I Grew My Business in Champaign-Urbana, IL, and You Should, Too
The cofounder of an ag tech company shares why relocating to the region has been great for business.
Home to the University of Illinois’ flagship campus, it’s no surprise that local students play a significant role in the success of Champaign-Urbana, IL, businesses. And not just those you might imagine, like restaurants and bars, but also those that fall under the region’s key industries, such as ag tech and health care. In fact, the university is a large reason the founders of ag tech startup Boston Bioprocess (BBP) chose to grow their business in Champaign-Urbana, IL.
Boston Bioprocess is a platform for bringing microbes to industrial scale. The company provides strain evaluation, process development and scale-up solutions to companies seeking to commercialize yeast, bacteria and/or fungal microbes, says Ted Netland, CFO and co-founder.
The company was founded in Boston in 2022 and moved its headquarters to Champaign-Urbana in 2023.
Carly McCrory-McKay, executive director of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation says the community, which places ag tech among its highest priorities, has really embraced BBP. Plus, the company recently became a consortium member of the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing Hub (iFAB), which has added to its early success.
In fall 2023, iFAB – a formalized effort to bring together bioprocessing, biomanufacturing and precision fermentation stakeholders in Central Illinois to become the global leader for this emerging economy – received a Tech Hub Designation from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).
The hub is led by the Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory (IBRL) on the university’s campus, which hosts BBP’s on-site operations. IBRL has played an integral role in scaling BBP from a team of two to a team that Netland says includes interns from the university, including one that has officially converted to a full-time employee, as well as team members they’ve brought in from the community.
Netland shares how the business has grown since relocating to Champaign-Urbana, IL.
Why did you decide to relocate Boston Bioprocess’ headquarters from Boston to Champaign-Urbana?
We were planning to locate the business to either Massachusetts or New York, but we were offered a co-location opportunity with the University of Illinois and a de facto partnership with IBRL, the university’s precision fermentation pilot lab. We had worked with IBRL in the past, knew the team well and respected their capabilities.
Working with their team and equipment meaningfully changed our growth trajectory, particularly when we were just getting started. By locating the business within the university’s food science pilot processing plant, we also saved a tremendous amount on (capital expenditures) costs, which is helpful when you’re raising dilutive venture capital financing.
How would you describe Champaign-Urbana’s entrepreneurial scene?
I would say it punches above its weight. It’s a small community, so no one could expect it to rival, say, San Francisco or Boston in biotech, but it’s still a vibrant ecosystem that has a lot of support from the community.
Did you utilize any local resources that have been helpful in establishing your business?
The Champaign-Urbana area also has Archer Daniels Midland, Primient and other companies in the area that are either focused on biotech or have biologics as significant products, so the talent pool is deep in our sector relative to the size of the community. We’ve also worked with gener8tor (a startup accelerator), venture capital firm Serra Ventures, and other local financial and operational resources that have been tremendously helpful in setting the company’s strategy and winning our first clients.
How has your company grown since relocating to Champaign-Urbana, and can any of this growth be attributed to its new location?
We were a team of two with some venture funding and a PowerPoint when we moved the company, and with the help of the university’s research park, IBRL and others, we’ve grown significantly in the past year – from a team of two to a team of eight over the course of about nine months. The community has rallied behind the business in a way that has created meaningful tailwinds for us.
Why would you recommend other companies relocate to or launch their businesses in Champaign-Urbana?
There is cutting-edge work being done in the Champaign-Urbana region. If you’re in bioprocessing or anything related to agriculture, ag tech or ag robotics, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Champaign-Urbana region are top notch.
What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs working on launching or growing their businesses?
Ultimately, it’s all about the team. We have a really smart, dedicated group of employees and have worked hard to create the culture we want, but that takes time and effort.
This article was sponsored by Experience Champaign-Urbana.