Innova Memphis

Innova Memphis, established in 2007 by the Memphis Bioworks Foundation, is a venture capital firm located in Memphis, Tennessee. The firm specializes in pre-seed, seed, and early-stage investments in high-growth companies within the biosciences, technology, and agri-tech sectors. Innova aims to connect capital with innovative ideas to develop groundbreaking products and services. By investing in start-ups, the firm not only supports their growth but also facilitates partnerships with established corporations for licensing or further investment opportunities. With a team experienced in management and market expertise, Innova is equipped to transform concepts into viable business units ready to compete in the market. Their approach combines technical knowledge, proven staffing, and appropriate funding to maximize the potential for success in the competitive landscape.

Dean Didato

Partner

Ken Woody

Founder, President and Partner

Past deals in Drones

Global Neighbor

Seed Round in 2021
We seek to accelerate adoption of sustainable ag practices and maximize farm profits through non-chemical, directed energy (DE) solutions. We currently have consumer use DE weed control products selling online and in big-box retailers. Our next product, the WDSD, addresses the challenge of herbicide-resistant weeds in grain crops. The WDSD quickly attaches to combine harvesters and applies DE to weed seeds making them nonviable without chemicals.

EarthSense

Seed Round in 2021
EarthSense, Inc. specializes in developing agricultural robotics and artificial intelligence solutions to enhance farming practices. Based in Champaign, Illinois, the company has created TerraSentia, an ultracompact, autonomous robot equipped with various sensors and onboard computing capabilities for plant phenotyping. This innovative technology addresses critical issues in agriculture, such as labor shortages, environmental impacts, and the need for sustainable practices. EarthSense's platform focuses on three main applications: improving crop productivity and sustainability, providing actionable intelligence for growers, and tackling challenges like herbicide-resistant weeds. The modular design of their technology encourages collaboration and innovation within the agricultural sector, ultimately aiming to create a climate-smart agricultural system that enhances plant and soil health while reducing reliance on chemicals and costly inputs.

Global Neighbor

Pre Seed Round in 2021
We seek to accelerate adoption of sustainable ag practices and maximize farm profits through non-chemical, directed energy (DE) solutions. We currently have consumer use DE weed control products selling online and in big-box retailers. Our next product, the WDSD, addresses the challenge of herbicide-resistant weeds in grain crops. The WDSD quickly attaches to combine harvesters and applies DE to weed seeds making them nonviable without chemicals.

EarthSense

Pre Seed Round in 2021
EarthSense, Inc. specializes in developing agricultural robotics and artificial intelligence solutions to enhance farming practices. Based in Champaign, Illinois, the company has created TerraSentia, an ultracompact, autonomous robot equipped with various sensors and onboard computing capabilities for plant phenotyping. This innovative technology addresses critical issues in agriculture, such as labor shortages, environmental impacts, and the need for sustainable practices. EarthSense's platform focuses on three main applications: improving crop productivity and sustainability, providing actionable intelligence for growers, and tackling challenges like herbicide-resistant weeds. The modular design of their technology encourages collaboration and innovation within the agricultural sector, ultimately aiming to create a climate-smart agricultural system that enhances plant and soil health while reducing reliance on chemicals and costly inputs.

Rantizo

Series A in 2020
Rantizo, Inc. is a company based in Iowa City, Iowa, that specializes in the development and sale of agricultural drones and related equipment. Founded in 2018, Rantizo offers a range of products, including trailers, drone sprayers, spreaders, battery chargers, and batteries. The company provides spraying services for crops using an innovative electrostatic spraying technology that ensures uniform coverage, allowing farmers to apply pesticides and chemicals efficiently and effectively. Rantizo's system is designed to integrate with various drone manufacturers and agronomy systems, addressing key challenges in large-scale agriculture. By delivering targeted liquid and dry applications precisely when and where needed, Rantizo enables farmers to optimize their operations and improve productivity in the field.

Sigma0

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Sigma0 enables seed and crop management companies to access agronomic insights derived from radar technology, enabling them to zero in on crop detail and provide better decisions to farmers. Our solution is more affordable than existing radar technology, simple to use and allows for insights to be derived at any time of day. Sigma0 builds upon years of expertise in radar technology to deliver the first-of-a-kind radar technology data platform for Ag use.

