Animal health companies working on products ranging from odor control for barnyards to alternatives to using antibiotics for poultry are slated to attend the seventh annual Kansas City Animal Health Investment Forum on Sept. 1.
The event, which follows the day after the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor's 10th anniversary dinner in Kansas City, MO, will feature up to 20 early-stage and midstage companies, The Kansas City Star reported. The attending businesses, which the organization hasn't named, will be looking for between $500,000 to $20 million in funding from venture capitalists, investment firms and other funding sources.
More than $160 million was raised in previous investment forums put on by the group, which was started by the Kansas City Area Development Council, and included companies like Jaguar Animal Health ($JAGX), FitBark and Prommune.
"We're working on how to attract new businesses, bring new talent into the area and increase interest in science education," Ian Spinks, the president and general manager of Bayer's Animal Health Division, North America, told the Star.
A survey released last fall said that more than half of the global sales of animal health, diagnostics and pet food products were generated from companies located along what is marketed by the group as an area that spans from Columbia, MO, to Manhattan, KS.
The survey, conducted by Axxiom Consulting, said the companies located along the corridor represented 56% of global sales, a total of about $88.2 billion. More than 300 animal health companies are located along the corridor, giving the Midwest stretch of landscape the largest concentration of like companies in the world.
- check out the Star story