The team at Serra is very pleased to announce its latest investment in Madison, Wisconsin-based Spayvac. The Serra Ag & Food Tech II Fund is especially excited to deploy capital based on support from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The WEDC funding is part of a broader program, the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), which provides significant support to early stage companies throughout the U.S. The state of Wisconsin, through the WEDC, elected to channel its SSBCI funding through six venture firms. Serra is proud to be one of those firms.

SpayVac's single-dose vaccine enables fertility-control in wildlife, ag production animals, aquaculture and the pet markets.  “We’re excited to back SpayVac as it brings a truly novel solution to a long-standing challenge—controlling animal populations humanely and efficiently. With a single-dose, no-booster vaccine and early traction in markets like wildlife management and aquaculture, SpayVac has the potential to become a category-defining company,” said Drew Beard, Associate at Serra. “It’s rare to find an investment opportunity that offers both strong return potential and the chance to make a meaningful impact on wildlife and the environment.”

The month of June was a big month of events for the members of the Serra Team. Tim Hoerr, Dennis Beard and Jack Marck (Illinois Ag Tech Accelerator) attended the Champaign-Urbana AgTech Breakfast on June 4. The bi-monthly event brings together people from across the community’s AgTech ecosystem who gather with a common goal—to strengthen collective impact, further engage and attract resources/businesses + industry/startups/talent, and maximize networks. The June breakfast featured presentations by two University of Illinois entities: the Soybean Innovation Lab and the Food Science and Human Nutrition Pilot Processing Plant.

Tim Hoerr and Dennis Beard attended a networking event sponsored by gener8tor in Milwaukee on June 17. The director of the WEDC Missy Hughes was the featured speaker for the event which drew several business leaders from the Milwaukee startup ecosystem.

Drew Beard and Karin O’Connor attended the Rural Investment and Innovation Forum on June 10 in Chicago. This is an event bringing together key stakeholders in the Rural Business Investment Program, including limited partners and fund managers. The forum highlights collaborative commitment to supporting and developing rural economies.

This summer marks the 15th year that Serra partners Tim Hoerr, Dennis Beard and Rob Schultz have participated as Entrepreneurs-In-Residence (EIR) at the University of Illinois Research Park. Serra is the longest tenured participant in the UIUC EIR program.

Over the years, Tim, Dennis and Rob have provided hundreds of hours in consulting time to over 150 startups and prospective technology entrepreneurs. They've also prepared and provided a number of workshops on such topics as Valuing Your Startup, Demystifying Term Sheets, Developing a Partnership with your Venture Capital Provider and Creating a High Performance Team. Tim commented, "We're proud to serve as EIRs, investing time and resources in catalyzing very early stage enterprises that are emerging from the UIUC ecosystem. It is challenging work, but ultimately very rewarding to see several of these companies grow substantially over the years."

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• Twenty Leading Investors, Funders, and Farming Organizations Join Forces to Design Innovative Financial Infrastructure for Regenerative Agriculture in the Midwest

• Inprentus Diffraction Gratings Continue to Grow a Global Presence

• iUNU and Enza Zaden Partner to Bridge the Gap Between Growers and New Varietals

• Teren Kicks Off U.S. Nationwide 4D Lidar Content Library Program