Illinois Ventures Co-Founders to Lead DPI-Funded Research Initiatives

The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) is launching eight, world-class research teams from the University of Illinois system and partner universities with more than $1 million in seed funding. Two Illinois Ventures portfolio company co-founders, Girish Chowdhary and Mani Golparvar Fard, will lead research teams with the funding provided.

Chowdhary, Co-founder of EarthSense, will lead the Center for Research on Autonomous Farming Technologies (CRAFT). His team, comprised of partners from UIUC, The University of Chicago, and Argonne National Laboratory, will develop and test autonomous robots that will weed and spray corn and soybean crops; work in urban food gardens; and care for berry and nut orchards. 

Golparvar Fard, Co-founder of Reconstruct, will lead the Institute for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction. With more than 40 partners lined up from the architecture, engineering, and construction industries, this team will identify key areas for the highest impact of AI in the industry, and bring new AI tools to bring to market.

“This is just the beginning of our efforts to put already strong industries in the region on the very cutting edge,” noted Bill Jackson, DPI’s executive director in a press release. “And we’re doing so by leveraging the most ambitious talent the region has to offer and enticing them to team up, rather than operate in silos. Such teamwork is going to generate exactly what this region and state needs: More federal R&D funding and more jobs.” 

To learn more about EarthSense, click here. To learn more about Reconstruct, click here.

To learn more about the DPI program, click here.