Lewis & Clark Ventures

Lewis & Clark Ventures, established in 2014 and based in St. Louis, is a private equity firm that focuses on early-stage investments in the U.S. heartland. The firm primarily targets Series A and B companies in sectors such as enterprise software, healthcare IT, and agricultural technology. Founded by former operators, Lewis & Clark Ventures believes in the abundance of innovation and entrepreneurial talent outside the traditional coastal hubs. Their goal is to serve as a trusted partner for entrepreneurs, providing support as these companies grow and strive for greater significance in their respective markets.

Brian Hopcraft

General Partner

Meg Lane

Chief Financial Officer

Megan Lane

CFO and Controller

Ralph Quatrano

Venture Partner

Past deals in Missouri

Aker Technologies

Venture Round in 2019
Aker Technologies Inc. specializes in providing advanced crop intelligence and in-season analytical tools to enhance farm operations. The company offers a customer service platform designed for chemical suppliers, agricultural retailers, and consultants, facilitating support for growers. Aker Technologies has developed patented technology, including computer vision and biometric sensors, paired with software solutions to detect and assess pest pressures, airborne pathogens, crop diseases, and fertility issues within crop canopies. Incorporated in 2014 and formerly known as Leading Edge Technologies, Inc., the company rebranded in December 2015 and operates from its headquarters in Winnebago, Minnesota, with an additional office in Chicago, Illinois.

Benson Hill

Series C in 2019
Benson Hill is an agricultural technology company focused on crop improvement, particularly in soy protein innovation. By leveraging its proprietary CropOS™ platform, the company integrates machine learning, genomic data, and traditional breeding techniques to streamline the development of healthier and more sustainable food products. Benson Hill emphasizes unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants to empower innovators in creating flavorful and nutritious ingredients. The company operates a Crop Accelerator for rapid prototyping and is developing a diverse seed portfolio that includes protein ingredients, aquaculture, specialty animal feed, and vegetable oils. Its revenue is generated from both proprietary and non-proprietary product categories, reflecting its commitment to advancing agricultural innovation.

Summersalt

Series A in 2018
Summersalt is a generation-defining apparel brand, providing wardrobe essentials for women who are going places. Summersalt launched in 2017 with swimwear made from recycled materials at a $95 price point — designer quality swimwear without the designer price tag. Since then, we’ve launched additional categories including loungewear, knitwear, sleepwear and activewear. Summersalt pieces are modern, sophisticated and fun, with an impeccable data-backed fit based on millions of measurements from over 10,000 women. In the few short years since our founding, Summersalt has built a loyal following of customers, influencers and celebrities, while garnering praise from leading fashion media including ELLE, Vogue and People.

Benson Hill

Series C in 2018
Benson Hill is an agricultural technology company focused on crop improvement, particularly in soy protein innovation. By leveraging its proprietary CropOS™ platform, the company integrates machine learning, genomic data, and traditional breeding techniques to streamline the development of healthier and more sustainable food products. Benson Hill emphasizes unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants to empower innovators in creating flavorful and nutritious ingredients. The company operates a Crop Accelerator for rapid prototyping and is developing a diverse seed portfolio that includes protein ingredients, aquaculture, specialty animal feed, and vegetable oils. Its revenue is generated from both proprietary and non-proprietary product categories, reflecting its commitment to advancing agricultural innovation.

NewLeaf Symbiotics

Series C in 2017
NewLeaf Symbiotics develops and commercializes the bacteria found in Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs. NewLeaf Symbiotics has also filed its own related patents and is actively developing new technologies related to PPFMs. The Company is engaged in laboratory, greenhouse, and field product trials and expects to commercialize and license products beginning in 2014.

Benson Hill

Series B in 2017
Benson Hill is an agricultural technology company focused on crop improvement, particularly in soy protein innovation. By leveraging its proprietary CropOS™ platform, the company integrates machine learning, genomic data, and traditional breeding techniques to streamline the development of healthier and more sustainable food products. Benson Hill emphasizes unlocking the natural genetic diversity of plants to empower innovators in creating flavorful and nutritious ingredients. The company operates a Crop Accelerator for rapid prototyping and is developing a diverse seed portfolio that includes protein ingredients, aquaculture, specialty animal feed, and vegetable oils. Its revenue is generated from both proprietary and non-proprietary product categories, reflecting its commitment to advancing agricultural innovation.

Adarza BioSystems

Series C in 2017
Adarza BioSystems is an early-stage medical diagnostics company developing a rapid and label-free biological assay platform for measuring clinical and point-of-care (POC) samples. In addition to performing sophisticated clinical tests within minutes, this technology potentially allowing hundreds of tests to be run simultaneously on a single chip. It was founded in 2008 and headquartered in St Louis, Missouri.

Adarza BioSystems

Series B in 2016
Adarza BioSystems is an early-stage medical diagnostics company developing a rapid and label-free biological assay platform for measuring clinical and point-of-care (POC) samples. In addition to performing sophisticated clinical tests within minutes, this technology potentially allowing hundreds of tests to be run simultaneously on a single chip. It was founded in 2008 and headquartered in St Louis, Missouri.