Cultivian Sandbox Ventures

Cultivian Sandbox Ventures is a Chicago-based venture capital firm established in 2008, specializing in investments in disruptive agriculture and food technology companies. The firm takes an active role in its portfolio, engaging as early investors and board members to shape company strategy, recruit key executives, and secure further capital. Cultivian Sandbox Ventures distinguishes itself by leveraging a robust network and strategic partnerships within the agriculture and food sectors, providing substantial value beyond mere financial support. Its investment team, which combines expertise from Cultivian Ventures and Sandbox Industries, is proficient in sourcing, evaluating, and managing equity investments. This hands-on approach not only aims to build stronger businesses but also seeks to transform entire industries.

Amanda Donohue-Hansen

Managing Director

Luis Garcia

Associate

Ron Meeusen

Managing Director

Dan Phillips

Managing Director

Daniel Phillips

Managing Director

Andy Ziolkowski

Managing Partner

Past deals in Agriculture

Leaf Agriculture

Seed Round in 2022
Leaf Agriculture is a technology company based in Florianopolis, Brazil, founded in 2017. It specializes in developing a unified application programming interface (API) platform that offers data services tailored for the agriculture industry. This platform facilitates seamless access to agricultural data by connecting various AgTech APIs, enabling users to validate access and retrieve information through a single API. Leaf Agriculture aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of agricultural practices by leveraging digital solutions to improve data management and accessibility in the sector.

Full Harvest

Series B in 2021
Full Harvest is a San Francisco-based B2B marketplace that connects large farms with food companies to sell surplus and imperfect produce that would otherwise go to waste. The platform provides an end-to-end online distribution channel, enabling farms to monetize excess harvest by offering discounted, edible produce directly to food and beverage businesses. By unlocking unused produce, the company aims to create an additional revenue stream for farmers, lower costs in healthy food production, and significantly reduce food waste and resource use in the supply chain.

Yard Stick

Seed Round in 2021
Yard Stick develops a handheld device that measures soil carbon levels in real-time. This enables evidence-based regenerative farming practices, improving soil health, increasing farmer income, and combating climate change by sequestering carbon.

Leaf Agriculture

Seed Round in 2020
Leaf Agriculture is a technology company based in Florianopolis, Brazil, founded in 2017. It specializes in developing a unified application programming interface (API) platform that offers data services tailored for the agriculture industry. This platform facilitates seamless access to agricultural data by connecting various AgTech APIs, enabling users to validate access and retrieve information through a single API. Leaf Agriculture aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of agricultural practices by leveraging digital solutions to improve data management and accessibility in the sector.

Cooks Venture

Series A in 2020
Cooks Venture, Inc. is a New York-based company that specializes in producing and selling regenerative pasture-raised chicken and meats, including beef, pork, and lamb. Founded in 2018, the company is dedicated to environmentally sustainable farming practices and adheres to the Better Chicken Commitment. Cooks Venture exclusively utilizes its own approved breed of chicken, which is certified by the Global Animal Partnership at Step Level 4, ensuring that the birds have access to diverse pastures. The company offers a selection of individually sealed cuts of heirloom chicken and other pasture-raised meats, which are delivered directly to consumers' doorsteps. In addition to chicken, its product line includes grass-fed beef and wild-caught traceable seafood, reflecting a commitment to sensible farming systems and providing a variety of high-quality food choices.

Sound Agriculture

Series C in 2020
Founded in 2013, Sound Agriculture develops crop enhancement products using molecular discovery. Their solutions aim to increase harvest yields, enhance water efficiency, and improve crop resilience to climate change.

FarmlandFinder

Seed Round in 2019
FarmlandFinder, Inc. is an online platform based in Grimes, Iowa, that facilitates the buying and selling of farmland. Founded in 2016, the company provides a marketplace that connects farmers with suitable land opportunities, enhancing access to vital information related to upcoming land sales, auction listings, and sale price records. The platform features tools such as a sale comparison tool and soil composition maps, which enable users to make informed decisions while minimizing the time and costs associated with researching farmland real estate. By offering real-time data and market intelligence, FarmlandFinder aims to improve transparency and efficiency in the farmland transaction process.

