Serra Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm investing in technology companies in emerging Midwest technology centers and selected other geographies. Sectors we focus on include information technology, devices/instrumentation and agricultural technologies.
The profile of our ideal startup is one that has just finished an accelerator program, an I-Corps program or has been through a round of seed funding to establish and prove a strong product-market fit. We fund startups with the following characteristics:
- Teams that have strong industry and/or technical experience.
- A capital efficient business model.
- Demonstrated product-market fit.
- Referenceable customer base.
- Strong patent or technology advantage.
We are headquartered in the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign, Illinois. Champaign’s central Midwest location enables us to act local in several Midwest markets. Entrepreneurs know that critical business issues requiring advice are rarely scheduled. Our central location means we can work hands-on with our entrepreneurs at a moment’s notice when they need us the most.
The profile of our ideal startup is one that has just finished an accelerator program, an I-Corps program or has been through a round of seed funding to establish and prove a strong product-market fit. We fund startups with the following characteristics:
- Teams that have strong industry and/or technical experience.
- A capital efficient business model.
- Demonstrated product-market fit.
- Referenceable customer base.
- Strong patent or technology advantage.
We are headquartered in the University of Illinois Research Park in Champaign, Illinois. Champaign’s central Midwest location enables us to act local in several Midwest markets. Entrepreneurs know that critical business issues requiring advice are rarely scheduled. Our central location means we can work hands-on with our entrepreneurs at a moment’s notice when they need us the most.
Location: United States, Illinois, Champaign
Employees: 1-10
Phone:+1 217-819-5200
Investment Type: Venture Capital; Accelerator
Investment Stage: Pre-Seed; Seed; Series A
Portfolio 5
| Date | Name | Website | Total Raised | Location |
| 29.07.2026 | Quercus | quercusbio.com | $5M | United Sta... |
| 10.06.2026 | SWARM Engi... | swarm.engineering | $12.7M | United Sta... |
| 07.08.2025 | FloVision ... | flovisionsolutions.com | $8.7M | United Sta... |
| 24.02.2022 | FoodMaven | foodmaven.com | $37.4M | United Sta... |
| 16.09.2019 | VeriSIM Li... | verisimlife.com | $20.2M | - |
Mentions in press and media 28
| Date | Title | Description |
| 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... |
| 16.06.2026 | SWARM Engineering Secures $10M: AI Transforms Agrifood, Manufacturing Operations | SWARM Engineering secured $10M in Series A funding. S2G Investments and AgRogue Growth Partners led the round. The company develops AI-driven decision intelligence for agrifood and manufacturing. Funds will expand its operational AI roadmap... |
| 10.06.2026 | SWARM Engineering Raises $10 Million Series A To Transform Operational Decisions With AI | SWARM Engineering announced that it has raised $10 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round led by S2G Investments and AgRogue Growth Partners. Additional investors participating in the round included Radicle Growth, Grit Road Pa... |
| 10.06.2026 | SWARM Engineering Raises $10M in Series A Funding | SWARM Engineering, an Irvine, CA-based decision intelligence company for agrifood and manufacturing, raised $10M in Series A funding. The round was led by S2G Investments and AgRogue Growth Partners, with participation from Radicle Growth, ... |
| 29.04.2026 | CamoAg reaches profitability with ag sales intel platform as Corbett Kull builds LinkedIn for farming | “Everybody selling and marketing to farmers suffers from the same problem,” says CamoAg founder Corbett Kull. In short, he says, sales and marketing teams lack a centralized, reliable source of farm-level intelligence. “There’s no LinkedIn ... |
| 09.02.2026 | What is the Wisconsin Investment Fund? | Any gathering of Wisconsin-based founders and funders will often lead to a discussion about the lack of venture capital in the Badger state. Data from the National Venture Capital Association supports this lament. In the years 2020-2024, 45... |
| 07.08.2025 | FloVision Solutions: $8.7 Million Series A Raised For Bringing AI To Food Production Facilities | FloVision Solutions, an AI startup specializing in yield and quality analytics for protein production, has secured $8.7 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Insight Partners, with participation from Serra Ventures, SOSV, and Ro... |
| 03.02.2025 | With a fresh $15m, Bonsai Robotics stresses the need for ‘an AI first approach’ to on-farm autonomy | Farm machinery design has always centered on the needs of humans, but the growing presence of autonomy in agriculture could change this, suggests Tyler Niday, cofounder and CEO of US-based Bonsai Robotics. “With autonomy, you can reimagine ... |
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