SMART Reproduction
Grant in 2024
SMART Reproduction is a USDA-inspected and approved small ruminant semen and embryo collection facility.
WiLO Networks
Grant in 2024
WiLO Networks develops a low-power sensor network platform using wake-up radio technology. This enables continuous, low-latency communication, extends battery life, and reduces electronic waste, making sensor deployments more feasible in diverse IoT applications across industries like warehousing, healthcare, retail, and precision agriculture.
myAnIML is a company that specializes in developing advanced technology for disease prediction and tracking in cattle. Utilizing artificial intelligence, myAnIML's innovative system analyzes images of cattle, focusing on unique facial features and muzzle characteristics to monitor health and detect diseases early. This approach significantly reduces treatment costs and curtails the spread of diseases, ultimately contributing to improved animal welfare and increased revenue for cattle farmers. By enhancing the efficiency of disease management, myAnIML plays a crucial role in promoting the sustainability of the cattle farming industry.
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
Grant in 2024
University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment persists as a land-grant university. Agriculture, food, and environmental systems are critical components of Kentucky's economic future, and the college's programs play an important role in these areas.
Montana State University Bozeman
Grant in 2024
Montana State University Bozeman is a public research university located in Bozeman, Montana. It offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with distinctive strengths in animal science, environmental horticulture, land resource sciences, and sustainable food and bioenergy systems that leverage the surrounding natural environment and proximity to Yellowstone National Park. The campus provides a vibrant student life that includes access to world‑class outdoor recreation such as kayaking, climbing, skiing, and snowboarding, and even hosts a varsity rodeo team. The university supports students through merit‑based scholarships and need‑based federal aid, and requires applicants to submit an application, high‑school transcript, standardized test scores, and FAFSA for financial aid consideration. Graduate admissions vary by department.
Agrology is an agricultural technology company that provides real-time data and predictive insights to help growers measure and improve the ecological and agronomic effects of regenerative and sustainable farming practices. The company tracks soil health, microbial activity, carbon cycles, nitrous oxide emissions, net ecosystem exchange, and microclimatic conditions to help growers link regenerative practices to verified greenhouse gas reductions and ecological benefits, support soil carbon sequestration, and generate carbon credits. Its system is designed to help farmers resist and adapt to climate change while monitoring greenhouse gases and informing sustainable farming decisions.
Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions is a Raleigh-based company that provides sustainable weed-management solutions for organic and industrial agriculture. Harpe Bio's technologies deliver natural crop protection by utilizing a variety of plant extracts. The plant extracts serve as a platform that may be tailored to various weed management circumstances. Harpe's herbicide platform can be used alone or in conjunction with any currently marketed herbicide. Harpe's new modes and areas of action will improve synthetic herbicide efficacy, including the reduction of resistant weed populations.
Pheronym, Inc. is an agricultural biotechnology company based in Gainesville, Florida, that develops and manufactures environmentally friendly solutions for pest control. Founded in 2011 and formerly known as Kaplan Schiller Research, LLC, the company specializes in using pheromone-based technology to enhance the effectiveness of nematodes, microscopic roundworms that serve as organic insecticides. By leveraging pheromone spray, Pheronym is able to double the efficacy of nematodes, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical pesticides while minimizing negative health and environmental impacts. In addition, the company offers an EPN-activator that utilizes nematodes’ own pheromones to influence their behavior and development, thereby enhancing pest management strategies for farmers and cultivators.
Babylon Micro-Farms
Grant in 2023
Founded in 2017, Babylon Micro-Farms operates indoor farms for farmers to grow a variety of crops such as leafy greens, herbs, microgreens, and edible flowers. The company offers smart, scalable farming solutions tailored to clients' needs, utilizing remote management technology to power a distributed network of micro-farms across North America.
Oregon State University
Grant in 2023
Oregon State University, founded in 1868, serves as the state’s Land Grant university and is distinguished by its Sea Grant, Space Grant, and Sun Grant designations, making it one of only two U.S. universities to hold this combination. It is recognized for its research excellence and community engagement, holding the Carnegie Foundation's top designation for research institutions. With a diverse student body of over 26,000 from across Oregon and more than 100 countries, Oregon State offers over 200 undergraduate and 80 graduate degree programs, including more than 30 online degrees through Oregon State Ecampus. The university operates 12 colleges, 15 Agricultural Experiment Stations, and 35 county Extension offices, as well as facilities such as the Hatfield Marine Sciences Center and OSU-Cascades. Oregon State's economic impact extends across all 36 counties in Oregon, contributing $2.06 billion to the state's economy. The university is noted for its strong programs in fields including conservation biology, agricultural sciences, nuclear engineering, and pharmacy, attracting high-achieving students committed to making a positive difference in society.
Oregon State University
Grant in 2022
Oregon State University, founded in 1868, serves as the state’s Land Grant university and is distinguished by its Sea Grant, Space Grant, and Sun Grant designations, making it one of only two U.S. universities to hold this combination. It is recognized for its research excellence and community engagement, holding the Carnegie Foundation's top designation for research institutions. With a diverse student body of over 26,000 from across Oregon and more than 100 countries, Oregon State offers over 200 undergraduate and 80 graduate degree programs, including more than 30 online degrees through Oregon State Ecampus. The university operates 12 colleges, 15 Agricultural Experiment Stations, and 35 county Extension offices, as well as facilities such as the Hatfield Marine Sciences Center and OSU-Cascades. Oregon State's economic impact extends across all 36 counties in Oregon, contributing $2.06 billion to the state's economy. The university is noted for its strong programs in fields including conservation biology, agricultural sciences, nuclear engineering, and pharmacy, attracting high-achieving students committed to making a positive difference in society.
