News
Funding rounds, new investments and milestones going back to 2008. This page opens on our ag work and firm news — use the tags to reach the rest of the archive.
Showing 35 of 137 · AgTech/FarmTech + Innova News
SwineTech has grown to 35 employees on the back of new PigFlow adoption, expansion into gilt development management, and AI agents for pork producers. Hiring is focused on customer success roles with hands-on swine production experience.
AGRITX, a pioneer in livestock wellness and sustainability, today announced plans to accelerate the production, distribution, and marketing of its flagship product, AGRITX F-65, throughout 2026.
Insignum engineers crops to signal stress visually — its first trait turns corn purple at infection sites a week or more before symptoms appear. The round funds the first trait through its commercial pipeline and work on a disease-signaling trait for canola. Elevate Ventures, Purdue Strategic Ventures and FFA Ventures joined.
SwineTech placed 247th on Inc. magazine's 2025 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Its PigFlow software brings point-of-care methods from healthcare into the barn, helping producers standardize animal care.
Rantizo's drone spraying services business was acquired by an investment group with aerial application experience, and continues under the Rantizo brand. The parent company rebranded as American Autonomy, Inc. to focus on software — its AcreConnect platform handles flight logs, application maps, billing and FAA reporting for drone operators.
Grain Weevil opened pre-orders on its first production robot at $15,500, limited to 250 units across the Midwest. The company holds two patents with 17 more pending, and is completing dust-explosion safety certification — a standard written for handheld devices, not robots.
AGCO Ventures, the equipment manufacturer's newly formed corporate venture arm, made its first investment in Innova's Ag Innovation Fund VI. AGCO cited access to early-stage work on automation, digitization and sustainable farming as the driver.
HerdDogg Inc., the leader in data-driven livestock management, announced today the closure of its Series A-4 Preferred Equity financing, securing a significant investment to accelerate commercialization and fuel innovative hardware and data solutions for the…
Innova Memphis, Inc., a leading investor in early-stage FarmTech companies, today announced its participation in the latest funding round for Soiltech Wireless, Inc., a company developing next-generation wireless sensor technology to empower farmers and…
Innova Memphis leads $2.8m round for iYOTAH to tackle the dairy sector’s massive data problem Jennifer Marston VC firm Innova Memphis has expanded its livestock-tech roster with the…
Spray drone services provider Rantizo has raised a $6 million expansion of its series A round (adding to the $7.5 million announced in 2020) led by Leaps by Bayer, and supported by Fulcrum…
Innova's sixth fund reached a $40M first close, taking capital under management past $100M. Backed largely by Farm Credit institutions representing more than 300,000 farmers, it invests at pre-seed, seed and early stage under the USDA's Rural Business Investment Program.
Drone services company Rantizo Inc. has announced a new offering available to DJI spray drone users. Regardless of whether users are working with Rantizo, tailored support packages are now available to every pilot — without needing additional hardware.
CBJ News StaffDecember 13, 2022 SwineTech, a farm management company based in Solon that helps pork producers ensure transparent, individualized care for pigs, has received a strategic minority investment from Pig Improvement Company (PIC).
An Aurora, Neb. company’s robotic invention that preserves the quality of stored grain – while eliminating the danger inherent when farmers and others must work inside a grain bin – is gaining recognition and securing federal and state funding for research…
US-based data company Tractor Zoom has secured $5 million in Series A funding for its digital marketplace that streamlines the equipment-procurement process for farmers and vendors.
Designation allows launch of carbon credit listing on Puro.Earth exchange April 19, 2022 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time OLIVE BRANCH, Miss.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Glanris has announced that its Biocarbon™ filtration biochar has been proclaimed net CO2…
Engine, in the Iowa State University (ISU) Research Park, has announced an initial investment in Herman, Nebraska-based Birds Eye Robotics.
Sarah Bellos, Stony Creek Colors Inc. CEO and founder CREDIT: ALYSSE GAFKJEN Join Sourcing Journal on March 13th HKT for Sourcing Summit Hong Kong for discussions on mending relationships…
City agriculture startup that uses drones to seed cover crops and apply herbicides and pesticides, among other applications, says it’s received $7.5 million in investment to expand.
10 VC deals you might have missed in 2020 By Priyamvada Mathur Many thought the COVID-19 outbreak and the economic volatility that resulted would put a damper on venture capital investing…
Since announcing a $31 million Ag Innovation Fund in 2017, Innova Memphis has invested in four Iowa companies. (Photo courtesy of pexels).
October 23, 2018 News, Tech SwineTech raises $1.5 million Photo courtesy of SwineTech.
SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 KEITH LORIA Tractor Zoom, a Des Moines, Iowa-based online marketplace that connects farm equipment auctioneers and buyers, has completed a $1 million seed investment…
JULY 18, 2018 LOUISA BURWOOD-TAYLOR HerdDogg, a US startup developing an IoT product for livestock farmers, has raised $2.3 million in seed funding.
Jul 18, 2018, 02:56am 6,358 views #StartupLife The most important factor in a successful funding round and a prosperous investor relationship is knowing who to present your pitch deck to…
Central’s Most Active Investors Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama are home to another set of interesting investors, albeit ones that are generally less active than their…
Innova Memphis, an early-stage venture capital firm, has announced the close of its latest fund, Innova Ag Innovation Fund IV.
EPIcenter, the collaborative hub of the Memphis entrepreneurship movement, Start Co., accelerator programming expert and member of the Global Accelerator Network, and Memphis Bioworks, the region’s go-to organization for creating companies, jobs and…
Tom Vilsack today announced the launch of two new private funds, known as Rural Business Investment Companies (RBICs), which make equity investments in rural businesses, helping them grow and create jobs.
Start Co. has a new partner that’s bringing new funding with them to bolster the venture development organization’s efforts. As a result of a partnership betweenStart Co.
Innova Memphis is pleased to announce the first closing of its third venture capital partnership, Innova Fund III, L.P., with $20 million in capital commitments.
Week, that annual celebration of entrepreneurship started by the Kauffman Foundation, is a perfect time to recognize the exciting things happening for startup businesses in Memphis.
All four of the Memphis companies presenting at the first Demo Day for The Tenn were selected to participate in the state’s first official small business accelerator.
Innova partner Jan Bouten was invited to write an entry for WSJ.com's blog series The Accelerators. We wrapped up a great year here in Memphis when it comes to accelerated startups.