Best Crop Tech Companies in Chicago, United States
The 36 best Crop Tech companies in Chicago, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Chromatin.
Our analysis of 50 Crop Tech companies
$5.7b in tracked funding; 93% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Crop Tech companies in Chicago
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chromatin Developer of plant breeding technologies for resilient and productive agri-food systems | $122M | 111 mo ago | Series F | 92 | Mich Hein CEO | — | 90 patents Herbicide‑tolerant crops and synthetic minichromosome plant biotechnology | — |
| 2 | Hazel Technologies AgTech solutions extending produce shelf life, reducing waste, and increasing profitability 50Funding top 20%Growth top 26%Moat top 26%Product top 46% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 20% Growthtop 26% Moattop 26% Producttop 46% Techtop 50% Patentsbottom 44% Globalbottom 42% Innovationbottom 41% Marketbottom 38% Newsbottom 32% Funding: Raised $98.6M across 13 rounds · 13 rounds over 10 yrs (1.3/yr) Growth: Headcount 26 → 56 (+115%) across vintages · Web rank 10,000,000 → 50,000,000 YoY rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100 | $99M | 22 mo ago | Acquired | 56 56 → 36 (-36%) | — | WebflowApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+24 | 8 patents Controlled-release agrochemical and antimicrobial formulations, including humidity-activated delivery systems. | — |
| 3 | Orchard Provider of AI-powered systems for data collection and farm management 48Talent top 28%Funding top 29%AI top 45%Global bottom 48% All 6 signals ▾Talenttop 28% Fundingtop 29% AItop 45% Globalbottom 48% Techbottom 36% Marketbottom 35% Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated Funding: Raised $25.9M across 3 rounds · 3 rounds over 8 yrs (0.4/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 48/100 | $26M | 12 mo ago | Series A | — | Donald Hruska Co-Founder | WebflowjQueryHSTS+7 | — | — |
| 4 | Leaf Trade A wholesale cannabis marketplace platform | $23M | 53 mo ago | Acquired | 52 | Steve Weisman Co-Founder & Chairman | WordPressMySQLPHP+23 | — | — |
| 5 | Sabanto Provider of farming and agricultural services | $21M | 46 mo ago | Series A | 44 | Craig Rupp Founder/CEO/Farmer | WordPress Block EditorElementorWordPress+37 | 12 patents Precision agriculture vehicle automation, control, and optimized field operation systems. | — |
| 6 | Rise Gardens Developer of indoor plant & flower growing systems | $19M | 37 mo ago | Series A | 21 | Hank Adams CEO | Cart FunctionalityShopifyApple iCloud Mail+27 | 15 patents Modular hydroponic cultivation systems with optimized nutrient delivery and plant support. | — |
| 7 | Tillable Online platform for agriculture lands | $15M | 50 mo ago | Series A | 29 | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | The Bettering Company Online platform offering cannabis-infused gummies | $11M | 27 mo ago | Series A | 10 | Mark Cozzi Founder and CEO | ProcessWirePleskPHP+13 | — | — |
| 9 | ever.ag Platform offering multi-category tech-enabled services for agriculture industry | $7M | 20 mo ago | Acquired | 475 | Brian Rice Founder | WordPress Block EditorWordPressApple iCloud Mail+41 | — | — |
| 10 | 640 Labs Digital farming solutions to maximize results with data-driven insights and innovative tech | $6M | 143 mo ago | Acquired | 153 | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | Modern Sprout Indoor gardening products for growing | $5M | 30 mo ago | Funding Raised | 20 | Sarah Burrows Co-Founder | Cart FunctionalityShopifySentry+42 | — | — |
| 12 | FarmedHere Vertical indoor Farm | $3M | 133 mo ago | Deadpooled | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Cocoa Corp Manufacturer of compost-based fertilizer from organic residuals | $3M | 108 mo ago | Seed | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 14 | Lotic Labs Financial risk assessment solutions provider | $100K | 85 mo ago | Seed | 4 | Matthew Marshall Co-Founder | — | 4 patents Wearable health-monitoring devices with machine‑learning‑driven wellness analytics | — |
Top 12 Crop Tech companies in Chicago
#1
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2017$25.9Mraised▾
Provider of AI-powered systems for data collection and farm management. The company offers a camera system that mounts to farm vehicles. It provides data for crops on trees, vines, or plants. The company also provides a system to house farm data. A software suite allows users to view data and direct management.
- Sep 2025Series A$22M
- Mar 2024Seed$3.8M
- 2018Seed$120K
#2
Acquired · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2015 · 56 employees$98.6Mraised▾
AgTech solutions extending produce shelf life, reducing waste, and increasing profitability. The company develops innovative solutions for the produce supply chain, increasing efficiency and extending the quality of fruits and vegetables. Their technologies actively target the natural forces that accelerate produce spoilage, regulating environmental conditions to slow respiration and enhance defense against gases and fungi. This ensures fruits and vegetables stay fresher through storage, transit, and on the shelf. They offer solutions for growers, packers, shippers, retailers, and food service companies, helping them to reduce risk, maximize quality, and maintain a competitive edge. Their products are easy to use and integrate into existing supply chains, without requiring additional machinery or training. They are committed to unbiased academic review and maintain partnerships with leading research institutions. They offer solutions for a variety of crops and operate on a global scale, with teams stationed across the U.S., South America, and Europe. They are focused on reducing food waste and giving growers and buyers a new sense of confidence in complex global supply chains.