Rich Earth Institute
Grant in 2022
Rich Earth Institute, founded in 2012 and based in Brattleboro, Vermont, focuses on advancing the utilization of human waste as a valuable resource through research, education, and technological development. The organization specializes in the design and manufacture of portable toilets that collect urine, facilitating a clean and sustainable approach to waste management. Its innovative platform enables the diversion, collection, treatment, and application of urine within community-scale recycling programs. This process not only promotes environmental sanitation but also encourages communities to repurpose human waste for agricultural applications, thus contributing to sustainable farming practices.
Maine Shellfish Developers
Grant in 2022
Maine Shellfish Developers is a sustainable aquaculture company specializing in the production of oysters. They offer oyster seedlings and mature oysters, along with other related seafood products.
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.
Vence is a technology company that provides a hardware and software solution for livestock management, focusing on virtual fencing and autonomous animal control. Their platform employs sensors and GPS technology to enable farmers to remotely manage the movement and grazing of cattle through a smartphone application. This innovative approach not only enhances the utilization of available grazing resources but also significantly reduces costs associated with traditional fencing, such as hardware, maintenance, and labor. Additionally, Vence's system offers valuable insights into animal behavior, health, and fertility, ultimately helping livestock breeders optimize their operations and increase protein yield.
Grain Weevil
Grant in 2022
Grain Weevil is a robot designed for agricultural use, specifically in grain bins. It levels fields, breaks crusts, conducts inspections, and feeds grain into extraction augers, thereby increasing management efficiency, reducing labor costs and spoilage, enhancing safety for farmers, and extending grain storage duration.
Bactana Corporation
Grant in 2022
Bactana Corporation develops a nutritional product platform aimed at enhancing microbiome health in livestock and other animals. Its core product, FPS-4, manipulates immunometabolism to boost productivity while promoting good health. Bactana serves cattle farmers primarily in Connecticut and New York, with headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut.
Rowbot Systems
Grant in 2022
Rowbot Systems LLC, established in 2012 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializes in developing robotic machinery for precision agriculture. Their primary product is a robotic system designed to enable farmers to manage nitrogen application more effectively during the growing season. This technology aims to improve nitrogen use efficiency on farms, potentially reducing costs and enhancing crop yields.
Ryp Labs is a company focused on developing and commercializing innovative technologies aimed at reducing food waste. It offers a range of products, including food-safe labels known as Shelf-Defense and stickers called StixFresh. These products are designed to be applied directly to fresh produce or its packaging, effectively prolonging shelf life and freshness by up to two times. By preventing spoilage and over-ripening, Ryp Labs' solutions provide a practical approach for clients to combat the global issue of food waste while extending the usability of their fresh products.
Lepidext is a company based in Lexington, Kentucky, founded in 2015 by Angelika Fath-Goodin and Bruce Webb. It specializes in pest control technology aimed at managing Lepidoptera populations, particularly targeting pests like the corn earworm. The company develops bio-pesticides that are species-specific, safe, and effective, providing an alternative to genetically modified plants and chemical pesticides. By leveraging a deep understanding of insect biology and collaborating closely with farmers, Lepidext seeks to enhance crop security and promote agricultural prosperity. Its innovative approach allows for improved pest management strategies, benefiting farmers and contributing to sustainable agricultural practices.
Frost Defense
Grant in 2021
FrostDefense, founded in 2018 and based in Champaign, Illinois, specializes in developing innovative frost protection solutions. The company focuses on creating environmentally friendly biofertilizers and patented sprayable compounds designed to combat early spring frost, particularly in vineyards and specialty fruit crops. By offering these frost protection products, FrostDefense aims to help vineyard owners prevent frost damage, thereby enhancing crop yield and improving labor management and mechanized farming operations.
FarmSense provides an agricultural pest monitoring platform that uses smart insect traps with optical sensors and real-time analytics. The system employs a patented algorithm to capture flying insect signals in the field, classify pests, and transmit categorized data alongside environmental information. This enables early detection and informed pest-control decisions, supporting reduced pesticide use and improved crop yields while lowering labor requirements.
Spekciton Biosciences
Grant in 2021
Spekciton Biosciences specializes in biophotonic measurement systems and services aimed at enhancing agricultural performance and sustainability. The company develops innovative technologies that enable the rapid and precise detection of plant stress and viability, providing farmers with essential insights for improving crop management. Additionally, Spekciton offers biosensors designed to quickly identify soil and water contamination, supporting environmental health and agricultural productivity. Through its advanced measurement solutions, the company contributes to a better understanding of bioprocesses, ultimately aiding in the cultivation of resilient and sustainable crops.
Fortiphyte offers agricultural protection products that help to protect crops from disease and reduce fungicide use. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Berkeley, California.
