News

Kenneth Eversole holds a bit of a rare perspective when it comes to artificial intelligence. The CEO and co-founder of OpsCompanion, a St. Louis-based AI-focused startup, doesn’t parrot the same unrelenting hype about the technology that leaders of big and small companies alike have been trumpeting in recent years. The company has raised over half a million dollars from notable investors including Cultivation Capital, Missouri Technology Corporation, Move Ventures Capital, and the chief technology officer of Cloudflare…

We’re proud to celebrate the 2026 honorees who represent the best this industry has to offer. From top lenders and executives to innovators reshaping the home buying experience, these are the professionals setting the standard for everyone else. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners. Your work matters more than you know…

Join the regional agtech ecosystem for a one-day celebration of innovation, connection, and discovery. This is not a conference where you sit through presentations and leave with a tote bag. The Plant Science Family Reunion is designed to create the conversations that lead to new ideas, partnerships, jobs, and collaborations. Come to learn what is happening across the ecosystem, meet the people driving it forward, and leave with connections that can shape what comes next…

Cultivation Capital is one of the most active venture capital firms that invests in Missouri-based startups. Headquartered in St. Louis, Cultivation Capital has invested in more than 150 companies and has backed startups in over 25 states or countries. Most initial investments land at the seed or Series A stage, and the firm leads roughly half the rounds it joins…

Manufacturers that produce materials on reels, rolls and other continuous production lines often face a difficult challenge: identifying defects before they result in large volumes of unusable product. Pittsburgh-based Shelfmark is aiming to make those operations more autonomous with artificial intelligence, supported by a new $3.5 million seed financing round…

In July 2026, the Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC) Board of Directors approved $4.3 million in investment awards through the MTC IDEA Fund for 8 Missouri-based startup companies. The IDEA Fund program is a state-sponsored venture capital program that utilizes public funding (both state and federal) to drive private capital investment into technology-based businesses within Missouri, promoting their growth and economic development in the State…

Erica Barnell was in medical school when she first got the idea that would eventually lead her down the path of entrepreneurship. During a clinical rotation through WashU Medical School, Barnell met a patient who presented at the hospital with late-stage colorectal cancer, yet had never been able to complete current recommended screening, such as colonoscopy. “I just remember thinking, we live in an era where we can sequence the human genome in 24 hours, and we can provide precision medicine to patients based on their genetic sequencing — why can’t we provide molecular diagnostics for people like this woman, who couldn’t afford to take the time off work and who was scared to get a colonoscopy…

Roots are the foundation of thriving crops. What do yours look like? We’re digging into another exciting year of the Holganix Roots Competition, and you’re invited to take part! From now through August 3, 2026, submit photos or videos of your roots for a chance to win prizes, earn bragging rights, and show growers across the country what’s happening below the surface…

Last quarter there were 158 AgTech startups that raised a total of $2B in venture capital. Dollars invested was up 6% from the previous quarter, while the deal volume slipped by 3%. Over 25% of the total money raised in Q2 was in one deal, ICEYE, a Finnish radar-satellite constellation operator that has agricultural products, but is not limited to the ag sector. This activity underscores a sustained period of stability in the AgTech investment sector. Over the last 14 quarters — dating back to Q1 2023 — AgTech funding has remained steady, averaging roughly $1.5 billion across 182 deals per quarter. This consistency marks a distinct normalization of the market, standing in stark contrast to the volatility observed during the 2021–2022 investment cycles…

For nearly a decade, ReturnLogic has been focused on helping ecommerce brands simplify returns through flexible workflows, automation, and actionable data. Along the way, we’ve had the opportunity to work with incredible merchants who trusted us to become a core part of their business, and we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built together. Today, we’re excited to share the next chapter. ReturnLogic has been acquired by Redo…