- Oct 2024Series C$8.2M
- Nov 2023Series C$11.5M
- Jan 2022Series C—
- Sep 2021Grant (prize money)$600K
#3
Acquired · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2002 · 475 employees$7Mraised▾
Platform offering multi-category tech-enabled services for agriculture industry. It offers a commodity trade and risk Management software solution for dairy farmers, grain producers, commercial and professional traders. It also offers brokerage services, offering comprehensive solutions for the dairy, livestock, and grain value chains.
- Jan 2025Grant (prize money)$7M
#4
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2017 · 10 employees$11Mraised▾
Online platform offering cannabis-infused gummies. Its product offering includes blackberry lemonade, blood orange, fennel fig, hibiscus chamomile thyme, raspberry mandarin, watermelon chili, and more.
- Jun 2024Conventional Debt$250K
- Sep 2023Series A$6.7M
- 2022Seed—
#5
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2019 · 21 employees$18.9Mraised▾
Developer of indoor plant & flower growing systems
- Jul 2023Series A$6.9M
- Jul 2021Series A$9.3M
- Oct 2020Seed—
- May 2020Seed$2.6M
#6
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2013 · 20 employees$5Mraised▾
Indoor gardening products for growing. It is an Illinois-based design shop that offers indoor gardening products for growing, including hydroponic kits and grow lights.
- Feb 2024Conventional Debt$5M
#7
Series F · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2001 · 92 employees$121.7Mraised▾
Developer of plant breeding technologies for resilient and productive agri-food systems. The company focuses on developing enhanced varieties and agricultural technologies. These technologies help farmers cultivate more robust and nutritious crops. It also promotes new crop and soil management technologies. The aim is to increase yields, improve production efficiency, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The company collaborates with researchers and universities.
- May 2017Series F$13.7M
- Jan 2015Series F$12M
- Jul 2014Conventional Debt$12.5M
- Jan 2014Series E$36M
#8
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2018 · 44 employees$21Mraised▾
Provider of farming and agricultural services
- Nov 2022Series A—
- Aug 2022Series A$17M
- Jun 2022Series A$4M
#9
Acquired · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2015 · 52 employees$22.6Mraised▾
A wholesale cannabis marketplace platform. It streamlines ordering, fulfillment, payments, and inventory management for cultivators, distributors, and retailers in regulated markets.
- Apr 2022Series B$12.5M
- Mar 2021Series A$5.5M
- Nov 2019Series A$4.6M
#10
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2017 · 29 employees$15.3Mraised▾
Online platform for agriculture lands. It provides a marketplace connecting landowners and farmers which allows landowners to provide agricultural land on lease, rent, or sell to farmers for cultivation purposes.
- Jul 2022Series A$7M
- Jun 2019Series A—
- Feb 2019Series A$8.2M
#11
Acquired · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2013 · 153 employees$5.7Mraised▾
Digital farming solutions to maximize results with data-driven insights and innovative tech. This company empowers farmers with an all-in-one digital farming solution, providing tools to collect, connect, and share crop data. Farmers can scout fields remotely, build prescriptions to maximize yield, and analyze data in real-time. The platform offers hardware like the FieldView Drive for data connectivity and compatibility with various equipment types. Resources include support guides, a knowledge center, blog, videos, and podcasts. The company focuses on secure data management, time optimization, staying ahead with information, and boosting profits through optimized input management. It connects with numerous partners, creating a connected platform for data sharing. The company offers personalized plans and full support to increase farm productivity. The platform provides data-driven insights and innovative ag tech, helping farmers make informed decisions and farm efficiently. The website offers options to create an account, log in, and choose a region and language.
- Oct 2014Series A$3M
- Jul 2014Seed$2.6M
- Jun 2014Seed—
#12
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2020 · 9 employees$75Kraised▾
Provider of plant identification, care guides, reminders, and community features. The platform helps users identify plants by scanning them or searching a database. It offers personalized care recommendations based on plant information. Users can track plant health, earn rewards, and connect with other plant enthusiasts.
- Feb 2024Angel—
- Nov 2022Grant (prize money)$75K
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Crop Tech coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Precision Agriculture is moving in the United States
A read on the academic research around Precision Agriculture — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 2,521 United States-affiliated papers.
- Purdue University West Lafayette142
- Agricultural Research Service104
- National Research Council85
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln68
- Texas A&M University62
- Field (mathematics)3→61
- Scalability4→52
- Convolutional neural network1→46
- Identification (biology)1→44
- Crop1→34
- Sustainability1→56
- Sustainable agriculture2→53
- Irrigation12→61
- Agricultural engineering32→80
- Field (mathematics)21→67
- Sustainability4→41
- Food security1→22
- Field (mathematics)8→22
- Productivity2→16
- Sustainable agriculture3→14
Where precision agriculture is researched across United States
Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.
Who's filing precision agriculture patents in the United States
United States precision agriculture patent filing is accelerating — 212 filings from 42 assignees (2016–2025), led by Stout Industrial TECH, American Science & ENG, BLUE River TECH; annual filings 7→16.
- Stout Industrial TECH28
- American Science & ENG24
- BLUE River TECH21
- Cohen Harris LEE18
- Agjunction17
- Valmont Industries15
- Stout Industrial Technology11
- AGCO9
Common questions
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.