AgroSpheres, LLC is a biotechnology company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, that specializes in innovative pesticide delivery technologies for the agriculture industry. Founded in 2016, AgroSpheres develops engineered bio-particles designed to deliver pesticide-degrading enzymes, which help to minimize waiting periods between pesticide application and harvest. The company employs a unique platform technology that enhances the performance of various crop protection products, including fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides. By utilizing bioengineering and industrial fermentation techniques, AgroSpheres creates biodegradable encapsulation solutions that aim to reduce harmful pesticide residues on plants, ultimately promoting healthier agricultural practices and improving the overall well-being of crops.
Ryp Labs is a company focused on developing and commercializing innovative technologies aimed at reducing food waste. It offers a range of products, including food-safe labels known as Shelf-Defense and stickers called StixFresh. These products are designed to be applied directly to fresh produce or its packaging, effectively prolonging shelf life and freshness by up to two times. By preventing spoilage and over-ripening, Ryp Labs' solutions provide a practical approach for clients to combat the global issue of food waste while extending the usability of their fresh products.
WiLO Networks
Grant in 2021
WiLO Networks develops a low-power sensor network platform using wake-up radio technology. This enables continuous, low-latency communication, extends battery life, and reduces electronic waste, making sensor deployments more feasible in diverse IoT applications across industries like warehousing, healthcare, retail, and precision agriculture.
Novel Farms
Pre Seed Round in 2021
Novel Farms, Inc. is a Berkeley, California-based company founded in 2020 that specializes in the production of cell-based meat delicacies. It focuses on developing cruelty-free, low-cost, and tunable bioscaffolds through microbial fermentation and proprietary tissue engineering technology. The company's mission is to create gourmet meat alternatives that replicate the taste and texture of conventional meats, appealing to a new generation of conscious consumers. By producing whole-muscle cuts of cultivated meat, Novel Farms aims to make synthetic meat-based delicacies accessible and desirable, transforming the consumption of cell-based meat into a sought-after culinary experience.
Modular Science
Grant in 2021
Modular Science is a company focused on revolutionizing vegetable farming through the development of specialized modular machines. These machines are designed to automate a vast majority of processes involved in agriculture, aiming to enhance food production while promoting health benefits for both humans and the environment. By leveraging advanced automation technology, Modular Science seeks to streamline farming operations, ultimately making vegetable farming more efficient and sustainable.
BioSens8 is a developer of advanced biosensors designed to facilitate holistic health monitoring and prevent chronic diseases. The company's innovative platform offers novel quantitative and real-time biosensors that cater to various sectors. For individuals, the technology assists women in assessing their fertility health, thereby supporting family planning. In agriculture, BioSens8 provides tools for farmers to manage herd reproduction and monitor animal health. Additionally, the biosensors evaluate environmental health, contributing to the revitalization of fragile ecosystems. By serving the healthcare, agriculture, military, and biomanufacturing sectors, BioSens8 aims to enhance overall health and operational efficiency across diverse applications.
Minnowtech, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, specializes in aquaculture technology. The company offers a software imaging platform that enables shrimp farmers worldwide to estimate shrimp abundance non-invasively with precision. By utilizing artificial intelligence and image analysis, Minnowtech's solution optimizes feeding regimes, harvest times, and overall farm management, enhancing market-size shrimp production while minimizing risks to juvenile shrimp. This innovative approach addresses a critical challenge in the aquaculture industry, improving farmers' livelihoods and contributing to global food security and marine environment sustainability.
Novel Farms, Inc. is a Berkeley, California-based company founded in 2020 that specializes in the production of cell-based meat delicacies. It focuses on developing cruelty-free, low-cost, and tunable bioscaffolds through microbial fermentation and proprietary tissue engineering technology. The company's mission is to create gourmet meat alternatives that replicate the taste and texture of conventional meats, appealing to a new generation of conscious consumers. By producing whole-muscle cuts of cultivated meat, Novel Farms aims to make synthetic meat-based delicacies accessible and desirable, transforming the consumption of cell-based meat into a sought-after culinary experience.
Eden Concepts
Grant in 2021
Eden Concepts is a precision agriculture technology development and consulting firm based in Lenoir City, Tennessee, established in 2018. The company focuses on enhancing farm productivity for small-scale farmers by developing innovative agricultural technologies tailored for vegetables and specialty crops. Its precision systems are designed to prepare and plant germinated seeds, replacing the traditional methods of growing and transplanting seedlings. By improving soil health and offering greater flexibility in crop selection, Eden Concepts aims to streamline farming operations, helping farmers reduce labor costs and energy consumption.
Amber Agriculture
Grant in 2021
Founded in 2016, Amber Agriculture develops IoT-based sensor solutions for automated grain storage monitoring and management. Its technology helps farmers protect and optimize their crops, reducing waste and enabling better market timing.
Nitricity is an energy company focused on renewable nitrogen fertilizer production with zero carbon emissions. It develops electrified, climate-smart fertilizer products and manufactures nitric acid and ammonia, which can be used separately or combined to produce ammonium nitrate fertilizer. The approach aims to bring products closer to farmers, enable timely application, reduce runoff, and maximize nitrogen delivery on a global scale.
