
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.
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“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.

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…

Alex is the Co-founder of Geltor and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Prior to co-founding Geltor, Alex obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, where his research led him to launch the…

Charles R. (Chas) Eggert is leveraging his extensive experience in the global specialty chemicals and food ingredients industries as well as private equity investing in his role as an operating partner with iSelect Fund. He…

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…
Engage With Our Food and Ag Network

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

Bonumose: Creating Healthy, Affordable Sugars From Agriculture Waste Products
The modern world has a serious problem with sugar. As of 2015, the average American consumes more than 129 pounds of sugar each year, according to the USDA, more than double what we ate two generations ago. And, unlike in previous decades when most sweeteners came from cane and beet sugars, today the vast majority are derived from high-fructose corn syrup, which brings with it unique new health risks.

Agrible: Helping CPGs Leverage Farm-Level Predictive Analytics
Supply chain management for the agriculture industry is a tricky thing. First of all, the industry itself is sprawling and opaque. It all starts with farmers in the field, but as soon as those crops are harvested they move on to distribution, processing, packaging...

AB InBev iSelect portfolio company Agrible partner on Barley
Champaign, Ill., Sept. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) and Agrible, Inc. today announce a global partnership to improve barley production while minimizing environmental impact. The two companies are joining forces to help farmers around...

10+ Questions Facing Agriculture and Where to Find the Answers
The agriculture industry is facing a series of intertwined, complex issues over the next several decades. Conventional wisdom suggests that we face a critical supply shortage driven by four key questions: Can we produce enough food? The world’s population will...

iSelect and Agriculture: Why We’re Investing
So we're focused on four sectors: agriculture, healthcare, energy, and technology. We've picked those four because we really do think that they have the ability to be game-changing globally for the world. If we look at agriculture, we are at one of the most complex...

Dr. Todd Mockler on Plant Science, Genomics, and the Future of Food
Dr. Todd Mockler is one of the world's leading experts on plant genetics and has dedicated his career to better understanding how the genetic code of different types of plants impacts their behavior and responses. As a member and principal...

ProteoSense: Do You Really Know What’s in Your Food?
Food safety represents a major new front in consumer safety and public health. The risk of foodborne illness isn’t just for the history books, and thanks to recent cases such as those that struck national brands like Chipotle, Chi-Chi’s, Peter Pan Peanut Butter and...

Benson Hill Biosystems Raises $25m Series B, Reveals CRISPR 2.0
Benson Hill Biosystems has identified a more precise and efficient gene-editing tool than CRISPR Cas-9, according to Matt Crisp, CEO. Source: BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Benson Hill Biosystems Raises $25m Series B, Reveals CRISPR 2.0 - AgFunderNews

Meet the Companies That Are Revolutionizing Organics
The market for organics is changing, fast. According to a new report published this week in The Wall Street Journal, sales of organic crops are soaring, but the prices paid for those products are dropping steadily due to increased imports and new competition in the...

Holganix for Property Managers: Stronger Turf, Better Profits
Green, LEED, and environmental sustainability are all becoming increasingly important to tenants and customers. Simultaneously, how a property looks, from the grass to the ornamental plants, also carries weight in the leasing decision. But, landscaping is a cost...

Benson Hill Biosystems and the Changing Face of Agriculture Technology
The global population is booming, diets are shifting and urbanization is rising. Never has so much been asked of agriculture to meet the needs of our society. Never have the external risks to agriculture advancement been greater, whether from changing climate, limited...

Holganix: Probiotics Are Changing Agriculture In a Big Way
It’s often the smallest things that make the biggest differences in our lives. Consider probiotics, for instance. Probiotics are living organisms—typically bacteria, yeasts and other microorganisms—that work in partnership with the human body to improve our health....