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The Yield Lab

North America, Missouri, United States, St Louis

Description

The Yield Lab is a prominent global AgTech accelerator and venture capital fund, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Established in 2014, the firm is dedicated to fostering innovation across the AgriFood Tech sector, with a specific focus on areas such as crop science, animal health, digital agriculture, sustainable food systems, and supply chain logistics. Their investment philosophy centers on identifying and nurturing early-stage companies, typically from seed to Series A, that are developing groundbreaking technologies to address critical challenges in agriculture and food production.

The Yield Lab operates through a unique model that combines an accelerator program with direct venture capital investments. This approach provides portfolio companies with not only crucial seed capital but also extensive mentorship, strategic guidance, and access to a vast network of industry experts, corporate partners, and follow-on investors. The firm has a strong global footprint, with distinct regional funds and accelerator programs in North America, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, enabling them to support localized innovation while leveraging a global perspective on agricultural trends and technologies.

The typical initial investment from The Yield Lab's North America program is around $100,000, often provided as part of their structured accelerator cohorts. However, the firm's investment capacity extends beyond this initial cheque. They actively participate in follow-on rounds, and some of their newer regional funds, such as Yield Lab Latam II, are structured to make initial investments of up to $250,000, reflecting their commitment to supporting companies through various growth stages. As of late 2023, The Yield Lab had invested in over 150 companies globally, demonstrating their significant impact and reach within the AgTech ecosystem. Their strategic capital and hands-on support aim to accelerate the commercialization of sustainable and impactful agricultural technologies worldwide.

Investor Profile

The Yield Lab has backed more than 57 startups, with 1 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 23 rounds, about 40% of its total and boasts 3 exits across its portfolio.

Investment Focus Highlights

  • Concentrates on Seed, Series A, Convertible Note rounds (top funding stages).
  • Majority of deals are located in United States, Argentina, Brazil.
  • Strong thematic focus on Agriculture, Biotechnology, AgTech.
  • Led 1 rounds in the past year.
  • Typical check size: $100K – $250K.

Stage Focus

  • Seed (60%)
  • Series A (18%)
  • Convertible Note (7%)
  • Series B (5%)
  • Series Unknown (4%)
  • Pre Seed (4%)
  • Series D (2%)
  • Angel (2%)

Country Focus

  • United States (67%)
  • Argentina (11%)
  • Brazil (7%)
  • Ireland (4%)
  • Chile (4%)
  • Canada (2%)
  • Mexico (2%)
  • United Kingdom (2%)
  • Denmark (2%)
  • The Netherlands (2%)

Industry Focus

  • Agriculture
  • Biotechnology
  • Agtech
  • Farming
  • Sustainability
  • Food Processing
  • Software
  • Cleantech
  • Nutrition
  • Analytics
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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn who this investor regularly partners with—both firms and angels—and explore their latest activity.

Who does The Yield Lab frequently co-invest with?

EP
North America, Wisconsin, United States, Cottage Grove
Co-Investments: 2
St. Louis Arch Angels
North America, Missouri, United States, St Louis
Co-Investments: 6
Techstars
North America, Colorado, United States, Boulder
Co-Investments: 3
SOSV
North America, New Jersey, United States, Princeton
Co-Investments: 4
MT
North America, Missouri, United States, Jefferson City
Co-Investments: 6
Cultivation Capital
North America, Missouri, United States, St Louis
Co-Investments: 8
The Yield Lab LATAM
South America, Distrito Federal, Argentina, Buenos Aires
Co-Investments: 7
BioGenerator
North America, Missouri, United States, St Louis
Co-Investments: 8
Fulcrum Global Capital
North America, Kansas, United States, Mound City
Co-Investments: 3
GLOCAL
South America, Santa Fe, Argentina, Rosario
Co-Investments: 3

Which angels does The Yield Lab often collaborate with?

HF
North America, New York, United States, New York
Shared Deals: 1
Tomás Peña
South America, Argentina
Shared Deals: 1
Mark Macleod
North America, Ontario, Canada, Toronto
Shared Deals: 1
MR
North America, Missouri, United States, St Louis
Shared Deals: 1
PG
North America, Ontario, Canada
Shared Deals: 1
JG
North America, Ontario, Canada
Shared Deals: 1
Shared Deals: 1
JF
North America, California, United States, San Diego
Shared Deals: 1
Laura Lukasik
South America, Argentina
Shared Deals: 1

What are some of recent deals done by The Yield Lab?

Proba

Amstelveen, Noord-Holland, The Netherlands

Proba is simplifying supply chain decarbonisation by turning climate actions into tradable carbon certificates.

Environmental Consulting
SeedFeb 13, 2025
Amount Raised: $1,041,361
Sundew

Copenhagen, Hovedstaden, Denmark

Sundew is a biotechnology company that provides biological services for the treatment of aquatic pests and diseases.

AgricultureAquacultureBiotechnology
Series BApr 30, 2024
Spotta

Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom

Spotta is the creator of an ultra-low-power insect monitoring sensor meant to identify bed bug infestations.

HospitalityHousekeeping ServicePet
Series ADec 15, 2023
Amount Raised: $3,807,000
NanobOx

Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Novel nanobubble generation technology enables ultra-low energy cost water aeration with nanobubbles.

Machinery Manufacturing
SeedOct 6, 2023
Amount Raised: $953,440
Seedz

Minas Gerais, Acre, Brazil

Seedz develops solutions that boost the gains of companies and rural producers.

AgricultureInformation ServicesInformation TechnologyMarketing
Series ADec 9, 2022
Amount Raised: $16,500,000
Pure Ocean Algae

Cork, Cork, Ireland

Pure Ocean Algae is a biotechnology company that integrates value chains from macro-algae and other marine resources.

BiotechnologyLife ScienceMarine Technology
SeedAug 23, 2022
Amount Raised: $1,494,990
Ascribe Bioscience

Ithaca, New York, United States

Ascribe Bioscience develops products that enable farmers to combat crop pathogens without negative impacts on the environment.

AgricultureAgTechBiotechnologyFarming
SeedAug 3, 2022
Amount Raised: $3,184,996
Agroforte

São Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Agroforte is a digital credit service that came to help rural producers.

Financial Services
SeedFeb 2, 2022
Amount Raised: $1,140,013
Nanoguard Technologies

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States

NanoGuard prevents waste and protects health by eradicating harmful pathogens anywhere they pose a threat.

BiotechnologyFood ProcessingNanotechnologyOrganicSustainability
Series UnknownNov 29, 2021
Amount Raised: $3,249,995
Plastomics

St Louis, Missouri, United States

Plastomics develops a new and better way to make the next generation of biotech crops using chloroplast engineering.

AgricultureBiotechnologyEnvironmental ConsultingFarming
Series ANov 16, 2021
Amount Raised: $7,100,000