Agrivida

Venture Round in 2019
Agrivida, Inc. is a biotechnology company specializing in animal health and nutrition through the development of innovative feed additives for poultry, swine, dairy and beef cattle, and aquaculture. Founded in 2003 and based in Four Seasons, Missouri, Agrivida utilizes its proprietary GRAINZYME technology to produce enzymes directly within corn kernels, offering a natural and effective method to enhance animal diets. This platform enables the integration of beneficial enzymes such as phytase and glucanase, which improve nutritional efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of livestock production. Agrivida's solutions aim to promote healthier food production while delivering economic benefits to its clients in the agricultural sector.

Vestaron Corporation

Series B in 2019
Vestaron develops and manufactures peptide-based biologic crop protection products. Its offerings include Spear-T for thrips control in greenhouses, Spear-Lep for fruits and vegetables, and Leprotec for field use. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina with a research center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Vestaron aims to provide growers with effective, safe, and sustainable biopesticides.

Conservis

Venture Round in 2018
Conservis is a developer of farm management software that empowers agricultural producers to optimize their operations from the ground up. The platform enables users to track field activities, manage inventories, and analyze yields, enhancing efficiency and facilitating better decision-making. By connecting critical information, Conservis helps growers and producers improve traceability, implement sustainable practices, and turn business data into actionable insights. Originally founded in response to a need for workflow management among farmers, the Conservis system has grown to serve some of the most successful agricultural producers, managing over $8 billion in land, equipment, and crop assets across all stages of production. This comprehensive approach assists users in navigating the complexities of modern agriculture while addressing the increasing global demand for agricultural products.

Full Harvest

Series A in 2018
Full Harvest is a San Francisco-based B2B marketplace that connects large farms with food companies to sell surplus and imperfect produce that would otherwise go to waste. The platform provides an end-to-end online distribution channel, enabling farms to monetize excess harvest by offering discounted, edible produce directly to food and beverage businesses. By unlocking unused produce, the company aims to create an additional revenue stream for farmers, lower costs in healthy food production, and significantly reduce food waste and resource use in the supply chain.

Sound Agriculture

Series B in 2017
Founded in 2013, Sound Agriculture develops crop enhancement products using molecular discovery. Their solutions aim to increase harvest yields, enhance water efficiency, and improve crop resilience to climate change.

Descartes Labs

Series B in 2017
Descartes Labs specializes in automating the analysis of geospatial data, enabling organizations to derive insights from satellite imagery, UAVs, cameras, and other sensors. Its cloud-based platform harmonizes diverse data sources for global-scale modeling and analytics, supporting applications such as commodity sourcing, resource exploration, and climate resilience.

Conservis

Debt Financing in 2017
Conservis is a developer of farm management software that empowers agricultural producers to optimize their operations from the ground up. The platform enables users to track field activities, manage inventories, and analyze yields, enhancing efficiency and facilitating better decision-making. By connecting critical information, Conservis helps growers and producers improve traceability, implement sustainable practices, and turn business data into actionable insights. Originally founded in response to a need for workflow management among farmers, the Conservis system has grown to serve some of the most successful agricultural producers, managing over $8 billion in land, equipment, and crop assets across all stages of production. This comprehensive approach assists users in navigating the complexities of modern agriculture while addressing the increasing global demand for agricultural products.

HarvestPort

Series A in 2017
HarvestPort is a shared-economy platform focused on facilitating access to seasonally used agricultural assets and equipment. Founded in 2015 by Timothy Koide and Brian Dawson, the company provides a marketplace where farmers and agricultural professionals can rent the tools they need based on seasonal demand. Its services include documenting available assets, matching requests with qualified lenders, analyzing user profiles to make targeted recommendations, and managing the associated transactions and billing processes. By connecting a network of agricultural stakeholders, HarvestPort aims to help farmers plan, procure crop inputs efficiently, reduce costs, and ultimately enhance the profitability and value of their land.

