The March Group
The March Group is a thematic early-stage venture capital firm that invests in exponential technology platforms across Precision Nutrition, Intelligent Health, and Food & Medicine, serving portfolio companies through pre-seed (Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund) and flagship (March EXP) vehicles while anchored within the UC system and advising institutional partners such as the Gates Foundation.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersDavis, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The March Group does
The March Group (legal entity: March Partners LLC, incorporated in Delaware) is a thematic early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2019 and headquartered in Sacramento and Davis, California, with a stated mission of identifying and scaling exponential technologies at the intersection of food, health, and life sciences. The firm structures its investing around three thematic verticals — Precision Nutrition, Intelligent Health, and Food & Medicine — and codifies an "AI-at-the-Center" thesis that links artificial intelligence to GLP-1-driven disruption of the food industry. TMG operates two principal fund vehicles: the Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund, a pre-seed vehicle targeting UC Davis and UC system spinouts (offering up to $250,000 per startup through the April 2026-launched Aggie Venture Accelerator), and March EXP, the flagship early-stage fund backing category leaders across the three verticals. The portfolio includes ZeroAvia (hydrogen-electric aviation), Meati Foods (mycelium protein), Rivalz (AI-powered nutrition), Digestiva (food biotech enzymes), Engage3 (retail price intelligence), EvodiaBio (precision fermentation aromas), Number 8 Bio (methane-reducing feed additives), and VinZymes.
The firm monetizes primarily through venture fund management — management fees and carried interest on portfolio exits — with a secondary revenue stream from strategic advisory services for institutional partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. TMG serves two customer layers: (1) portfolio companies, which receive capital, mentorship, structured programming through the Aggie Accelerator, and access to AI tooling via partner PIPA; and (2) institutional advisory clients, most notably the Gates Foundation's Accelerator team, which TMG supports on advanced technology integration into the global food system. Deal flow is sourced primarily through TMG's anchor partnership with the UC Davis Innovation and Economic Development Office, broader UC system access (~1,400+ UC-formed startups, 250+ UC-linked $1B+ companies), and a strategic global network that includes the Novo Nordisk Foundation's BioInnovation Institute, HKUST, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the National Academies. TMG is led by four partners — Founding Partner Dr. Harold Schmitz (former Chief Science Officer of Mars, Incorporated), Christopher Lai, Stephen Badger, and Dr. Tony Lau — and operates as an independent, privately-held firm with no parent company or disclosed institutional investors in the firm itself.
The March Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The March Group
- Legal name
- March Partners LLC
- Website
- https://marchgp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The March Group is a thematic early-stage venture capital firm that invests in exponential technology platforms across Precision Nutrition, Intelligent Health, and Food & Medicine, serving portfolio companies through pre-seed (Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund) and flagship (March EXP) vehicles while anchored within the UC system and advising institutional partners such as the Gates Foundation.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The March Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment Management
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Healthcare Access & Life Sciences Impact Funds (FSANAJAI)
Keywords
Where The March Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Davis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
The March Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Fund Management: TMG manages venture funds including the Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund (pre-seed investments) and March EXP (flagship early-stage venture fund). Revenue generated through management fees and carried interest on portfolio company exits.
- Strategic Advisory Services: TMG provides strategic advisory services to institutional partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supporting their Accelerator team's initiatives focused on advanced technologies and global food system improvements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
The March Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The March Group is a thematic early-stage venture capital firm that invests in and supports exponential technology platforms at the intersection of food, health, and life sciences. The firm manages the Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund (pre-seed investments in UC Davis and UC system spinouts) and March EXP (flagship early-stage fund) targeting category leaders in Precision Nutrition, Intelligent Health, and Food & Medicine. TMG also provides strategic advisory services to institutional partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Product overview
The March Group (TMG) is a thematic early-stage venture capital firm that operates two primary investment vehicles: the Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund and March EXP. The Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund is a pre-seed fund focused on identifying spinouts and translational ventures from UC Davis and the UC system. March EXP is TMG's flagship early-stage venture fund targeting category leaders in Precision Nutrition, Intelligent Health, and Food & Medicine. TMG's portfolio includes investments in companies such as Engage3, Digestiva, Rivalz, ZeroAvia, VinZymes, EvodiaBio, Number8Bio, and Meati Foods.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund A pre-seed fund managed by The March Group that seeks to identify the best spinouts and translational ventures emerging from UC Davis and the broader UC system. It is part of the Aggie Venture Accelerator program offering mentorship, structured programming, and investment to early-stage startups at the intersection of life science, food, and health.
- March EXP The flagship early-stage venture fund of The March Group that invests in category leaders emerging in Precision Nutrition, Intelligent Health, and Food & Medicine. Portfolio companies include ZeroAvia, Meati Foods, Rivalz, Digestiva, EvodiaBio, Number 8 Bio, Engage3, and VinZymes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 300 UC Davis-supported startups have raised over $4 billion in funding over the past decade
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The March Group
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The March Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The March Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- UC Davis Innovation and Economic Development OfficecoreTMG partnered with UC Davis IEDO to launch the Aggie Venture Accelerator, supporting early-stage startups developing solutions at the intersection of life science, food and health. The program provides mentorship, structured programming, and up to $250,000 investment through the Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund managed by TMG. Based at Aggie Square, the accelerator leverages UC Davis's research strengths combined with TMG's scaling expertise.
