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| Yield Lab | |
|---|---|
| Name | Yield Lab |
| Type | Private accelerator and venture fund |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | Tom Vilsack |
| Headquarters | St. Louis |
| Industry | AgriTech, Agrifood |
Yield Lab
The Yield Lab is an agritech accelerator and venture fund that invests in startups across agriculture-related technologies, including precision agriculture, biotechnology, food technology, remote sensing, and supply chain innovation. Founded in the mid-2010s, the organization operates regional programs and venture funds that work with startups, universities, and corporate partners to scale technologies addressing climate change, food security, and sustainability challenges. Its network includes connections to leading research institutions, multinational corporations, and government agencies active in agricultural development.
The organization was established in 2014 with an initial focus on accelerating early-stage companies emerging from research centers such as University of California, Davis, Cornell University, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Early milestones included partnerships with regional innovation hubs in Missouri, Ireland, and Chile, and the launch of seed-stage funds tapping capital from institutional investors like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-aligned programs, corporate venture arms of Cargill, and agricultural cooperatives. Over time the group expanded internationally, opening offices or programs in regions linked to major commodity markets including Brazil, Australia, and Canada. The accelerator model evolved alongside trends set by accelerators like Y Combinator and funds managed by firms such as Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz.
The stated mission emphasizes accelerating commercialization of technologies that increase productivity and resilience across crop and livestock systems while reducing environmental impact. The operating model combines cohort-based acceleration—similar to programs run by Techstars and Plug and Play Tech Center—with venture capital investment strategies used by firms such as Kleiner Perkins and Bessemer Venture Partners. Core activities include due diligence with partners at research universities like Iowa State University and Purdue University, mentorship from corporate venture teams at John Deere and Bayer, and technical validation in collaboration with agricultural experiment stations like USDA Agricultural Research Service facilities. Capital deployment leverages limited partners that include family offices, impact investors, and regional development agencies.
Portfolio companies span categories including seed genetics, microbiome products, robotics for harvesting, drone-based analytics, and food processing innovations. Notable investments have been made into startups working on genome editing platforms that intersect with regulatory frameworks such as those shaped by the Food and Drug Administration and European Food Safety Authority, as well as hardware companies partnering with manufacturers like AGCO and CNH Industrial. Portfolio follow-on rounds have involved participation by corporate strategic investors like Syngenta Ventures and institutional venture funds such as Temasek-backed vehicles. Exits have occurred via acquisitions by multinational firms and cross-border mergers involving companies headquartered in hubs like Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, and Dublin.
Programs operate on a cohort basis with curriculum elements derived from models used by MassChallenge and Start-Up Chile, incorporating mentorship from entrepreneurs who built companies at Indigo Agriculture, Apeel Sciences, and Impossible Foods. Curriculum topics include regulatory strategy in jurisdictions influenced by European Commission policy, go-to-market frameworks for working with input suppliers like Bayer and distributors like Archer Daniels Midland Company, and pilot deployments on commercial farms tied to networks such as Land O'Lakes and Rabobank client lists. Regional programs collaborate with innovation agencies including Enterprise Ireland and provincial entities in Ontario.
The organization reports metrics analogous to those used by impact investors such as Acumen and Root Capital: capital deployed, follow-on funding, job creation, and emissions reductions estimated from pilot projects. Impact assessments have involved life-cycle analysis methods taught at institutions like Stanford University and MIT, and modeling tools employed by organizations like the World Resources Institute. Reported outcomes include metrics on hectares impacted, yield improvements in partnership trials with university extension services at Kansas State University, and reductions in chemical inputs during field demonstrations conducted with partners in Argentina and New Zealand.
Collaborations include strategic alliances with multinational agribusinesses such as Cargill and Bayer, academic partnerships with land-grant universities including University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Texas A&M University, and joint programs with regional economic development agencies like Enterprise Ireland and St. Louis Economic Development Partnership. The group has worked alongside philanthropic initiatives run by organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and foundations funding agricultural innovation in sub-Saharan Africa through entities like AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa). Corporate partnership models mirror those used by innovation programs at Microsoft for Startups and Google for Startups.
Governance structures include a board composed of venture investors, former executives from firms like John Deere and Cargill, and academics drawn from institutions such as Iowa State University and University of California, Berkeley. Funding sources combine commitments from limited partners including family offices, impact funds, corporate venture arms affiliated with multinationals like BASF and Syngenta, and grant support from agencies modeled on USAID and regional development banks. Compliance and investment committee practices are informed by standards used by institutional investors such as Harvard Management Company and University of California Office of the President endowment governance.
Category:Agritech accelerators