Kingdom Supercultures
Grant in 2021
Kingdom Supercultures is a Brooklyn-based company established in 2019 that specializes in developing and producing microbial cultures for the food industry. The company focuses on reassembling nature's microbes into innovative combinations, allowing food manufacturers to create new varieties of food with enhanced benefits. Their product line includes Koji, a traditional Japanese ingredient used in miso, sake, and soy sauce, as well as microbial cultures for fermented sodas, beers, and plant-based dairy alternatives. Kingdom Supercultures employs an automated scientific platform that features a comprehensive biobank of Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) microbial strains and utilizes advanced algorithms to predict and assemble microbial communities. By providing functional ingredients and biopreservatives, the company aims to support healthy and sustainable food development across various industries, including food, beverage, personal care, and beauty.
QUANTERRA SOFTWARE
Grant in 2021
QUANTERRA SOFTWARE offers a software platform that automatically detects, locates, and counts objects on aerial imagery. The first service is COWculator, a service that automatically counts cows in aerial images obtained during a drone flyover. The 99% accuracy that we provide surpasses professional guesstimates and enables feedlot audits to dramatically reduce their outlay of time and manpower during routine audits. Our second product will be focused on ranches and pastureland, where it is extremely difficult to guesstimate the number of cows, calves and bulls on a ranch.
IngateyGen is an agricultural biotechnology company focused on developing hypoallergenic and allergen-reduced peanuts and allergen-free peanut butter. Using proprietary technologies in genomics, proteomics, plant tissue culture, and plant propagation, the company aims to create peanut varieties and consumer products that reduce allergens and improve safety for individuals with peanut sensitivities, while pursuing scalable agricultural solutions for the food industry.
Babylon Micro-Farms
Grant in 2021
Founded in 2017, Babylon Micro-Farms operates indoor farms for farmers to grow a variety of crops such as leafy greens, herbs, microgreens, and edible flowers. The company offers smart, scalable farming solutions tailored to clients' needs, utilizing remote management technology to power a distributed network of micro-farms across North America.
SoilSerdem is a data-driven agricultural technology company that develops high-resolution soil fertility maps using an optimized soil sampling method and machine learning with remotely sensed data. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Ames, Iowa, the company provides turnkey, scalable informatics that generate fine-resolution soil maps to support farmers and agronomists in precise, profitable, and sustainable farm management. Its maps integrate laboratory and field measurements with satellite and other remote sensing data to address core map creation needs, enabling automated workflows and improved operational efficiency. SoilSerdem focuses on turning soil data into actionable insights for crop management and soil health, helping users optimize input use and make informed decisions at the field level.
Drought Diet Prouducts
Grant in 2021
Drought Diet Products is a manufacturer focused on creating innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture. The company has developed a climate-resilient tool designed to efficiently apply water to crops while minimizing waste from evaporation and deep percolation. This tool features sub-irrigation zone pipes that utilize greywater and rainwater catchment systems. Additionally, Drought Diet Products incorporates post-consumer film plastic feedstock in its irrigation piping, addressing both water conservation needs and the challenges associated with film plastic recycling. Through these efforts, the company aims to support farmers in enhancing water efficiency and promoting environmental sustainability.
Carrisan Technologies
Grant in 2021
Carrisan Technologies is a food technology company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Davis, California. The company specializes in developing innovative antimicrobial solutions aimed at preventing the spread of foodborne illnesses and minimizing food losses. Its technology encompasses antimicrobial coatings for equipment surfaces, biofilm removal, and production sanitation. These solutions are designed to serve the agriculture, food processing, and foodservice industries, helping to prevent cross-contamination and enhance food safety.
AgraFilms is a biotechnology company focused on mitigating crop loss through sustainable, natural solutions. Founded in 2019 and based in Madison, Wisconsin, the company develops biocontrol approaches that utilize amoebic biocontrol to promote crop health and reduce the need for synthetic antibiotics and pesticides. Its technology aims to prevent the spread of agricultural diseases and to protect crops by offering an all-natural method to address environmental and health challenges associated with crop damage, delivering long-term solutions for farmers.
Canopii provides end-to-end labor automation and energy management for farming, automating the entire food-growing process and remotely controlling each farm. By reducing unpredictability, inefficiencies, and the need for specialized expertise in traditional agriculture, the company aims to create a reliable, sustainable network of local farms. It produces locally grown products and seeks to make produce more affordable and accessible through environmentally conscious methods. Canopii enables turnkey urban farming solutions by deploying automated processes and energy management across farm operations, with the goal of lowering costs and enabling communities to grow their own food.
Founded in 2018, Atolla Tech specializes in developing sensor systems for efficient agricultural pest control. Its closed-loop sensor technology optimizes sprayer machine efficiency and spray patterns, enhancing crop protection and reducing unnecessary costs.
Intrinsyx Research Corporation
Grant in 2021
Intrinsyx Bio has spent the last 3.5 years validating and commercializing 3 decades of the leading academic
research in the plant microbiome research from the University of Washington. Our exclusively licensed
collection of microbes are proven and published to x Nitrogen aerobically throughout the inside of plants as
well as improve yield, Phosphorous eciency, and increase abiotic (salinity and drought) and biotic stress
tolerance. We have developed shelf stable microbial inoculants that drastically improve crop yield and
nutrient use eciency, garnering interest from some of agriculture’s largest companies.
