So much action as we round out the summer at Serra Ventures. New investments, events, and awards season! See what the team at Serra and our portfolio companies have been up to this month.

The Serra Capital Ag & Food Tech Fund II is very pleased to announce its latest investment in Wisconsin-based Quercus Biosolutions.

Quercus is focused on bringing the power of genAI to create effective and affordable biology-based solutions for crop protection.

"We are excited to invest in Quercus Biosolutions. Quercus is utilizing its AI platform to rapidly develop high-efficacy herbicides in a $37 billion weed prevention market plagued by resistance and environmental challenges," said Partner Rob Schultz. "Led by a world-class team of industry veterans who have launched market-leading AgBiotech products, Quercus and its new AI-driven approach to protein discovery, is poised to deliver high-performance, sustainable solutions at unprecedented speed and cost efficiency. It’s a pleasure to finally back co-founder Matt Crisp, a friend of the firm for nearly a decade, and his exceptional team."

Medium’s annual Midwest Cities Rankings is described as “our yearly deep dive into understanding how micro-environments in the Midwest are performing relative to one another in terms of startup activity, access to resources, and business climate.”

Champaign ranked #20 on the list, up from #23 last year. The rankings are created based on three main categories -- startup activity, access to resources and business climate -- with 25 underlying weighted variables. These categories, bolstered by the presence and resources of the University of Illinois and venture firms like Serra Ventures make the Champaign-Urbana ecosystem a hot spot for startups.

To view the complete article and rankings, follow here.

The AgTech Breakthrough Awards are held each year to recognize the best agricultural and food technology companies, products and services around the globe. This year, Serra is pleased to announce that two Serra Ag Tech Fund companies received an award.

Swarm Engineering, the company that is helping optimize the food chain, was awarded the AI-based AgTech Innovation of the Year in the Internet of Things and AI category. Swarm was also a winner in the same category in 2024.

iUNU, the company that turns commercial greenhouses into precise, predictable, demand based manufacturers, received the AgTech IOT Platform of the Year in the Internet of Things and AI category.

Serra companies Bonsai Robotics and Provision Analytics were winners at the Agtech Breakthrough Awards in 2024.

Congratulations to the winners!

The month of August was busy for the members of team Serra with several events attended. Tim Hoerr and Dennis Beard both gave presentations as part of the Startup Launch Series within the Entrepreneur-In-Residence program at the University of Illinois Research Park. Tim gave a presentation on “The Anatomy of a Fundraising Term Sheet,” while Dennis gave a talk on “How to Think About Valuations While Raising Capital.” This summer marked the 15th year that Serra partners have participated as Entrepreneurs-In-Residence.

Also in August, Serra Associate Drew Beard represented the firm on the Funding Landscape Panel at the Forward Festival’s “Capital That Fits” event in Madison. The session, moderated by Valency Fund CEO Laura Strong, convened capital providers from across the spectrum to help founders chart their growth journeys. Drew shared Serra’s perspective as one of the most active AgTech investors globally, emphasizing our long track record of investing before AgTech was even a category, and how we creatively pair equity with other capital sources to drive portfolio growth. He also highlighted Serra’s unique advantage in combining deep entrepreneurial experience with strong Midwest ties, including our partnership with the Wisconsin Investment Fund. The panel reinforced Serra’s commitment to equipping founders with the right tools, networks, and capital strategies to scale sustainably and deliver outsized returns.  

Congratulations to Serionix! For the third year in a row, Serra Capital I and Serra Capital III portfolio company Serionix has received a spot on Inc’s 5000 Fastest Growing Companies List. The 2025 Inc. 5000 list represents the fastest-growing private companies in America, ranked according to their percentage revenue growth over three years from 2021-2024.

What was said about this year’s honorees: “This kind of outstanding growth is admirable no matter the circumstances, but it’s a particularly impressive feat considering the unique challenges of the past few years: economic volatility, rapid innovation, political uncertainty, and more. And yet, the companies honored on the Inc. 5000 list have persevered, harnessing what makes their businesses great and achieving something extraordinary.”

Tim Hoerr, Managing Partner, commented "We are super proud of Jim Langer and his team at Serionix. They have one of the most innovative air filtration products in the market today -- a color changing HVAC filter that is incredibly effective at eliminating odors. The company has exhibited resilience in a challenging macroeconomic environment to keep the growth arrow pointing up. Through a unique combination of channel partners like Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes and Target, in addition to a deftly executed social media strategy, Serionix and its Colorfil product line are really making waves."

• From Farms to Future Homes: AGTools and Zero Energy Developments Shine on Go Fund Yourself

• Bonsai Robotics Announces Deep-Bench Leadership to Accelerate AI-First Autonomy for Agriculture

• Breedr Collaborates with Red Angus

• Colorfil: 5 Products for Pet Parents and Their Fur Babies

• Inprentus Joins the National Semiconductor Technology Center as a Core Member

• Turning Sludge into Sustainability with Phinite’s Jordan Phasey

• The Best White Noise Machines for a Blissful Night’s Sleep: Snooz

• Vytelle’s KerryAnn Kocher a KCBJ 2025 Woman of Influence Honoree