What Lewis & Clark Partners does

Lewis & Clark Partners is a St. Louis-headquartered growth equity investment firm founded in 2015 that invests in exceptional founders across the agrifood value chain. The firm operates multiple dedicated funds—AgriFood Fund II (closed at $169M+) for growth-stage food and agriculture technology, and RBIC Fund II ($88M) and RBIC Fund III ($70.4M raised toward a $150M target) under the USDA's Rural Business Investment Company program—and manages approximately $400 million in assets under management as of May 2025. The firm invests Series A through C with initial checks of $2 million to $10 million (and up to $15 million for AgriFood Fund II) and typically reserves follow-on capital for portfolio companies, leading or co-leading rounds across four verticals: Applied AI, Food Technology, Supply Chain, and Plant Science & Animal Health.

The firm's product surface is its investment funds and the operational support it provides, including board participation and an Investor Portal built on the Altareturn platform. Lewis & Clark Partners generates revenue through traditional private equity economics—management fees on committed/invested capital across its funds and carried interest from portfolio realizations. Documented portfolio investments since 2020 include Bushel (grain digital infrastructure), iUNU (CEA computer vision), Tortuga AgTech (harvesting robotics), Benson Hill (crop genetics, exited via $2B SPAC), Brightseed (AI phytonutrient discovery), Matterworks (generative AI molecular annotation), Arzeda (AI protein design), BlueNalu (cell-based seafood), BinSentry (IoT feed bin monitoring), P2 Science (green chemistry), Beta Hatch (insect protein), Lingrove (sustainable building materials), and Agrospheres (biological inputs).

The firm's go-to-market is a relationship-driven, board-active partnership model supported by an in-house team of accomplished operating partners—including former Cargill and Land O'Lakes executives—and deal-sourcing across the U.S. agricultural heartland, leveraging the geographic concentration of agricultural production around St. Louis and exclusive network access rather than any consumer-facing channel.

Name

Lewis & Clark Partners

Legal name

Lewis & Clark Partners

Website

https://lewisandclarkpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lewis & Clark Partners is a St. Louis-based growth equity firm investing $2M–$15M in Series A through C agrifood companies across Applied AI, Food Technology, Supply Chain, and Plant Science & Animal Health, managing approximately $400 million in AUM.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Growth Equity Investment

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Sector / Generalist Growth Equity (FSANACAO)

Keywords

• Growth equity investing
• Agrifood venture capital
• Private equity funds
• Agricultural technology investment
• Rural business investment

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Management Fees: As a growth equity investment firm, Lewis & Clark Partners generates revenue through management fees on funds under management and carried interest from successful portfolio company exits. The firm has raised multiple funds including AgriFood Fund II ($169M+), RBIC Fund II ($88M), and RBIC Fund III (targeting $150M with $70.4M raised so far).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Lewis & Clark Partners is a St. Louis-based growth equity investment firm that provides flexible growth capital and operator-mindset partnership to growth-stage companies in the food, agriculture, and health sectors. The firm manages multiple dedicated funds (AgriFood Fund II, RBIC Fund II, RBIC Fund III) and makes initial investments of $2 million to $10 million (with reserved follow-on capital) across four verticals: Applied AI, Food Technology, Supply Chain, and Plant Science & Animal Health. Lewis & Clark typically leads or co-leads investment rounds and takes active board seats to provide strategic guidance to portfolio companies.

Product overview

Lewis & Clark Partners is a St. Louis-based growth equity investment firm that provides flexible growth capital with an operator-mindset partnership approach. The firm's primary offering consists of multiple investment funds including AgriFood Fund II, RBIC Fund II, and RBIC Fund III, targeting growth-stage companies in food, health, and agriculture with investments ranging from $2 million to $15 million. They invest across four verticals: Applied AI, Food Technology, Supply Chain, and Plant Science & Animal Health. Their investment approach emphasizes exceptional teams, strong economics, and differentiated technology, typically reserving follow-on capital for portfolio companies. The firm also provides an Investor Portal for stakeholder access to portfolio information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AgriFood Fund II
• RBIC Fund II
• RBIC Fund III
• Growth Equity Investment Services
• Investor Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• Portfolio company Bushel reaches 40% of U.S. grain origination
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability18 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fall Line Capital: Agrifood-focused growth equity firm investing in U.S. farmland-adjacent businesses. Closely comparable sector mandate, check size, and rural-America orientation; co-investor with Lewis & Clark in Rantizo and Arzeda rounds.
• AgFunder: Venture capital and research platform focused on agrifood technology. Comparable sector specialization; co-investor alongside Lewis & Clark in Brightseed's $27M financing round.
• Cavallo Ventures: Venture arm of Wilbur-Ellis focused on agrifood technology investments. Comparable sector focus and growth-stage orientation; co-investor alongside Lewis & Clark in Beta Hatch's $10M round.
• Astanor Ventures: European-anchored agrifood growth investor backing companies across the food value chain. Directly comparable in stage, sector focus, and active board-participation model; co-invests in Lewis & Clark portfolio companies such as iUNU.
• Ceres Partners: Indiana-based investment manager with a rural/agribusiness focus. Comparable rural-America mandate and growth-stage agrifood investing; co-investor with Lewis & Clark in Tortuga AgTech and iUNU rounds.
• S2G Ventures: Chicago-based growth equity firm investing across food, agriculture, and ocean/seafood verticals. Directly comparable to Lewis & Clark in stage focus (Series A–C growth), check size, sector specialization, and active operating-partner model.
• iSelect Fund: Venture capital firm investing across food, agriculture, and health innovation. Comparable stage and sector focus; co-investor with Lewis & Clark in Stony Creek Colors' Series B.
• Germin8 Ventures: Chicago-based agrifood venture firm backing food, ag, and sustainability startups. Comparable in stage and sector focus; co-investor alongside Lewis & Clark in Brightseed, Matterworks, and Bushel rounds.

Broad incumbents

• Continental Grain Company: Long-standing global agribusiness with a venture arm investing in agrifood technology. Comparable as a co-lead investor in Lewis & Clark portfolio company Bushel's $47M Series C; broader operating scope than Lewis & Clark.
• Bunge Ventures: Corporate venture arm of global agribusiness Bunge, investing in agrifood innovation. Comparable as a co-investor in Lewis & Clark's Arzeda round; broader portfolio and balance-sheet backing distinguish it as an incumbent peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lewis-and-clark-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Lewis & Clark Partners