Fybraworks Foods
Grant in 2021
Fybraworks Foods, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, focused on developing alternative meat substitutes through innovative fermentation techniques. Founded in 2020, the company specializes in creating animal-free meat structural proteins and synthetic meat, aiming to replicate the taste and texture of traditional meat products. By leveraging its advanced technological solutions, Fybraworks Foods enables both industry leaders and individual consumers to access sustainable meat alternatives, thus promoting humane practices and reducing environmental impact associated with animal agriculture.
Biomilitus is a biotechnology company founded in 2019 and headquartered in Sacramento, California. The company focuses on utilizing insect larvae to produce animal feed, addressing the growing demand for sustainable and efficient food sources. By using low-cost agricultural by-products as feed for the larvae, Biomilitus offers an alternative ingredient that is high in protein and fat, as well as rich in essential amino acids. This innovative approach not only helps companies reduce transportation costs associated with waste products but also significantly lowers their carbon footprint, contributing to more sustainable agricultural practices.
GreenSight develops a commercial drone platform for autonomous data collection. Its full-stack product combines custom hardware, software, advanced sensors, and data analytics to provide actionable insights in agriculture, energy, construction, and infrastructure sectors. The company initially focused on the golf course industry, offering daily agricultural analytics services and labor management solutions.
Aspiring Universe
Grant in 2020
Aspiring Universe offers geospatial intelligence to enhance agricultural businesses.
TRIC Robotics
Grant in 2020
Founded in 2017, TRIC Robotics develops autonomous robotic technology for agricultural applications. Its primary focus is on creating a non-chemical pesticide alternative for strawberry farms.
Founded in 2018, Symbrosia is a cleantech company based in California that produces cattle feed supplements. It specializes in developing contained symbiotic systems to cultivate methane-reducing macroalgae, specifically seaweed, for use as livestock feed additives.
Full Circle Microbes
Grant in 2020
Full Circle Microbes provides a waste disposal service that converts organic waste into fertilizer. The company was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Hinesburg, Vermont.
Ascribe Bioscience
Grant in 2020
Founded in 2017, Ascribe Bioscience develops innovative crop protection products. By understanding the molecular interactions between plants and microbes, they create treatments that boost crops' natural defenses against pests and fungi, enhancing productivity without harming the environment.
Tortuga AgTech
Grant in 2020
Tortuga AgTech specializes in agricultural automation, using robotics and AI to perform labor-intensive tasks such as harvesting. Their mission is to enhance farming methods for a healthier society and ecosystem by enabling growers to produce better, more sustainable crops.
BENANOVA develops safer antimicrobial products and eco-friendly materials for disinfectant, cosmetic, agricultural, and textile applications. Its Environmentally-benign Nanoparticles provide high efficacy with a degradable design, offering environmentally friendly replacements for silver nanoparticle antimicrobials and the potential to reduce chemical use in crop protection by up to 90%. The company also uses lignin-based, biodegradable materials from bio-renewable sources to support sustainable agriculture and specialty textiles, combining strong performance with reduced environmental impact.
Theion Agriculture
Grant in 2020
Theion Agriculture develops fertilizer additives to accelerate the growth of leafy greens grown in indoor farms worldwide. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Iowa City, Iowa, the company’s additives can be applied to a range of crops, including leafy greens, legumes, and maize, enabling farmers to improve crop yields.
AgThera is a biotechnology company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing a new class of antimicrobial medicines aimed at treating infectious diseases. The company specializes in advanced probiotics engineered to effectively eliminate pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria. AgThera's innovative platform utilizes probiotics that express and secrete antimicrobial peptides, which can aid in the development of drugs for both human and livestock applications. The company has received Small Business Innovative Research grants from the US National Science Foundation and the US Department of Agriculture to support its cutting-edge, AI-enabled research and development initiatives. Through its work, AgThera aims to address the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance in healthcare and agriculture.
Plastomics is a biotechnology company focused on chloroplast genetic engineering to enhance crop yields and nutritional quality. Its technology platform enables precise insertion of beneficial traits into chloroplasts, reducing cross-pollination and shortening breeding timelines. The company employs gene stacking and rapid breeding approaches to develop biotech crops with a broader set of traits, addressing industry challenges in seed development. Plastomics' approach is applicable across multiple crops and trait areas, supporting commercial trait expression while aiming to lower production costs. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.
Innatrix is an agricultural biotechnology company focused on developing innovative biological and chemical solutions to address crop diseases, pests, and weeds that are otherwise difficult to manage. Utilizing patented protein evolution technology, the company has established a peptide and RNA interference delivery platform that offers eco-friendly alternatives for crop protection. Innatrix's proprietary automated platform facilitates protein engineering through continuous laboratory evolution and advanced techniques such as phage display. This technology empowers researchers with enhanced control, reporting, recording, simulation, and remote access capabilities, thereby advancing the field of agricultural biotechnology and promoting sustainable farming practices.
Rich Earth Institute
Grant in 2020
Rich Earth Institute, founded in 2012 and based in Brattleboro, Vermont, focuses on advancing the utilization of human waste as a valuable resource through research, education, and technological development. The organization specializes in the design and manufacture of portable toilets that collect urine, facilitating a clean and sustainable approach to waste management. Its innovative platform enables the diversion, collection, treatment, and application of urine within community-scale recycling programs. This process not only promotes environmental sanitation but also encourages communities to repurpose human waste for agricultural applications, thus contributing to sustainable farming practices.
