WEBVTT

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Pod-based coffee machines are a

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kitchen staple, and an

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Evansville startup wants to

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bring the same simplicity to

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growing fresh produce.

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It recently earned a $1 million

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award to take a bite out of the

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market. Business of Health

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Reporter Kylie Veleta is here

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with more.

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Anu says its kitchen appliance

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is like a "Keurig for plants."

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We first told you about the

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startup six years ago when the

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co-founders were undergrads in

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Purdue engineering programs.

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The under-the-counter kitchen

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appliance, about the size of a

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dishwasher, can grow fresh leafy

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greens and vegetables with its

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self-contained light and water

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systems.

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Anu says the greens are

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completely free of pesticides

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and preservatives, and because

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they're harvested just moments

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before eating, also at peak

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nutrition and flavor.

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The recent award is a

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one-million dollar 'Small

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Business Innovation Research'

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Phase Two grant.

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Chief Executive Officer and

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co-founder Scott Massey says

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growing the startup in

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Evansville takes advantage of

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the city's unique legacy.

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Evansville at one point was

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refrigerator capital of the

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world.

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Whirlpool had a massive plant,

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producing tens of thousands of

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fridges on daily basis here.

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Unfortunately a lot of that

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industry has left since 2008,

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but the intellectual capital and

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the talent capital remains here

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and is arguably stronger than

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ever as a lot of this talent has

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decentralized into various

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engineering contract firms.

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It's been incredibly valuable

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for us to leverage these

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decades--nearly a century--of

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industry expertise that we as a

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startup can get right here in

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the state of Indiana.

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Anu says sustainability is a big

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selling point.

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More than one-third of the

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country's vegetables are grown

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in California, so Anu says

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growing them in your own kitchen

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has major implications in

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reducing land and energy use,

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and saves shipping them across

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the country.

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After nearly four-years at the

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helm of BioCrossroads, President

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and CEO Patty Martin will be

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stepping down in April.

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The state's life sciences

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initiative says Martin plans to

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continue her engagement with the

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life sciences industry in the

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private sector.

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Under her leadership,

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BioCrossroads launched a

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statewide health data analytics

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initiative and convened

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academic, health care and life

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sciences leaders to protect

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oosiers during the COVID-19

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pandemic.

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and Gary, there's an interesting

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connection on Anu.

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They had won a Purdue

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competition.

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The uner up was Omniviz who we