Best Food and Agriculture Tech Companies in St. Louis, United States
The 37 best Food and Agriculture Tech companies in St. Louis, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Benson Hill.
Our analysis of 81 Food and Agriculture Tech companies
$13.5b in tracked funding; 93% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Food and Agriculture Tech companies in St. Louis
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Employees | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benson Hill Developer of soybean genetics, seeds, and related programs for agriculture | $407M | 56 mo ago | Deadpooled | Todd Mockler Co-Founder | 151 | WordPressApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+24 | 390 patents Plant genetic engineering and processing for high‑protein soy and other crops | — |
| 2 | NewLeaf Symbiotics Developer of biological technologies for improved crop input performance | $181M | 33 mo ago | Series D | Stephen Kahn Co-Founder | 35 35 → 49 (+40%) | WordPressMySQLPHP+24 | 300 patents Microbial fermentation and biocontrol formulations for plant protection and methane mitigation | — |
| 3 | The Climate Digital farming solutions to maximize results and empower farmers | $109M | 171 mo ago | Acquired | — | 154 | Adobe Experience ManagerApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+22 | 1,778 patents AI-driven remote sensing for precision agriculture: soil, water, and crop management. | — |
| 4 | Elemental Enzymes Provider of enzyme-based crop biological solutions for agriculture | $78M | 38 mo ago | Series A | Katie Thompson Co-Founder & COO | 50 | — | — | — |
| 5 | CoverCress Developer of sustainable agriculture technology for farm profitability and promoting renewable energy | $48M | 52 mo ago | Acquired | — | 37 | WebflowApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+19 | 40 patents Patents concentrated in health & consumer products | — |
| 6 | Pluton Biosciences Provider of assay-based microbial research services | $24M | 39 mo ago | Series A | Elizabeth Gallegos Chief Executive Officer | 21 | WixSentryBootstrap+11 | — | — |
| 7 | Plastomics Developer of next-generation trait delivery technology for higher-yielding crops and sustainable agriculture 29Funding top 32%Moat top 37%News top 44%Patents top 46% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 32% Moattop 37% Newstop 44% Patentstop 46% Innovationtop 50% Talentbottom 49% Marketbottom 33% Globalbottom 33% Funding: Raised $12.7M across 5 rounds · 5 rounds over 9 yrs (0.6/yr) Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 7/10 · IP moat: 6 patents rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 29/100 | $13M | 10 mo ago | Series B | Jeffrey Staub Founder and Chief Scientist | 23 | — | 6 patents Chloroplast genetic engineering for plant trait improvement and gene silencing | — |
| 8 | Aker Smart farming calculators and tools for efficient land, resource, and profit management | $6M | 54 mo ago | Acquired | — | 6 | — | 131 patents Subsea oil‑field production equipment and well safety control for ESP systems | — |
| 9 | Arvegenix Developer of a winter oilseed crop used as biofuel feedstock | $5M | 113 mo ago | Series A | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Impetus Producer of insect control products and agricultural feed | $2M | 29 mo ago | Seed | — | 8 | — | 2 patents Ruminant feed digestion enhancement and real‑time big‑data streaming analytics platform. | — |
| 11 | Verde Resources Provider of sustainable materials and solutions for reducing carbon footprint | $2M | 10 mo ago | Public | — | 38 | WordPressMySQLPHP+16 | — | — |
| 12 | Peptyde Bio Bio platform innovating nature-positive agriculture through biological technologies for crop health | $1M | 46 mo ago | Acquired | Tom Laurita CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Etab Order management solutions for restaurants | $765K | 191 mo ago | Seed | Jeff Stein Founder & President | 3 | TypeScriptGoogle MapsAmazon Web Services+24 | — | — |
| 14 | OPER Provider of custom enterprise payment platforms and integrated business solutions | $750K | 120 mo ago | Seed | David Laiderman Founder & CEO | 4 | — | — | — |
| 15 | Agrela Ecosystems Scalable environmental sensor platform providing customizable solutions for diverse industries | $465K | 6 mo ago | Seed | Nadia Shakoor Co-Founder | 3 | — | — | — |
| 16 | GiftAMeal Mobile application to donate meals to community | $465K | 62 mo ago | Acquired | — | 58 | Webflow EcommerceWebflowcore-js+12 | — | — |
| 17 | Aggio Cloud-based SaaS platform enhancing data-driven decisions for agriculture and animal health | $360K | 91 mo ago | Seed | — | 9 | WordPressMySQLPHP+23 | — | — |
Top 12 Food and Agriculture Tech companies in St. Louis
#1
Series B · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2016 · 23 employees$12.7Mraised▾
Developer of next-generation trait delivery technology for higher-yielding crops and sustainable agriculture. It offers a platform that places beneficial traits in the chloroplast of plant cells, enhancing crop performance. This approach simplifies product development, improves product effectiveness, and creates new market opportunities. The technology enables crops to better withstand insects, diseases, and weeds, leading to higher yields. By focusing on chloroplast trait introduction, they address challenges like pest resistance, trait outcrossing, and complex trait integration. This platform offers solutions for seed companies, providing a valuable tool to help growers meet the nutritional needs of a growing population. The technology supports sustainable agriculture by reducing the need for chemicals and enhancing crop resilience.
