On December 19, 2025, Parallax/OAI and LANDWERX hosted a second virtual Urban Ag Tech Pitch Day as part of the Precision Urban Agriculture Initiative. Parallax/OAI selectively invited several dozen Ohio companies in the agricultural technology space that demonstrated viable business models for potential investment that aligned with both community-driven goals and commercialization pathways.
From the initial pool of candidates, five companies were selected to pitch—each representing a feasible commercialization opportunity and strong alignment with the initiative’s community and technology integration goals—ensuring a focused, high-quality lineup for investor engagement.
- Bruce Caldwell of 3Bar Biologics showcased his company’s unique technologies and packaging solutions that delivers live, viable microbials as agricultural inputs.
- Cori Byrge, founder of AGP Substrates, featured the sustainable biomimetic iron gel that replaces synthetic chelated iron and reduces nutrient pollution, waste, and input costs for controlled-environment agriculture.
- India Johnson, founder of UAVistas shared her drone services company that provides drone-based STEM education, training, mapping, photo/video services as well as an AI-enhanced SaaS platform for drone data management and analysis.
- Paul Morris of BG Biologics highlighted the product his company is developing that is the one of the first specific biopesticide for the hydroponic industry that targets Pythium pathogens.
- Jonathan Appler Jr of ThermITstat presented his work on advanced smart climate and environmental control systems that integrate precision sensing, automated HVAC management, and secure IoT mesh networking to optimize energy efficiency and environmental outcomes.
The Urban Ag Tech Talk virtual pitch day convened more than 45 attendees, including innovation leaders from academia, federal agencies, and several private investment and technology firms.
By convening investable companies, decision-makers, and technical experts in a focused, execution-oriented forum, the Urban Ag Tech Talk Pitch Day generated meaningful outcomes for participating companies—advancing investor dialogue, surfacing partnership opportunities, and clarifying pathways to pilot deployment and commercialization. For industry participants, the event delivered direct insight into emerging technologies shaping the future of urban and controlled-environment agriculture, while positioning Ohio’s ag-tech ecosystem as a source of scalable, market-ready innovation.
This work was performed under the following financial assistance award 60NANB24D146 from U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology.
###
About Parallax Advanced Research & the Ohio Aerospace Institute
Parallax Advanced Research is an advanced research institute that tackles global challenges through strategic partnerships with government, industry, and academia. It accelerates innovation, addresses critical global issues, and develops groundbreaking ideas with its partners. In 2023, Parallax and the Ohio Aerospace Institute formed a collaborative affiliation to drive innovation and technological advancements across Ohio and the nation. The Ohio Aerospace Institute plays a pivotal role in advancing aerospace through collaboration, education, and workforce development.