed to:

• Provide additional customer discovery and business plan training opportunities with the SD FAST Launch Program by Katherine Cota, director of entrepreneurship at Dakota State University.
• Work with Thunder Valley and Missouri Breaks to hold at least one networking event at each location. Any startup affiliated with this grant will be invited to all South Dakota Biotech networking events and educational sessions and Enterprise Institute’s Innovation Expos in Rapid City and Sioux Falls.
• Make appropriate introductions to BIO state affiliates and their members across the U.S.
• Partner with Enterprise Institute to create an opportunity to pitch to its angel investor network.

The partnership was one of only 35 awardees to receive stage two funding, and one of only two within the six-state Rocky Mountain region.

“This is a giant step forward for our state’s economy and bringing equitable innovation opportunity to the smallest of small businesses, including those in underserved areas,” said Jaime Wood, SBA South Dakota district director.

“It says a lot about rural innovation coming out of the Dakotas – it is in our Upper Midwest DNA to find solutions that bring efficiencies to all levels – from home to the globe.”

The research initiative component of the partnership will focus on expanding Missouri Breaks Industries’ health-related research activities in collaboration with tribal colleges and South Dakota universities, and national health care and PhRMA companies. Missouri Breaks is an Indian-owned business that works with American Indian-made products in the Dakotas and has significant health-related research capabilities.

The food sovereignty initiative will identify and mentor entrepreneurs and existing businesses on the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River reservations that can start to identify and grow businesses that produce, market and distribute quality fresh food in the community. The Paulson Center at Dakota State University will facilitate entrepreneurial workshops to support the project, including on customer discovery, business plans, pitching to investors and financial concepts.

“We also plan to leverage the current SBA CO.STARTERS accelerator program located at Thunder Valley and work with both Thunder Valley and Missouri Breaks to hold networking events at their locations,” Ekstrum said.

The Thunder Valley Community Development Corp. has valuable infrastructure for the effort, including a pilot-scale greenhouse, entrepreneurship and workforce development activities and a relationship with Oglala Lakota College, she added.

“We know our state is filled with entrepreneurially minded people and organizations, and with a desire to address some of these major health and quality-of-life issues,” Ekstrum said. “This is a clear way that our biotechnology industry can partner with others to make significant impact in people’s lives.”

The stage two funding award indicates the strong application and historical performance of the team tackling this project, Wood said.

“Rural states like South Dakota, where there are limited resources – both money and human power – fosters the need and desire to fill gaps,” she said. “We’re achieving this in South Dakota through BioRise, and the GAFC award sets the stage to get the most rural areas and tribal citizens connected to a robust innovation network to advance health care and food security. This award is a big win for our state that will have a ripple effect for generations to come.”

South Dakota Biotech succeeded in building a strong network of partners during stage one funding earlier this year, Wood added.

“And with the new stage two funding, they can advance relationships and connectedness to tribal communities, organizations and innovators to increase Indigenous access to rural health care and improved food systems,” she said. “The objective of this funding is that Native American innovators are part of the solution and will gain connections to the previously established innovation network inside South Dakota and beyond. This federal investment is a win for the state by driving more equitable and cohesive innovation.”

The partnership is one example of the innovation and collaboration occurring in the biotech sector. To connect, register today for the annual South Dakota Biotech Summit & Annual Meeting.  To learn more, click below.

Annual biotech summit to highlight role of technology across industries