Generation Food Rural Partners, George Kaiser Family Foundation, and OCAST Announce Investment in CASSIE, Inc.

GFRP joins with existing investors George Kaiser Family Foundation in the first investment by the GFRP fund in partnership with the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Grassroots Accelerator Program

NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Generation Food Rural Partners I, LP, a Big Idea Ventures fund, (“GFRP”), the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (“OCAST”), and George Kaiser Family Foundation (“GKFF”) today announced a joint investment in CASSIE, Inc. (“CASSIE”), an Oklahoma-based company developing innovations that strengthen the state’s food and agriculture economy.

“CASSIE was founded to scale advanced air purification systems that use cutting-edge technology and filtration to neutralize airborne threats, translating breakthrough innovation into practical solutions that will be beneficial for critical applications,” stated co-founder and CEO, Eric Garrison. “With this new round of investment, CASSIE will bring its technology to new markets and serve our growing customer base. Our solutions are uniquely positioned for healthcare, where controlling hospital-acquired infections and ensuring patient safety are paramount, and for the food and food safety industries, where clean air directly impacts product integrity, worker health, and regulatory compliance.”

“This investment is the culmination of months of partnership building, highlighting what can happen when public, private, and philanthropic partners come together around a shared vision,” said Tom Mastrobuoni, Chief Investment Officer of Big Idea Ventures. “CASSIE will not only advance breakthrough technologies but also generate high-quality jobs and economic growth for communities across Oklahoma. We expect this to be the model for additional investments in Oklahoma.”

As Oklahoma’s technology-based economic development agency, OCAST sees CASSIE as a strong example of innovation fueling community impact. “Our role is to support innovation and entrepreneurship to build long-term prosperity for Oklahomans,” said Jennifer McGrail, Executive Director. “This partnership demonstrates how strategic investment can strengthen both rural economies and Oklahoma’s leadership in innovation-driven industries.”

“CASSIE demonstrates how intentional investment can generate innovative solutions and sustainable ventures,” said Josh Miller, senior program officer at GKFF. “As a Build in Tulsa graduate, CASSIE exemplifies the type of enterprise we are proud to support—investing in an entrepreneur that has chosen Tulsa to be their home while also advancing Tulsa’s growing technology ecosystem.”

About CASSIE

CASSIE’s mission is to deliver cutting-edge solutions in Biological Air Filtration technologies and environment data. Serving high-demand sectors, CASSIE, Inc. is addressing critical needs in areas where clean air and safety are essential.

About Generation Food Rural Partners

Generation Food Rural Partners (“GFRP” or the “Fund”) is a RBIC-licensed investment fund, built by Big Idea Ventures and designed to drive economic growth and development in rural communities in the US. The Fund invests in the area of food, agriculture, and protein technologies to form new companies based on intellectual property. GFRP is backed by members of the Farm Credit System, including Farm Credit Services of America, CoBank, Compeer Financial and Mid-America Farm Credit. GFRP is a part of Big Idea Ventures (“BIV”), a global investment leader within the food-tech, agri-tech, and materials science sectors. For more information, visit our website.

Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology

The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) was created as the state’s agency for technology-based economic development (TBED). OCAST’s mandate is to “expand and diversify Oklahoma’s economy and provide new and higher quality jobs for Oklahomans” by encouraging “. . . the development of new products, new processes and whole new industries in Oklahoma.” OCAST fosters innovation in existing and developing businesses − by supporting industry innovation, STEM internships and techbusiness startups − by facilitating technology transfer between research institutions and businesses − by providing pre-seed and seed capital for innovative firms in the development of new products or services − by helping Oklahoma’s small and medium-sized manufacturing firms become more competitive through increased productivity and modernization.

George Kaiser Family Foundation

George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) is a charitable organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through investments in early childhood education, community health, social services and civic enhancement. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, GKFF works primarily on initiatives developed in collaboration with Tulsa-based direct service organizations. For more information about the George Kaiser Family Foundation, visit GKFF.org.

Oklahoma Farm Bureau

As Oklahoma’s largest general farm organization with members in all 77 counties represented by 77 county Farm Bureaus, Oklahoma Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization that gives a voice to Oklahoma’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities. Directed and guided by Oklahoma farmers and ranchers, Oklahoma Farm Bureau advocates for our state’s agriculturalists in rural communities around our state and in the halls of Congress in Washington D.C. Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s Oklahoma Grassroots Rural & Ag Business Accelerators program is a collaborative rural development initiative from Oklahoma Farm Bureau along with national and state-level partners that develops Oklahoma-based innovators creating ideas, technologies and products creating economic opportunities in rural Oklahoma.

Media Contacts

CASSIE, Inc. | Eric Garrison | e.garrison@aircassie.com

Generation Food Rural Partners | Tom Mastrobuoni | tom@bigideaventures.com | +1-201-725-3800

OCAST Communications Manager and Public Information Officer | Makeba Griffin | makeba.griffin@ocast.ok.gov | 405-319-8406.

George Kaiser Family Foundation | Cheena Pazzo, CEO of ONE8 | cheena@one80.us | 918-625-1937

Oklahoma Farm Bureau | Rachel Havens, Assistant Director of Media Relations and Advocacy Communications | Rachel.Havens@okfb.org

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