Pheronym, Inc. is an agricultural biotechnology company based in Gainesville, Florida, that develops and manufactures environmentally friendly solutions for pest control. Founded in 2011 and formerly known as Kaplan Schiller Research, LLC, the company specializes in using pheromone-based technology to enhance the effectiveness of nematodes, microscopic roundworms that serve as organic insecticides. By leveraging pheromone spray, Pheronym is able to double the efficacy of nematodes, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical pesticides while minimizing negative health and environmental impacts. In addition, the company offers an EPN-activator that utilizes nematodes’ own pheromones to influence their behavior and development, thereby enhancing pest management strategies for farmers and cultivators.
EarthSense develops autonomous agricultural robotics and AI software to improve farming productivity and sustainability. Its flagship TerraSentia robot is a compact, teachable platform that integrates on-board computation and multiple sensors for plant phenotyping and field data collection. The company offers an extensible platform that enables data-driven crop development, field scouting, and decision support to address labor shortages, weather variability, and the need to reduce chemical inputs. The platform gathers under-canopy data to support product development, crop research, and precision agriculture, helping growers obtain actionable insights, monitor weed pressures including herbicide resistance, and optimize management practices. EarthSense emphasizes a climate-smart approach by enabling more efficient use of inputs, improving soil and plant health, and facilitating scalable innovation in farming. The company is based in Champaign, Illinois.
FarmSense provides an agricultural pest monitoring platform that uses smart insect traps with optical sensors and real-time analytics. The system employs a patented algorithm to capture flying insect signals in the field, classify pests, and transmit categorized data alongside environmental information. This enables early detection and informed pest-control decisions, supporting reduced pesticide use and improved crop yields while lowering labor requirements.
Mobius develops environmental solutions that convert industrial organic waste streams into polymers and materials. The company uses lignin, a waste byproduct from the paper and biofuel industries, to produce a natural, biodegradable polymer. This bio-based polymer is intended for applications in horticulture, agriculture, and food service packaging, among others, enabling customers in forestry, paper, biofuel, and biorefining sectors to replace conventional plastics with environmentally friendly alternatives. The approach aims to reduce waste generation and support circular economy goals by turning waste streams from agriculture, forestry, and related industries into new materials and chemicals.
EarthSense develops autonomous agricultural robotics and AI software to improve farming productivity and sustainability. Its flagship TerraSentia robot is a compact, teachable platform that integrates on-board computation and multiple sensors for plant phenotyping and field data collection. The company offers an extensible platform that enables data-driven crop development, field scouting, and decision support to address labor shortages, weather variability, and the need to reduce chemical inputs. The platform gathers under-canopy data to support product development, crop research, and precision agriculture, helping growers obtain actionable insights, monitor weed pressures including herbicide resistance, and optimize management practices. EarthSense emphasizes a climate-smart approach by enabling more efficient use of inputs, improving soil and plant health, and facilitating scalable innovation in farming. The company is based in Champaign, Illinois.
BENANOVA develops safer antimicrobial products and eco-friendly materials for disinfectant, cosmetic, agricultural, and textile applications. Its Environmentally-benign Nanoparticles provide high efficacy with a degradable design, offering environmentally friendly replacements for silver nanoparticle antimicrobials and the potential to reduce chemical use in crop protection by up to 90%. The company also uses lignin-based, biodegradable materials from bio-renewable sources to support sustainable agriculture and specialty textiles, combining strong performance with reduced environmental impact.
iQBiotech provides consulting services and bio-control services. They offer farmers a systemic answer to the predominant industrial/chemical system. Their biological control products are used in agriculture and forestry, including organic systems, as one of the control strategies.
S4 Mobile Laboratories
Grant in 2020
S4 Mobile Laboratories operates mobile soil laboratories that automate real-time detection, analysis, and 3D mapping of chemical signatures underground. These labs collect data globally, offering accurate on-site analysis without the need for lab work, reducing costs and delays. Their primary goal is to enhance methods for promoting healthy soils and increasing carbon sequestration, thereby aiding in atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction. This service benefits the agricultural community by providing quick, affordable measurements of soil organic carbon.
Babylon Micro-Farms
Grant in 2020
Founded in 2017, Babylon Micro-Farms operates indoor farms for farmers to grow a variety of crops such as leafy greens, herbs, microgreens, and edible flowers. The company offers smart, scalable farming solutions tailored to clients' needs, utilizing remote management technology to power a distributed network of micro-farms across North America.
Frost Defense
Grant in 2019
FrostDefense, founded in 2018 and based in Champaign, Illinois, specializes in developing innovative frost protection solutions. The company focuses on creating environmentally friendly biofertilizers and patented sprayable compounds designed to combat early spring frost, particularly in vineyards and specialty fruit crops. By offering these frost protection products, FrostDefense aims to help vineyard owners prevent frost damage, thereby enhancing crop yield and improving labor management and mechanized farming operations.
