What Cultivation Capital does

Cultivation Capital is a St. Louis, Missouri-based venture capital firm founded in 2012 that manages a family of funds focused on early-stage technology investing from Series Seed through Series B. The firm operates a platform-plus-modules architecture: the unifying core is the Cultivation Capital brand and operating infrastructure, around which it manages five specialized strategies — Life Sciences & Health Tech (therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, healthcare IT), Software & IT (pre-Series-A tech with product and traction), Agriculture & Food Tech (operated in partnership with the Yield Lab), Midwest Seed Stage (operated in collaboration with Twain Financial Partners through the Spirit of St. Louis Fund), and Geospatial Tech (worldwide location-intelligence mandate). Initial check sizes range from $100,000 to $3.5 million depending on strategy and stage, with the firm leading approximately half of the rounds it participates in and providing 60+ documented follow-on investments.

The firm's underlying technology is its investment platform itself — proprietary deal-sourcing networks, due diligence processes, and active portfolio support infrastructure backed by a team of operator-investors with deep domain expertise (ex-Boeing, ex-Monsanto, ex-Millipore, serial software entrepreneurs, and aerospace/geospatial veterans). The firm has backed over 120 startups since founding, maintains 27 active portfolio companies, and reports investments across 17 U.S. states and countries. It also operates a Portfolio Jobs careers platform as an ancillary service. Headquarters are in downtown St. Louis at the T-REX innovation district, with a secondary St. Louis office at the 39N agtech innovation district and regional offices in Greenville (SC), Philadelphia (PA), and Chicago (IL).

The business model follows standard venture capital economics: recurring fund management fees on committed/managed capital across its five specialized strategies, supplemented by capital gains on portfolio exits. Notable monetized exits include Galera Therapeutics (NASDAQ IPO, 2019), Benson Hill (NYSE SPAC, 2021), CoverCress (acquired by Bayer, 2022), Popwallet (acquired by Snap, 2021), and Label Insight (acquired by NielsenIQ, 2021). Deal flow is relationship-driven — sourced through co-investment partners (Yield Lab, Twain Financial Partners, BioGenerator), accelerator and university ecosystems (Arch Grants, Skandalaris Center at Washington University, Venture for America), and the firm's own portfolio network, rather than paid acquisition channels. The firm is recognized by Crunchbase News as one of the 18 most active early-stage venture firms in North America.

Name

Cultivation Capital

Legal name

Cultivation Capital

Website

https://cultivationcapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cultivation Capital is a St. Louis-based venture capital firm founded in 2012 that manages a family of five specialized early-stage funds across life sciences/health tech, software/IT, AgTech, Midwest seed, and geospatial tech. The firm has backed over 120 startups with $100k–$3.5M initial checks and 60+ follow-on investments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

Keywords

• Venture capital
• Early-stage investing
• Seed-stage funding
• Life sciences investing
• Growth capital

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns / Capital Gains on Exits: Primary revenue mechanism for a venture capital firm. Cultivation Capital generates returns through successful exits of portfolio companies, demonstrated by a track record including IPOs (e.g., Galera Therapeutics NASDAQ: GRTX in 2019, Benson Hill SPAC merger NYSE: BHIL in 2021), strategic acquisitions (e.g., CoverCress acquired by Bayer in 2022, Popwallet acquired by Snap Inc. in 2021, Label Insight acquired by NielsenIQ in 2021), and mergers.
2. Fund Management Fees: Standard venture capital fund management economics — Cultivation Capital manages a family of funds focused on early-stage investing, implying typical VC fund management fee structures on committed/managed capital across its five specialized strategies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cultivation Capital is a venture capital firm that manages a family of funds focused on early-stage investing from Series Seed through Series B. The firm invests $100,000 to $3.5 million per company across five specialized strategies: Life Sciences & Health Tech, Software & IT, Agriculture & Food Tech, Midwest Seed Stage (Spirit of St. Louis Fund with Twain Financial Partners), and Geospatial Tech (operated in partnership with Yield Lab).