Rantizo

Convertible Note in 2019
Rantizo, Inc. is a company based in Iowa City, Iowa, that specializes in the development and sale of agricultural drones and related equipment. Founded in 2018, Rantizo offers a range of products, including trailers, drone sprayers, spreaders, battery chargers, and batteries. The company provides spraying services for crops using an innovative electrostatic spraying technology that ensures uniform coverage, allowing farmers to apply pesticides and chemicals efficiently and effectively. Rantizo's system is designed to integrate with various drone manufacturers and agronomy systems, addressing key challenges in large-scale agriculture. By delivering targeted liquid and dry applications precisely when and where needed, Rantizo enables farmers to optimize their operations and improve productivity in the field.

EarthSense

Pre Seed Round in 2019
EarthSense, Inc. specializes in developing agricultural robotics and artificial intelligence solutions to enhance farming practices. Based in Champaign, Illinois, the company has created TerraSentia, an ultracompact, autonomous robot equipped with various sensors and onboard computing capabilities for plant phenotyping. This innovative technology addresses critical issues in agriculture, such as labor shortages, environmental impacts, and the need for sustainable practices. EarthSense's platform focuses on three main applications: improving crop productivity and sustainability, providing actionable intelligence for growers, and tackling challenges like herbicide-resistant weeds. The modular design of their technology encourages collaboration and innovation within the agricultural sector, ultimately aiming to create a climate-smart agricultural system that enhances plant and soil health while reducing reliance on chemicals and costly inputs.

Rantizo

Convertible Note in 2018
Rantizo, Inc. is a company based in Iowa City, Iowa, that specializes in the development and sale of agricultural drones and related equipment. Founded in 2018, Rantizo offers a range of products, including trailers, drone sprayers, spreaders, battery chargers, and batteries. The company provides spraying services for crops using an innovative electrostatic spraying technology that ensures uniform coverage, allowing farmers to apply pesticides and chemicals efficiently and effectively. Rantizo's system is designed to integrate with various drone manufacturers and agronomy systems, addressing key challenges in large-scale agriculture. By delivering targeted liquid and dry applications precisely when and where needed, Rantizo enables farmers to optimize their operations and improve productivity in the field.

Skycision

Seed Round in 2018
Skycision offers a crop management platform that assists specialty crop farmers in detecting crop stress up to three weeks earlier than traditional methods allow. Utilizing advanced computer vision and machine learning techniques, the platform processes spectral imagery captured by drones and global satellite constellations. This technology enables farmers to efficiently identify specific areas in their fields that require treatment for pests, diseases, or water stress. By providing actionable insights from drone-collected data, Skycision helps growers save time and money in field scouting and enhances their ability to maximize yield potential. The company aims to disrupt the global agricultural market by leveraging the capabilities of the drone industry, particularly through partnerships with leading drone manufacturers.

Rabbit Tractors

Seed Round in 2017
Rabbit Tractors, Inc., established in 2017 and located in Cedar Lake, Indiana, specializes in the manufacture of miniature autonomous farm equipment designed to optimize pre-harvest agricultural activities. The company offers a range of compact, multi-purpose tractors that are swarm-enabled, allowing multiple units to operate collaboratively in the field. These innovative tractors are tailored to meet the specific demands of farmland, providing farmers with efficient, versatile solutions for their production needs.

EarthSense

Pre Seed Round in 2017
EarthSense, Inc. specializes in developing agricultural robotics and artificial intelligence solutions to enhance farming practices. Based in Champaign, Illinois, the company has created TerraSentia, an ultracompact, autonomous robot equipped with various sensors and onboard computing capabilities for plant phenotyping. This innovative technology addresses critical issues in agriculture, such as labor shortages, environmental impacts, and the need for sustainable practices. EarthSense's platform focuses on three main applications: improving crop productivity and sustainability, providing actionable intelligence for growers, and tackling challenges like herbicide-resistant weeds. The modular design of their technology encourages collaboration and innovation within the agricultural sector, ultimately aiming to create a climate-smart agricultural system that enhances plant and soil health while reducing reliance on chemicals and costly inputs.
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