Kingdom Supercultures
Grant in 2019
Kingdom Supercultures is a Brooklyn-based company established in 2019 that specializes in developing and producing microbial cultures for the food industry. The company focuses on reassembling nature's microbes into innovative combinations, allowing food manufacturers to create new varieties of food with enhanced benefits. Their product line includes Koji, a traditional Japanese ingredient used in miso, sake, and soy sauce, as well as microbial cultures for fermented sodas, beers, and plant-based dairy alternatives. Kingdom Supercultures employs an automated scientific platform that features a comprehensive biobank of Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) microbial strains and utilizes advanced algorithms to predict and assemble microbial communities. By providing functional ingredients and biopreservatives, the company aims to support healthy and sustainable food development across various industries, including food, beverage, personal care, and beauty.
Purdue University
Grant in 2019
Founded in 1869, Purdue University is a public land-grant research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is renowned for its programs in science, technology, engineering, and agriculture, offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degrees.
FarmSense provides an agricultural pest monitoring platform that uses smart insect traps with optical sensors and real-time analytics. The system employs a patented algorithm to capture flying insect signals in the field, classify pests, and transmit categorized data alongside environmental information. This enables early detection and informed pest-control decisions, supporting reduced pesticide use and improved crop yields while lowering labor requirements.
Oregon State University
Grant in 2019
Oregon State University, founded in 1868, serves as the state’s Land Grant university and is distinguished by its Sea Grant, Space Grant, and Sun Grant designations, making it one of only two U.S. universities to hold this combination. It is recognized for its research excellence and community engagement, holding the Carnegie Foundation's top designation for research institutions. With a diverse student body of over 26,000 from across Oregon and more than 100 countries, Oregon State offers over 200 undergraduate and 80 graduate degree programs, including more than 30 online degrees through Oregon State Ecampus. The university operates 12 colleges, 15 Agricultural Experiment Stations, and 35 county Extension offices, as well as facilities such as the Hatfield Marine Sciences Center and OSU-Cascades. Oregon State's economic impact extends across all 36 counties in Oregon, contributing $2.06 billion to the state's economy. The university is noted for its strong programs in fields including conservation biology, agricultural sciences, nuclear engineering, and pharmacy, attracting high-achieving students committed to making a positive difference in society.
The Bee Corp
Grant in 2019
The Bee Corp provides an infrared image analysis platform, Verifli, that applies data analytics to beehives to support pollination and crop yield. The platform uses infrared inspection technology to monitor the number, health, and distribution of pollinating bees, enabling growers to optimize pollination, quantify pollination value, and protect yields.
Farm Vision Technologies
Grant in 2019
Farm Vision Technologies is a startup focusing on development and commercialization of computer vision systems to enable growers of high value crops — such as fruits, berries, and nuts — to monitor the count, size and health of their plants.
NutraMaize is an Indiana-based AgBioScience company specializing in the commercialization of a non-GMO corn variety that is both more nutritious and better tasting. Its proprietary corn possesses a deep orange color due to its high carotenoid content, offering consumers potential health benefits such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
NutraMaize LLC has developed and is attempting to broadly commercialize orange-colored corn which contains higher levels of carotenoids
Purdue University
Grant in 2019
Founded in 1869, Purdue University is a public land-grant research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana. It is renowned for its programs in science, technology, engineering, and agriculture, offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degrees.
EnGeniousAg is a manufacturer specializing in the production of innovative soil and water management solutions. The company develops and deploys low-cost, field-based nutrient sensors, providing real-time, instant readout measurements to enhance agronomic management practices. By offering these technologies, EnGeniousAg aims to increase grower profitability and sustainability, while minimizing environmental impact.
AgroSpheres, LLC is a biotechnology company based in Charlottesville, Virginia, that specializes in innovative pesticide delivery technologies for the agriculture industry. Founded in 2016, AgroSpheres develops engineered bio-particles designed to deliver pesticide-degrading enzymes, which help to minimize waiting periods between pesticide application and harvest. The company employs a unique platform technology that enhances the performance of various crop protection products, including fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides. By utilizing bioengineering and industrial fermentation techniques, AgroSpheres creates biodegradable encapsulation solutions that aim to reduce harmful pesticide residues on plants, ultimately promoting healthier agricultural practices and improving the overall well-being of crops.
Babylon Micro-Farms
Grant in 2019
Founded in 2017, Babylon Micro-Farms operates indoor farms for farmers to grow a variety of crops such as leafy greens, herbs, microgreens, and edible flowers. The company offers smart, scalable farming solutions tailored to clients' needs, utilizing remote management technology to power a distributed network of micro-farms across North America.
QUANTERRA SOFTWARE
Grant in 2019
QUANTERRA SOFTWARE offers a software platform that automatically detects, locates, and counts objects on aerial imagery. The first service is COWculator, a service that automatically counts cows in aerial images obtained during a drone flyover. The 99% accuracy that we provide surpasses professional guesstimates and enables feedlot audits to dramatically reduce their outlay of time and manpower during routine audits. Our second product will be focused on ranches and pastureland, where it is extremely difficult to guesstimate the number of cows, calves and bulls on a ranch.
IntelinAir is an aerial imagery analytics company focused on agriculture, delivering actionable intelligence from aerial data to help farmers and agricultural retailers improve efficiency, yields, and profitability. The company offers a crop intelligence and analytics platform that provides whole-field views, field prioritization, and timely monitoring to support data-driven decisions all season long. Its solutions enable users to assess current conditions, protect yield potential, and identify sustainability opportunities, while hardware and software tools support precise data collection and analysis from unmanned aerial vehicles.