- Oct 2025Series B$5.8M
- Nov 2021Series A$7.1M
- May 2021Series A$3.2M
- Mar 2021Series A$2.4M
#2
Public · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2010 · 38 employees$2Mraised▾
Provider of sustainable materials and solutions for reducing carbon footprint. It specializes in sustainable infrastructure solutions, focusing on net zero building materials and road construction products. Its flagship product, BioAsphalt, demonstrates the potential for carbon sequestration in infrastructure development. Itoperates through a proprietary technology that integrates biochar to reduce the carbon footprint of its products. The company aims to become a global leader in green-tech by transforming waste into renewable and sustainable products.
- Nov 2025Post IPO$2M
#3
Seed · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2017 · 3 employees$465Kraised▾
Scalable environmental sensor platform providing customizable solutions for diverse industries. They offer flexible weather-tech solutions that evolve with user needs, making research-quality environmental data collection more accessible. Their mission is to lower the barrier to entry and enhance user experience by providing premium products and services. The platform features customizable sensor options, modular design for indoor/outdoor operations, scalable sensor area, and API access for data visualization. It supports wireless sensor networks, remote data management, and data cleaning preferences. The technology allows ongoing integration of new components and sensors, remaining compatible with leading data visualization platforms. This is a B2B tech company offering software and hardware solutions.
- Feb 2026Seed$415K
- Nov 2017Grant (prize money)$50K
- Grant (prize money)—
#4
Series D · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2011 · 35 employees$181Mraised▾
Developer of biological technologies for improved crop input performance. The company focuses on PPFMs to enhance plant development and defense. Technologies are applied as planter box applications or seed treatments. The company offers bioinsecticide, biofungicide, and biostimulant technologies. These technologies aim to help crops reach their full potential.
- Dec 2023Series D$47M
- Dec 2022Series D$6.7M
- Dec 2020Series D$22M
- Feb 2020Series D$20.5M
#5
Deadpooled · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2012 · 151 employees$407Mraised▾
Developer of soybean genetics, seeds, and related programs for agriculture. The company offers soybean varieties and partner programs for grain processors. It provides independent testing to validate soybean genetics. Industries served include animal feed, food, and fuel production.
- Jan 2022Conventional Debt$100M
- Mar 2021Series D$125M
- Oct 2020Series D$150M
- Aug 2019Series C$32.6M
#6
Series A · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2011 · 50 employees$77.9Mraised▾
Provider of enzyme-based crop biological solutions for agriculture. It develops its products by harnessing enzymes, peptides, and biochemistries. Its product is primarily for soil and plant health.
- Jul 2023Series A$77.7M
- Seed$170K
#7
Acquired · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2013 · 37 employees$48Mraised▾
Developer of sustainable agriculture technology for farm profitability and promoting renewable energy. It revolutionizes winter cropping, empowering farmers to balance sustainability and profitability, enhancing long-term land health. It offers a solution to utilize idle winter fields, turning downtime into a productive season with a third cash crop. The crop integrates into existing operations, supporting economic and sustainability goals, contributing to renewable energy efforts and responsible agricultural practices. The company provides a low-risk, hassle-free solution with seamless integration, and a guaranteed end-market. They use dedicated partnerships to ensure direct grain pickup, providing a reliable end market for farmers and enabling participation in regenerative agriculture programs.
