Connecting Innovators, Investors, Industry Professionals and Early Adopter Customers
From improvements in nutritional value, to better resource efficiency, to improved yield, to better cost controls, the agriculture industry is ripe for disruption. It’s happening already, with harvesting automation systems, sensor-based farm management tools and other advanced technologies already appearing on the modern farm. iSelect is investing in the entrepreneurs who are focused on making these innovations happen.
“Given the overall AgTech entrepreneurial activity in the region, and the large number of multinational players, the American Heartland can be a powerful influence in driving the objectives of the AgTech revolution. Taken together, these resources indicate a regional competitive advantage in AgTech, similar to what the Silicon Valley cluster has provided for the IT industry.”
“AgTech: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Growth”, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, April 2014
iSelect Portfolio Companies
iSelect focuses on early-stage food and agriculture companies that are poised to help push the next agricultural revolution forward. We deliberately invest in companies that can make a positive impact on our society, as well as on the bottom line.
Meet Our Selection Committee
Our Food and Agriculture Selection Committee consists of industry and subject matter experts who help guide iSelect’s investment decisions. With firsthand experience and a true pulse on the industry, we consider these individuals key to our success in finding and investing in food and ag innovation.
As deputy director of The Nature Conservancy’s Regenerative Grazing Lands strategy in North America, William leads on-the-ground testing and research of improved ranch management frameworks and tools, and he regularly communicates results with ranchers, land…
As the director of innovation at Beck’s Hybrids, Brad Fruth works to deliver value to the American farmer. For more than 18 years, he has dedicated his days (and nights) to delivering the successful convergence…
Cheryl Van Dyne is an experienced regulatory affairs professional with specializations in the biotech food, feed, excipient, cosmetic, chemical, and oilfield industries. After 22 years at CP Kelco as Director of Global Regulatory Affairs, Cheryl…
Renée Vassilos is The Nature Conservancy’s Director of Agriculture Innovation. She manages TNC’s investments in innovative companies that will help scale regenerative agriculture production practices. Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy, Renée spent nearly a…
Bill Northcott is the Chief Innovation Officer at Agrible. He works on developing and researching the science and feasibility of new products. Bill is a sixth generation farmer and currently manages a 500 acre corn/soybean…
Chris Harbourt, Ph.D., co-founder of Agrible, Inc., is a world-class scientist and engineer with an eye on innovation and growth. Chris brings over 25 years of agricultural experience to Agrible and is heavily involved in…
Mr. Tom Willis serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Conestoga Energy Partners LLC. Mr. Willis is responsible for all aspects of the business. He joined Conestoga in November 2006. He possesses widespread knowledge in…
Todd is a recognized expert in functional genomics, bioinformatics, and plant systems biology, and is focused on accelerating discovery and development by more accurately predicting plant performance. He has built capabilities and toolsets that manipulate…
Tim is Vice President of G.M. Lawerence and Company, with a demonstrated history of working in the farming industry. He is skilled in management, agricultural production, precision agriculture, agribusiness, and strategic planning. Tim graduated with…
Mr. Steve Barr is a Co-Founder of Osborn & Barr Communications, Inc. and served as its Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Barr has more than 35 years of marketing and communications planning experience. He is a…
Dr. DiNicola has over 20 years of experience in the agri-food industry and a decade of experience in sustainability and agriculture development. Through DiNicola LLC, she consults for established and emerging companies and public institutions…
Kevin has over 20 years experience in the grain and livestock industry. He is the publisher of The Van Trump Report, a daily agricultural newsletter that contains some of the best and most comprehensive agricultural…
Eric is the Chief Executive at Pipeline Foods. Eric started his career at The Pillsbury Company where he received his classic commodity merchandising training and became the Manager of Market Development for their Speciality Commodities…
Dr. Bruce German is a Professor and Chemist of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis and researches the role of fats and other components in the diet. He develops ways to…
Andy Daniels is a seasoned business executive and successful entrepreneur, an active angel investor, and serves on multiple governing boards with companies in the areas of venture capital, wealth management, agriculture, healthcare, technology innovation, commodity…
Rachel is a Senior Associate at The Context Network, a business management and strategy consulting firm providing services to the world’s leading agriculture, biotechnology and food companies. She was previously an International Sales & Project…
The founding president of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri where he served as Emeritus President and Director for 10 years. Roger is currently Executive Director at World Food Center at University of California,…
Tom Adamitis is Managing Director at Yield Lab. He formerly served as the Global Vice President of Raw Materials and Energy Procurement for Anheuser-Busch InBev, one of the world’s largest consumer product companies. He supported…
Chris is the president of Eckert’s Inc., a family farm in southern Illinois. The Eckert’s farm has been in the family for seven generations. They farm 600 acres of fruit and vegetable crops as well…
Before joining OTMIR in 2016, Brian Buntaine worked for more than 15 years in the life sciences industry. He began his career as a lab manager at Washington University in St. Louis. In 2003, Brian joined…
Dr. Brendan A. Niemira is the Research Leader of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Intervention Technologies Research Unit. He leads a team of 30+ scientists, engineers, technicians, postdocs and students in Wyndmoor,…
Dr. Bob Whitaker joined Produce Marketing Association (PMA) in 2008 as Chief Science & Technology Officer, responsible for food safety, technology, supply chain management and sustainability. Bob has served on the Center for Produce Safety…
Berwick Settle is a Dairy Farm Management Specialist, managing a large scale dairy operation in Beijing, China.
