About
Danforth Technology Company (DTC) facilitates creation and investment in startups based on promising technologies developed by Danforth Center scientists. In moving scientific discoveries from the Danforth Center to the marketplace, DTC is helping shape the 39 North AgTech Innovation District as a leading environment for agtech startups, established companies, and entrepreneurs.
"The Danforth Center is a hotbed of innovation and creativity in plant science. The Danforth Technology Company (DTC) is the mechanism to quickly and effectively commercialize great technologies discovered at Danforth Center. DTC provides a unique opportunity for scientists and entrepreneurs to collaborate. It is not easy to develop and launch a successful agtech startup, and the 39 North ecosystem creates optimal conditions for nascent companies to thrive. In my experience there are very few places that combine world-class science with the tools necessary to spin out viable startups like the Danforth Center."
Tom Laurita, CEO
The Partnership with the
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
DTC draws from the brightest talent and some of the most innovative plant science research laboratories in the world. At the Danforth Plant Science Center, 31 scientific teams are working in state-of-the-art facilities to create solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in agriculture today.
30
scientific teams with
110
funded projects
6
core facilities
140 acre
field research site
$45M
annual operating budget
10
startups launched by faculty
DTC Leadership
Tom Laurita
CEO
Tom Laurita is CEO of the Danforth Technology Company. He is an entrepreneur with over 30 years experience bringing early technologies through development to market and to exit.
Tom was CEO of DTC startup Peptyde Bio, which was acquired by Invaio in 2023. He also co-founded and was CEO of STL-based NewLeaf Symbiotics, one of the most successful US Ag Biotech companies. Tom led Monsanto’s USSR business and co-founded Vitas Corporation.
Tom holds degrees from Brown University (magna cum laude), Yale School of Management (MPPM), and the Russian Peoples’ Friendship University (PhD).
Hal Davies
CFO
Hal brings over four decades of expertise in accounting, financial management, and organizational leadership to his role as CFO the DTC. From 2001 to 2020, he served as Controller, Vice President for Finance and finally CFO at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, and from 2020 to 2024, he held the position of COO and VP of Finance. During his tenure, Hal played an integral role in the Danforth Center’s evolution into the world’s largest independent plant science institute, supporting its rapid expansion and long-term financial sustainability.
In 2024, Hal transitioned to the CFO role at DTC, where he continues to apply his strategic financial acumen to help advance innovation through the facilitation of early-stage startups. Before his work at the Danforth Center, Hal served as Corporate Controller for the Alper Ink Group and Director of Financial Planning and Analysis at Huttig Distribution. He began his career as a CPA with Deloitte, working in both the St. Louis office and the firm’s executive offices in New York.
Hal holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Missouri–St. Louis and an MBA with honors from Washington University in St. Louis.
John Ahn
Business Development Director
As Business Development Director, John brings his expertise in technology commercialization and partnership management and his passion for innovation and bringing new technologies to market to the DTC. John has led the development of new technologies for chemicals and crop protection businesses. He has served in various senior business and technical capacities for profit and nonprofit companies and led licensing and business development, working with start-ups and large multinational companies around the world.
John holds an MBA from INSEAD, a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Technical University of Munich, and a MS from the University of California, Berkeley.