- Apr 2022Series C$26M
- Sep 2021Grant (prize money)$600K
- Apr 2021Grant (prize money)$106.5K
- Mar 2021Series B$8M
#8
Series A · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2017 · 21 employees$24.2Mraised▾
Provider of assay-based microbial research services. It identifies and develops beneficial bacteria, fungi, and viruses for its application in pesticide, agriculture, pharma, and bioremediation industries. The company claims to discover beneficial microorganisms leveraging its patented platform.
- May 2023Series A$17.6M
- Oct 2021Seed$6.6M
#9
Acquired · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2006 · 154 employees$108.5Mraised▾
Digital farming solutions to maximize results and empower farmers. They offer an all-in-one digital farming solution, empowering farmers with data-driven insights and innovative ag tech. The platform connects crop data, enables field scouting, builds prescriptions, and analyzes yield data in real-time. They provide hardware like FieldView Drive to empower farming missions. Resources include guides, a knowledge center, blog, videos, and podcasts. They focus on secure data, maximizing time, staying ahead, and boosting profits. The company aims to help farmers sustainably increase productivity and profitability with digital tools, enabling informed decisions from planning to harvest. They combine digital tools with physical products to enhance farming profitability and sustainability. They partner with other digital farming tools to make the technology more open, accessible and impactful for farmers.
- Jun 2012Series C$50M
- Feb 2011Series B$40.2M
- Oct 2007Series A$14.7M
- Jan 2007Series A$3.6M
#10
Seed · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2019 · 8 employees$2.3Mraised▾
Producer of insect control products and agricultural feed
- Mar 2024Grant (prize money)$750K
- Nov 2023Seed—
- Jan 2021Seed$1M
#11
Acquired · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2016 · 6 employees$5.5Mraised▾
Smart farming calculators and tools for efficient land, resource, and profit management. This platform provides farmers with essential calculators and tools to optimize their operations. It focuses on empowering farmers to make data-driven decisions regarding land measurement, cost management, water usage, and profitability analysis. The platform offers tools such as acres to square meters converter, fuel cost calculator, tank volume calculator, and ROI calculator. By integrating simple math with insights from remote sensing and crop diagnostics, farmers can improve efficiency, reduce waste, and enhance overall farm performance. This is a B2C platform that helps in smart farming through data and calculators.
- Mar 2022Seed$2.4M
- Aug 2019Seed$2.6M
- Jun 2018Seed$571K
- May 2017Grant (prize money)$400K
#12
Acquired · St. Louis, Missouri · founded 2021$1.2Mraised▾
Bio platform innovating nature-positive agriculture through biological technologies for crop health. The company develops biological technologies for crop health, enabling farmers to improve yields and use more natural solutions. It focuses on nature-positive solutions by combining new active ingredients with breakthrough delivery systems. The company utilizes an artificial intelligence and machine learning-enabled Discovery Engine to identify targeted biological actives for crop pests and diseases. It also deploys Biological Delivery Systems to improve the performance of actives, ensuring they reach their target and biodegrade quickly. This approach addresses sustainability concerns around traditional crop protection treatments, offering solutions for vegetables, row crops, and perennials. The company is committed to leaving every acre better for future generations, addressing consumer demands and unlocking benefits for farmers and the environment.
- Nov 2022Seed$1.2M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Food and Agriculture Tech coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Food Technology is moving in the United States
A read on the academic research around Food Technology — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 4,142 United States-affiliated papers.
- Cornell University153
- Purdue University West Lafayette134
- University of Georgia82
- Michigan State University81
- University of California, Davis79
- Food safety4→52
- Food processing2→31
- Food science1→13
- Contamination1→12
- Food products1→12
- Food safety16→214
- Food processing12→174
- Agriculture14→135
- Production (economics)7→122
- Food security3→117
- Food safety56→397
- Food security40→307
- Agriculture35→233
- Food processing54→215
- Food systems28→180
Where food tech 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 food tech patents in the United States
United States food tech patent filing is cooling — 817 filings from 475 assignees (2016–2025), led by Whirlpool, Sharkninja Operating, Provisur Technologies; annual filings 80→68.
- Whirlpool185
- Sharkninja Operating151
- Provisur Technologies51
- Smartwash Solutions39
- LYCO MFG32
- SAFE Foods32
- Massachusetts INST Technology20
- Island Oasis Frozen Cocktail18
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.