The Ag Startup Engine believes there are two fundamental categories that need to be more robust in the State of Iowa for startups to become more successful:
*Organized mentorship from successful entrepreneurs and business professionals
*Early seed round investment ($25,000-$50,000)
*Organized mentorship from successful entrepreneurs and business professionals
*Early seed round investment ($25,000-$50,000)
Location: United States, Iowa, Ames
Employees: 1-10
Founded date: 2015
Investment Type: Venture Capital
Portfolio 2
| Date | Name | Website | Total Raised | Location |
| 27.08.2026 | TerraBlast... | terrablaster.com | $12.5M | United Sta... |
| 29.07.2026 | Quercus | quercusbio.com | $5M | United Sta... |
Mentions in press and media 22
| Date | Title | Description |
| 31.08.2026 | TerraBlaster Secures $12.5M: Real-Time Soil Intelligence Redefines Precision Ag | TerraBlaster, a Redwood City agtech firm, secured $12.5 million in seed funding. This crucial capital pushes total investment to $16.5 million. The company's advanced IoT soil-nutrition monitoring system utilizes Mars rover-derived Laser-In... |
| 27.08.2026 | TerraBlaster Raises $12.5M in Seed Funding | TerraBlaster, a Redwood City, CA-based developer of agricultural hardware and soil-nutrition sensors, raised $12.5m in seed funding. The round was led by Ulu Ventures, with participation from Khosla Ventures, Trailhead Capital, Builders Vis... |
| 25.08.2026 | TerraBlaster raises $12.5m for real time NPK soil mapping at tractor speed | TerraBlaster—a startup using tech first deployed on the Mars rover to determine levels of key nutrients in the soil—has raised a $12.5 million seed round as it gears up for commercial operations in 2027. The round, which takes the firm’s cu... |
| 05.08.2026 | AgTech Innovator Quercus Biosolutions Secures $5M Seed Round for AI-Driven Crop Protection | Quercus Biosolutions landed $5 million in seed funding. The ag biotech innovator leverages generative AI. It designs a new class of mini-proteins for crop protection. This technology precisely targets resistant weeds and agricultural pests.... |
| 03.08.2026 | Quercus Biosolutions Closes $5M Seed Financing | Quercus Biosolutions, a Madison, WI and St. Louis, MO-based agricultural biotechnology company using generative AI to build a new class of crop protection compounds, raised $5M in Seed financing. The round was led by Serra Ventures with par... |
| 29.07.2026 | Exclusive: Quercus Biosolutions closes $5m seed round to target resistant weeds with designer proteins | Quercus Biosolutions, an ag biotech startup using AI to create a new category of crop protection products based on designer mini proteins, has raised an oversubscribed $5 million seed round led by Serra Ventures. Other backers include Stars... |
| 29.04.2026 | Fermeate: $2 Million Raised To Scale Optogenetic Control Platform For Industrial Fermentation | Fermeate, an industrial biotechnology company using light to improve precision fermentation, has raised $2 million in a seed round led by Newfund Capital, with participation from SOSV, Ajinomoto Group Ventures, Ki Tua Fund, Heuristic Capita... |
| 27.04.2026 | Fermeate raises $2m to deliver “step change” in precision fermentation economics with optogenetics | Fermeate—a California-based startup using light to turbocharge cell productivity in biomanufacturing—has closed a $2 million seed round led by Newfund Capital. The round—which was also backed by SOSV, Ajinomoto Group Ventures, Ki Tua Fund, ... |
| 25.08.2022 | The world comes to Iowa to connect, learn and innovate | This sponsored article has been published in partnership with America’s Cultivation Corridor. As thousands of farmers and ag industry professionals descend on Boone, Iowa, for the 2022 Farm Progress Show, Iowa’s leadership in the ag industr... |
| 21.07.2022 | What Iowa can teach the world about pork production, research and innovation | This sponsored article has been published in partnership with America’s Cultivation Corridor. Iowa’s top ranking spot and leadership in research, development and innovation are moving the global pork industry forward. “Iowa is our nation’s ... |
Show more