GSEC 2018 | Page 31

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT PHOTO: COURTESY OF BAYER Even in the internet age, which helps to defy physical geographies, factors like resources and infrastructure drive industries to “cluster” in a well-defined geographic space. These birds of a feather do more than socialize; they take advantage of a network of opportunities associated with their industry cluster. Tracy Shafizadeh is director of scientific communications for Evolve BioSystems, a Davis-based spin-out from the UC Davis Food for Health Institute that produces a probiotic to resolve disruption of the gut microbiome in infants for long-term health. She sees a wealth of opportunities for businesses like the one she works for in the Capital Region. “The Sacramento region really is this burgeoning hotbed of the food, ag and health tech and biotech industry right now,” Shafizadeh says. Being in the Davis area and being able to network and cross-pollinate, if you will, with that growing segment is incredibly important and very useful and helpful for us as a growing company.” Since the company first incorporated in 2012, Shafizadeh says the network of resources surrounding its headquarters has been indispensable to the company’s growth and success. Being adjacent to the UC Davis campus allows the company to work collaboratively with its founders and advisers, minutes away from important academic research shaping the future of the biotech field. Clusters can thrive through the agglomeration of complementary businesses and services in ways that an atomized business would struggle to accomplish alone. For clusters to grow organically, though, they require within reach a skilled labor force, access to finance and infrastructure and a regulatory system conducive to economic growth. By nurturing an economic environment in which interrelated businesses are able to prop each other up — in its most simple sense, a farm begetting a fruit stand begetting a cafe to service fruit stand patrons — institutions like UC Davis, regional governments and economic development organizations can act as an anchor and help encourage innovation and expand access to capital. This year, a study from the Brookings Institute identified the six-county Sacramento region — encompassing El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties — as having a “notable traded cluster opportunity at the intersection of food, agriculture, and technology.” By continuing to develop the network of resources that sustain and encourage this cluster, the report suggests, the entire region will be able to accelerate its rate of growth and energize industry. Evolve BioSystems is one of a constellation of startups and companies spanning the region working at the crux of health, agriculture, food production and technology. Based in Davis, its neighbors include BioConsortia, Agrinos, Arcadia Bioscienc- The Bayer CoLaborator is a 3,000-squarefoot incubator space (with wet labs) for agtech startups. December 2018 | comstocksmag.com 93