Integrative Economics
Grant in 2019
Integrative Economics develops instrument designs for optical insect detection in agricultural settings. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
Insight Sensing
Grant in 2019
Insight Sensing is a company that specializes in remote sensing technology for agriculture. It develops systems that provide crop performance indicators, enabling agronomists and farming businesses to effectively manage field variability. The technology delivers calibrated, timely, map-based, and actionable information, which assists in the optimal application of fertilizer. By leveraging data-driven insights, Insight Sensing aims to enhance crop management practices, ultimately helping farmers maximize their profitability.
Ecto, established in 2013 at Harvard Innovation Labs by Dmitry Kozachenok and James Webb, specializes in developing advanced technology that intersects data and biology to enhance aquaculture efficiency and sustainability globally. Headquartered in Boston with offices in Atlanta and Stavanger, Norway, the company collaborates with farmers worldwide, offering a farm management platform that integrates operational data with molecular biology. This enables real-time insights, disease detection, and prevention, ultimately streamlining production processes and creating healthier protein servings. To date, Ecto's solutions have facilitated an additional 51.5 million healthy servings of protein. The company has been backed by competitive research grants from the US National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, and Innovation Norway.
Minnowtech, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, specializes in aquaculture technology. The company offers a software imaging platform that enables shrimp farmers worldwide to estimate shrimp abundance non-invasively with precision. By utilizing artificial intelligence and image analysis, Minnowtech's solution optimizes feeding regimes, harvest times, and overall farm management, enhancing market-size shrimp production while minimizing risks to juvenile shrimp. This innovative approach addresses a critical challenge in the aquaculture industry, improving farmers' livelihoods and contributing to global food security and marine environment sustainability.
Ascribe Bioscience
Grant in 2019
Founded in 2017, Ascribe Bioscience develops innovative crop protection products. By understanding the molecular interactions between plants and microbes, they create treatments that boost crops' natural defenses against pests and fungi, enhancing productivity without harming the environment.
NanoSUR, headquartered in Miami, Florida, is a biotechnology company specializing in the development and commercialization of innovative, eco-friendly crop protection solutions. The company's core product line is based on RNA technology, aiming to minimize environmental impact while ensuring effective crop cultivation for farmers.
N-Sense develops a real-time soil nitrate sensor system attachable to farm implements. This enables farmers to accurately measure nitrates, facilitating precise application of nitrogen fertilizers, enhancing farm profitability, and reducing environmental impact from excessive fertilizer use.
IngateyGen is an agricultural biotechnology company focused on developing hypoallergenic and allergen-reduced peanuts and allergen-free peanut butter. Using proprietary technologies in genomics, proteomics, plant tissue culture, and plant propagation, the company aims to create peanut varieties and consumer products that reduce allergens and improve safety for individuals with peanut sensitivities, while pursuing scalable agricultural solutions for the food industry.
Founded in 2018, Atolla Tech specializes in developing sensor systems for efficient agricultural pest control. Its closed-loop sensor technology optimizes sprayer machine efficiency and spray patterns, enhancing crop protection and reducing unnecessary costs.
FarmSense provides an agricultural pest monitoring platform that uses smart insect traps with optical sensors and real-time analytics. The system employs a patented algorithm to capture flying insect signals in the field, classify pests, and transmit categorized data alongside environmental information. This enables early detection and informed pest-control decisions, supporting reduced pesticide use and improved crop yields while lowering labor requirements.
Agrology is an agricultural technology company that provides real-time data and predictive insights to help growers measure and improve the ecological and agronomic effects of regenerative and sustainable farming practices. The company tracks soil health, microbial activity, carbon cycles, nitrous oxide emissions, net ecosystem exchange, and microclimatic conditions to help growers link regenerative practices to verified greenhouse gas reductions and ecological benefits, support soil carbon sequestration, and generate carbon credits. Its system is designed to help farmers resist and adapt to climate change while monitoring greenhouse gases and informing sustainable farming decisions.
Fortiphyte offers agricultural protection products that help to protect crops from disease and reduce fungicide use. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Berkeley, California.
Tortuga AgTech
Grant in 2019
Tortuga AgTech specializes in agricultural automation, using robotics and AI to perform labor-intensive tasks such as harvesting. Their mission is to enhance farming methods for a healthier society and ecosystem by enabling growers to produce better, more sustainable crops.
Beta Hatch Inc. specializes in the production of insect protein primarily for animal feed and also produces nutrient-balanced fertilizers as a by-product of its operations. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Cashmere, Washington, the company focuses on farming mealworms and utilizes rearing technology that converts organic waste, such as spent brewery grains, into high-quality insect feed. In addition to animal feed, Beta Hatch explores the potential applications of insect exoskeletons in bioplastics and pharmaceuticals. With a commitment to sustainable practices, the company aims to create a zero-waste system while addressing the growing global demand for efficient agricultural solutions. Beta Hatch serves a diverse clientele, including farmers, ranchers, and researchers, leveraging its expertise in entomology to promote the use of insects as a viable commodity crop in food and fertilizer applications.
Croptix is a precision agriculture platform that enables early detection of crop diseases and nutrient deficiencies in-field. By using spectrophotometer-based technology and machine learning analytics, Croptix helps farmers identify health concerns in plants, reducing crop loss and enhancing profitability.