Barry Goldman is the Vice President and Head of Discovery at Indigo. Using novel computational, sequencing and laboratory technologies, he is responsible for identifying the microbes that enable Indigo’s first generation of products. Barry brings more than…
Glenn Swanson serves as the President of Daniels Trading. He brings a well-rounded commodity and foreign exchange background to the firm’s day-to-day operations. Glenn has an in-depth knowledge of trading technology and the order execution…
Braden Hudye is a managing partner of The Hudye Group, a 3rd generation family owned company involved in Agriculture, Commercial Real Estate, Multi Family Residential Real Estate, Development Property, as well as other equity investments…
Ron is a biotech consultant primarily focused on agricultural biotechnology with knowledge of pharmaceutical product development. He has extensive, successful experience in product characterization of products improved through modern biotechnology Able to provide guidance at any level…
Join Our Food & Agriculture Innovation Network.
Join the over 9,000 entrepreneurs, investors, and industry professionals driving the future of food and agriculture.
Resources and News
Envisioning a future where food is synonymous with health, fostering longevity, productivity, and societal well-being
If you missed Carter’s testimony at the Senate hearing, “Feeding a Healthier America: Current Efforts and Potential Opportunities for Food is Medicine,” the replay is available here. The hearing emphasized the importance of nutrition to reducing healthcare costs and...
iSelect: Pioneering the Future of Food, Health, and Technology
At iSelect, we recognized early on the impending crisis of diabetes, obesity, and rising healthcare costs, identifying poor nutrition as a core culprit. Since 2014, our mission has been clear: to leverage innovation in agriculture and health technology to address...
Food is Health Thesis
What is the difference between Food is Health vs. Food is Medicine? A lot. Food is Health is about avoiding medicine. It's about what we need from the food system to be healthy without seeing the doctor. For 400k years, food nourished us to be healthy and strong. Now...
Why We Invested: Agriwebb
We think there’s a huge amount of opportunity for them to use their growing global network in this growing digital verification set to drive livestock production to meet the needs of the future, where animal protein production will continue to be a part of the food system but do so more sustainably and more ethically.
Feeding 10 Billion: What Has To Change?
10 Billion by 2050 The world’s population is rapidly increasing, and many experts and analysts are pointing out that we may not be able to feed the world’s population in several decades. According to the U.N., the world’s population will reach 9.8 billion by 2050....
Bond Pet Foods: Precision Fermentation of Alt Protein
There’s been increasing conversation in the food world about non-animal-sourced meat products. People are beginning to use alternative proteins for various applications, from hamburger substitutes to high-class cuisine. But that’s not all that non-animal-based meat is...
War in Ukraine: How AgTech Innovation Combats Global Food Security Challenges
Agricultural innovation plays a critical role in maintaining food security and improving the well-being of people across the globe. As the world population is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, food needs will escalate further. However, agricultural production...
How Ag Companies are Impacting Carbon Capture Efforts
As more and more efforts are directed towards challenging climate change worldwide, companies at home in the U.S. are doing their part to direct the power of entrepreneurial farmers towards the problem. Companies like Indigo Ag are investing millions of dollars to...
What the Food System Needs Now? A Real Connection Between Capital and the Farm
The trick with technology is less about technology and more about adoption. When I was a young engineer at McDonnell Douglas, we developed the first bunker buster bomb in 30 days, taking a cannon barrel, turning it down and building this new design back in ‘91, a...
Investment Roadmap: What We Target and Avoid
Harnessing the Force of Creative Destruction: A Thesis in "Food is Health" We believe in the power of innovation to make it better. Our investment focus is on the key lever points where a specific innovation drives consumer adoption, lowers cost, and drives...
The Mississippi River is Drying up, and That Should Concern Us All
I love rivers. I grew up in Louisiana on the Mississippi River. Our cotton fields bordered the levee. When I was working in those fields I would always eat my lunch on the levee so I could watch the massive river rolling by peacefully. This week I have friends posting...
A Look Inside the Future of Carbon MRV in Agriculture
As the world strives for net-zero carbon emissions as a global society, the agriculture industry has been marked as a key sector for improvement. All of the decisions we make as a culture about our food choices and how we choose to grow our food impact our ecosystem...