Innovation Goes Further In Indiana

Klein's Story

Klein plants seed money into a sustainable food source.

While working on a project that focused on maize drying, Nigerian-born Purdue Professor Klein Ileleji began exploring ideas for improving solar-powered food dehydrators. He quickly improved upon technologies for a food drying system workable for additional types of crops.

Klein working
Going back to African countries, I could see where the technology gaps were. My goal was to close those gaps, not only in terms of making technologies readily available to farmers but also ensuring that people have support and training to help shape this technology.
— Klein Ileleji

Ileleji received seed money and support from Purdue’s Ag-Celerator program along with funding through Elevate Ventures to establish JUA Technologies International in 2016. Working with the Export Indiana Accelerator Program, JUA has filled orders from across the globe for their Dehtrya™ Solar Dehydrator. Orders include 1,000 units purchased by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and 8,000 units supplied to the Kenyan government to address food security issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The next phase for JUA Technologies is to establish a solid management team for the future while attracting even more investors.

Discover how Indiana's vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem connects entrepreneurs and innovators like Klein to the investment, talents, and solutions they need to thrive.

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Meet the innovators who call Indiana home.

In Indiana, you'll find success stories everywhere you look. Whether it's producing life-saving medicines, building zero-emission powertrains, or maintaining agricultural ecosystems, Hoosiers are doing important work at every turn.

Indiana's connected business community gives your business the resources you need to find and nurture talent while growing your bottom line. See how business leaders have turned ambition into action in— Indiana, where Innovation Goes Further.

Your Idea. Your Impact. Your Success.

Year after year, challenge after challenge, innovation after groundbreaking innovation, you take on the unexpected to achieve your vision. From across the world, you bring your ideas here, and together, we bring them to life.

Here, you can be resilient. You can lean into the next opportunity, no matter what obstacles lie ahead. To launch future-thinking ideas, you need an economic environment powered by the future. Find that right here in Indiana — an inspiring destination for high-tech and high-growth companies. Ready to take your ideas further, with the people and resources to help you get there?

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In Indiana, you'll find success stories everywhere you look. Whether it's producing life-saving medicines, building zero-emission powertrains, or maintaining agricultural ecosystems, Hoosiers are doing important work at every turn.

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