- Novo Nordisk FoundationcoreTMG has a unique partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation's BioInnovation Institute and its Planetary Health Alliance. The collaboration involves developing international leaders in food and planetary health through programs placing biotechnology-focused Ph.D. and postdoctoral students in cross-border exchange between Denmark and UC Davis.
- BioInnovation Institute (BII)corePart of of TMG's partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation, BII supports TMG's ecosystem through the Planetary Health Alliance and collaborative projects in food security funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
- Innovation Institute for Food and Health (IIFH)coreUC Davis-based institute leveraging expertise in food systems research and sustainability. TMG participates in IIFH Partner Summit events and collaborates on fellowship programs developing future food and health leaders.
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)minorTMG maintains a strategic partnership with HKUST as part of its global ecosystem connections for innovation and technology development.
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)minorListed as part of TMG's ecosystem network of strategic global partners and uncommon collaborations.
- National AcademiesminorListed as part of TMG's ecosystem network of strategic partners.
- MagdalenaminorPortfolio company Digestiva entered into an exclusive manufacturing partnership with Magdalena, a global leader in sugar cane processing, to enable scale-up production of enzymes for commercial milestones.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The March Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- S2G Ventures: S2G Ventures is one of the most prominent food, agriculture, and ocean technology venture capital firms, investing across the alternative protein, cellular agriculture, and food tech stack. It is a direct thematic peer to TMG, both targeting category-defining companies in food and health, though at materially larger fund scale.
- Big Idea Ventures: Big Idea Ventures runs the ProVeg Incubator and alternative protein-focused VC funds globally. It is a direct peer in food-tech and alternative protein VC, with a comparable accelerator-plus-fund structure similar to TMG's Aggie Venture Accelerator + March EXP model.
- CPT Capital: CPT Capital (formerly Cultivian Sandbox) invests across the food and agriculture value chain, including alternative proteins, agtech, and food biotech. It is a direct peer in early-stage food-tech and agtech VC with comparable check sizes and thematic depth.
- Breakthrough Energy Ventures: Breakthrough Energy Ventures, founded by Bill Gates, invests in companies cutting greenhouse gas emissions across food, agriculture, energy, and industry. It is a direct thematic peer given its food-and-planetary-health focus and its affiliation with the same Gates ecosystem TMG advises.
- IndieBio: IndieBio is the world's largest biotech accelerator, with programs in food biotech, climate, and human health. It is a direct peer through its accelerator-plus-investment model and biology-centric thesis that overlaps with TMG's Digestiva, EvodiaBio, and Number 8 Bio portfolio bets.
Broad incumbents
- ADM Ventures: ADM Ventures is the corporate venture arm of Archer Daniels Midland, investing in food-tech, agtech, and alternative proteins. It is a broad incumbent peer competing for similar deal flow in alternative protein and fermentation but operating as part of a much larger strategic platform.
- Pappas Capital: Pappas Capital is a life sciences and biotech venture firm with deep academic and research institution relationships. It is a broad incumbent peer overlapping with TMG's life sciences/health investing focus, particularly university spinouts and translational research.
- Novo Holdings (Seed Investments team): Novo Holdings is the holding company of the Novo Nordisk Foundation and operates a Seed Investments team funding early-stage biotech, food-tech, and planetary health startups. It is a broad incumbent peer through its formal Novo Nordisk Foundation/BioInnovation Institute partnership with TMG, investing in overlapping categories.
Emerging players
- Plug and Play Tech Center: Plug and Play operates one of the world's largest startup accelerator platforms with vertical programs in food/retail, health, and brand & retail. It is an emerging-player peer through its accelerator-plus-corporate-partnership model that overlaps with TMG's ecosystem-driven sourcing.
- SOSV: SOSV runs multiple vertical-specific accelerator programs (including IndieBio, HAX, and dlab) with a focus on deep-tech, biotech, and food. It is an emerging-player peer through its accelerator-heavy model and life sciences vertical, comparable in structure to TMG's Aggie Accelerator.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The March Group social profiles
Digital presenceThe March Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The March Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
The March Group subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
The March Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The March Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments6 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The March Group
What does The March Group do?
The March Group is a thematic early-stage venture capital firm that invests in and supports exponential technology platforms at the intersection of food, health, and life sciences. The firm manages the Aggie Venture Accelerator Fund (pre-seed investments in UC Davis and UC system spinouts) and March EXP (flagship early-stage fund) targeting category leaders in Precision Nutrition, Intelligent Health, and Food & Medicine. TMG also provides strategic advisory services to institutional partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Is The March Group a public or private company?
The March Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The March Group founded?
The March Group was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The March Group based?
The March Group is headquartered in Davis, United States, in the North America region.
How does The March Group make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Venture Capital Fund Management is the primary driver. The others are strategic Advisory Services.
Who are The March Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are S2G Ventures, Big Idea Ventures, CPT Capital, Breakthrough Energy Ventures and IndieBio. Broad incumbents are ADM Ventures, Pappas Capital and Novo Holdings (Seed Investments team). Emerging players are Plug and Play Tech Center and SOSV.
Does The March Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for The March Group.
What industry is The March Group in?
The March Group's product category is Venture Capital / Early-Stage Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B), with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated). Its SIC code is 6282.