Product overview

Cultivation Capital operates a platform-plus-modules architecture built around a family of sector- and stage-specific venture capital funds. The unifying core platform is the Cultivation Capital firm (founded in 2012, based in St. Louis, Missouri), through which it manages a family of funds targeting early-stage (Seed through Series B) investments with initial check sizes typically ranging from $100,000 to $3.5M. The platform is organized into five named fund strategies / modules: the Life Sciences & Health Tech Fund (therapeutics, diagnostics, medical devices, healthcare IT), the Software & IT Fund (Pre-Series-A technology companies with product, revenue, and traction), the Agriculture & Food Tech Fund (operated in partnership with the Yield Lab), the Midwest Seed Stage Fund (operated in collaboration with Twain Financial Partners via the Spirit of St. Louis Fund, focused on FinTech, healthcare, and AgTech in the Midwest), and the Geospatial Tech Fund (worldwide location-intelligence startups). Complementing these fund modules, Cultivation Capital also operates the Portfolio Jobs careers platform as an ancillary service connecting job seekers with openings at portfolio companies. The firm has backed over 120 startups since founding and invests across 17 U.S. states and countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yield Lab: Agricultural and food technology investment program operated in partnership with Cultivation Capital, focused on crops, animal health, precision agriculture, sustainability, logistics, and food ingredients. Initial investments range from $100,000 – $1.5M.
• Spirit of St. Louis Fund

Products and services

• Life Sciences & Health Tech Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• One of 18 most active early-stage VC firms in North America (Crunchbase News ranking)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Yield LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultivation Capital partners with the Yield Lab to make Food and AgTech investments. The Yield Lab focuses on companies with innovations in crops, animal health, precision agriculture, sustainability, logistics, and food ingredients. Initial investments range from $100,000 – $1.5M. Yield Lab partners help portfolio companies find customers, collaborators, and investors.
• Twain Financial Partners (Spirit of St. Louis Fund)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultivation Capital collaborates with Twain Financial Partners through the Spirit of St. Louis Fund to make seed stage investments in a broad spectrum of tech startups including FinTech, healthcare, and AgTech that are active in St. Louis or in the greater Midwest. Initial investments are typically around $250,000.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• gener8tor: Milwaukee-based accelerator and early-stage investor with a national footprint via its gBETA pre-seed programs. Comparable as a Midwest-anchored, relationship-driven early-stage investor that combines accelerator programming with seed/Series A capital.
• Lewis & Clark Ventures: St. Louis-headquartered early-stage VC focused on consumer, enterprise, and life sciences companies. Direct local competitor with similar stage focus, founder-friendly approach, and Midwest concentration.
• Drive Capital: Midwest-focused early-to-growth-stage venture firm based in Columbus, Ohio. Comparable in geographic focus on under-served Midwest ecosystems, multi-stage investing, and active board participation with operator-style support.
• Prolog Ventures: St. Louis-based early-stage VC investing in food, agriculture, and life sciences startups. Highly comparable in geography, sector specialization (AgTech/food/life sciences), and seed-to-Series A stage focus.
• BioGenerator: St. Louis-based early-stage life sciences investor and recurring co-investment partner with Cultivation Capital (e.g., co-led Healthy Bytes $1.25M Series A and SweetSpot $4M). Highly comparable in geographic focus, stage (seed-to-Series A), and sector specialization within life sciences/health tech.
• Yield Lab: Global AgTech accelerator and investor that operates Cultivation's Agriculture & Food Tech fund via partnership. Directly comparable in target verticals (crops, animal health, precision agriculture), stage, and check size ($100k–$1.5M); competes for and co-sources AgTech deals.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator and early-stage VC operating across multiple verticals and geographies. Overlaps Cultivation Capital's seed/Series A stage focus and active mentorship model, but operates at vastly greater scale and broader industry coverage.
• Bain Capital Ventures: Multi-stage venture arm of Bain Capital investing across software, fintech, healthcare, and frontier tech. Overlaps Cultivation's stage range and sector mix but operates at significantly larger fund sizes and broader industry coverage.
• Revolution Ventures: Early-stage-focused arm of Revolution (Steve Case's firm) investing across software, fintech, and digital health. Comparable in stage and sector mix, with greater brand recognition and access to coastal founder networks.

Regional players

• Techstars Ventures (Founders Co-op, etc.): Seattle-based seed/early-stage VC that backs Pacific Northwest and Midwest founders. Comparable stage focus and sector breadth (software, life sciences, AgTech-adjacent), with stronger Pacific Northwest brand and limited overlap in Cultivation's Midwest heartland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cultivationcap
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cultivation-capital

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles31 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments262 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cultivation Capital