Agrivida

Series E in 2016
Agrivida, Inc. is a biotechnology company specializing in animal health and nutrition through the development of innovative feed additives for poultry, swine, dairy and beef cattle, and aquaculture. Founded in 2003 and based in Four Seasons, Missouri, Agrivida utilizes its proprietary GRAINZYME technology to produce enzymes directly within corn kernels, offering a natural and effective method to enhance animal diets. This platform enables the integration of beneficial enzymes such as phytase and glucanase, which improve nutritional efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of livestock production. Agrivida's solutions aim to promote healthier food production while delivering economic benefits to its clients in the agricultural sector.

Vestaron Corporation

Series D in 2016
Vestaron develops and manufactures peptide-based biologic crop protection products. Its offerings include Spear-T for thrips control in greenhouses, Spear-Lep for fruits and vegetables, and Leprotec for field use. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina with a research center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Vestaron aims to provide growers with effective, safe, and sustainable biopesticides.

Advanced Animal Diagnostics

Series D in 2016
Advanced Animal Diagnostics, Inc. specializes in the research, development, and commercialization of on-farm diagnostic tools aimed at the early detection of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. Founded in 2001 and based in Durham, North Carolina, the company offers innovative products such as the QScout Farm Lab, an analyzer system that detects infections before visible symptoms occur, and the QScout Milk Leukocyte Differential rapid test, which identifies and differentiates leukocytes in milk to facilitate early mastitis detection. Additionally, Advanced Animal Diagnostics provides the QuickSmear slide for animal research and the SCC+ System for timely mastitis diagnosis. The company's solutions focus on enhancing the management of disease states and improving the reproductive, nutritional, and overall health of production animals, serving veterinarians and livestock producers to promote healthier and more productive animal care.

Descartes Labs

Series A in 2015
Descartes Labs specializes in automating the analysis of geospatial data, enabling organizations to derive insights from satellite imagery, UAVs, cameras, and other sensors. Its cloud-based platform harmonizes diverse data sources for global-scale modeling and analytics, supporting applications such as commodity sourcing, resource exploration, and climate resilience.

Conservis

Series A in 2015
Conservis is a developer of farm management software that empowers agricultural producers to optimize their operations from the ground up. The platform enables users to track field activities, manage inventories, and analyze yields, enhancing efficiency and facilitating better decision-making. By connecting critical information, Conservis helps growers and producers improve traceability, implement sustainable practices, and turn business data into actionable insights. Originally founded in response to a need for workflow management among farmers, the Conservis system has grown to serve some of the most successful agricultural producers, managing over $8 billion in land, equipment, and crop assets across all stages of production. This comprehensive approach assists users in navigating the complexities of modern agriculture while addressing the increasing global demand for agricultural products.

Agrivida

Series D in 2015
Agrivida, Inc. is a biotechnology company specializing in animal health and nutrition through the development of innovative feed additives for poultry, swine, dairy and beef cattle, and aquaculture. Founded in 2003 and based in Four Seasons, Missouri, Agrivida utilizes its proprietary GRAINZYME technology to produce enzymes directly within corn kernels, offering a natural and effective method to enhance animal diets. This platform enables the integration of beneficial enzymes such as phytase and glucanase, which improve nutritional efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of livestock production. Agrivida's solutions aim to promote healthier food production while delivering economic benefits to its clients in the agricultural sector.

Sound Agriculture

Series A in 2015
Founded in 2013, Sound Agriculture develops crop enhancement products using molecular discovery. Their solutions aim to increase harvest yields, enhance water efficiency, and improve crop resilience to climate change.

Agrivida

Series D in 2015
Agrivida, Inc. is a biotechnology company specializing in animal health and nutrition through the development of innovative feed additives for poultry, swine, dairy and beef cattle, and aquaculture. Founded in 2003 and based in Four Seasons, Missouri, Agrivida utilizes its proprietary GRAINZYME technology to produce enzymes directly within corn kernels, offering a natural and effective method to enhance animal diets. This platform enables the integration of beneficial enzymes such as phytase and glucanase, which improve nutritional efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of livestock production. Agrivida's solutions aim to promote healthier food production while delivering economic benefits to its clients in the agricultural sector.

Advanced Animal Diagnostics

Series C in 2014
Advanced Animal Diagnostics, Inc. specializes in the research, development, and commercialization of on-farm diagnostic tools aimed at the early detection of subclinical mastitis in dairy cows. Founded in 2001 and based in Durham, North Carolina, the company offers innovative products such as the QScout Farm Lab, an analyzer system that detects infections before visible symptoms occur, and the QScout Milk Leukocyte Differential rapid test, which identifies and differentiates leukocytes in milk to facilitate early mastitis detection. Additionally, Advanced Animal Diagnostics provides the QuickSmear slide for animal research and the SCC+ System for timely mastitis diagnosis. The company's solutions focus on enhancing the management of disease states and improving the reproductive, nutritional, and overall health of production animals, serving veterinarians and livestock producers to promote healthier and more productive animal care.

Vestaron Corporation

Series C in 2014
Vestaron develops and manufactures peptide-based biologic crop protection products. Its offerings include Spear-T for thrips control in greenhouses, Spear-Lep for fruits and vegetables, and Leprotec for field use. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina with a research center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Vestaron aims to provide growers with effective, safe, and sustainable biopesticides.

Conservis

Series A in 2014
Conservis is a developer of farm management software that empowers agricultural producers to optimize their operations from the ground up. The platform enables users to track field activities, manage inventories, and analyze yields, enhancing efficiency and facilitating better decision-making. By connecting critical information, Conservis helps growers and producers improve traceability, implement sustainable practices, and turn business data into actionable insights. Originally founded in response to a need for workflow management among farmers, the Conservis system has grown to serve some of the most successful agricultural producers, managing over $8 billion in land, equipment, and crop assets across all stages of production. This comprehensive approach assists users in navigating the complexities of modern agriculture while addressing the increasing global demand for agricultural products.

Vestaron Corporation

Series C in 2014
Vestaron develops and manufactures peptide-based biologic crop protection products. Its offerings include Spear-T for thrips control in greenhouses, Spear-Lep for fruits and vegetables, and Leprotec for field use. Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina with a research center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Vestaron aims to provide growers with effective, safe, and sustainable biopesticides.

Novihum Technologies

Series B in 2014
Novihum Technologies GmbH, based in Dresden, Germany, specializes in developing innovative soil enhancer products that significantly improve soil quality. Founded in 2012, the company has its roots in research conducted at the TU Dresden, where scientists created a natural soil enhancer derived from lignite. Its production facility, established in Dortmund in 2016, allows Novihum to manufacture stable humus concentrates on an industrial scale. These products are designed to restore soil health and enhance crop yields from the very first season of application. With a team of approximately 30 experts in soil, plant, and production, Novihum Technologies serves a diverse clientele across Europe, North America, and beyond, contributing to sustainable agricultural practices worldwide.

AbCelex Technologies

Series A in 2014
AbCelex Technologies is a biotechnology company based in Mississauga, Canada, founded in 2010 by Saeid Babaei. The company specializes in developing novel antibody-based diagnostic and therapeutic products for food animal health and food safety. AbCelex focuses on swine, poultry, and other farm animals, offering feed additives that prevent and treat bacterial infections such as salmonella enteritidis, listeria monocytogenes, campylobacter jejuni, and other foodborne pathogens. Their portfolio includes NF-220, sdAb-based protein fragments designed to enhance animal health and food safety. Additionally, the company develops human health diagnostics products for infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, cardiac issues, and tumor biomarkers, utilizing recombinant antibodies and immunoassays for rapid pathogen detection.
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