Trailhead Capital

Avalo is a plant biology company that employs interpretable machine learning, genomic discovery, and evolutionary theory to expedite the development of new crops tailored for future agricultural needs. Utilizing AI-assisted plant breeding methods, Avalo creates non-GMO products that foster natural biodiversity. Its core technology, a discovery engine, can swiftly identify genetic bases of complex traits even in understudied crops, reducing time and cost significantly compared to traditional methods. This enables Avalo to forecast and enhance crop traits like drought tolerance and nutrient density, adapting agriculture to changing climates.

Edacious is a Public Benefit Corporation focused on creating a radical transparency-based food verification system aimed at fostering a nourishing and sustainable agri-food system. The company develops a platform that emphasizes the verification of food quality, recognizing it as a crucial outcome for the packaged goods, retail, and supply chain industries. By providing businesses with access to this technology, Edacious enhances product integrity while promoting environmental sustainability, ultimately benefiting both the planet and the consumers.

Eion is a company focused on providing permanent and verifiable carbon removal solutions through enhanced rock weathering applied to agricultural soils. By capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, Eion supports farmers and the agricultural sector in their efforts to achieve decarbonization. The company emphasizes rigorous scientific verification in its processes, ensuring that its contributions to carbon management are both effective and credible. Eion's services not only address environmental concerns but also offer a practical pathway for the agricultural industry to reduce its carbon footprint.

HerdDogg, Inc. is a company that specializes in real-time livestock monitoring solutions for producers across various sectors, including beef, bison, dairy, and sheep. Founded in 2015 and based in Ashland, Oregon, the company offers a two-part system consisting of DoggTag ear tags and a passive device known as DoggBone. These components work together to collect and transmit data on individual animals, allowing ranchers to monitor breeding, health, and traceability through a mobile app and software platform. By providing insights into the activity, health, and location of each animal, HerdDogg enhances herd management and supports data-driven decision-making for livestock producers.

HerdDogg, Inc. is a company that specializes in real-time livestock monitoring solutions for producers across various sectors, including beef, bison, dairy, and sheep. Founded in 2015 and based in Ashland, Oregon, the company offers a two-part system consisting of DoggTag ear tags and a passive device known as DoggBone. These components work together to collect and transmit data on individual animals, allowing ranchers to monitor breeding, health, and traceability through a mobile app and software platform. By providing insights into the activity, health, and location of each animal, HerdDogg enhances herd management and supports data-driven decision-making for livestock producers.

Clean Crop Technologies, based in Haydenville, Massachusetts, specializes in innovative food processing technology that enhances grain and nut quality while reducing waste and safety risks. Founded in 2020, the company's core product is a proprietary 'Clean Current' system which combines electricity with air to generate ionized gases. This process effectively removes toxins, molds, and pests from crops without compromising food quality or creating harmful residues. By extending shelf-life and improving crop yields, Clean Crop Technologies aims to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance food safety.

Funga is a biotechnology company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, that focuses on enhancing forestry outcomes through the application of the forest fungal microbiome. By leveraging advanced DNA sequencing and machine learning, Funga conducts groundbreaking research on forest microbiomes to identify and deploy suitable native, biodiverse communities of mycorrhizal fungi. This innovative approach aims to improve the quality of wood production, increase carbon sequestration, and foster the resilience of forests, thereby contributing to solutions for the climate crisis.

Eion is a company focused on providing permanent and verifiable carbon removal solutions through enhanced rock weathering applied to agricultural soils. By capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, Eion supports farmers and the agricultural sector in their efforts to achieve decarbonization. The company emphasizes rigorous scientific verification in its processes, ensuring that its contributions to carbon management are both effective and credible. Eion's services not only address environmental concerns but also offer a practical pathway for the agricultural industry to reduce its carbon footprint.

Mad Capital is a financing platform focused on supporting the agricultural sector, specifically targeting regenerative organic farmers. The company aims to accelerate the adoption of regenerative and organic farming practices by providing tailored financial products and resources. By facilitating access to capital, Mad Capital seeks to impact significant areas of farmland, thereby promoting sustainable agricultural practices and contributing to the wider movement toward regenerative agriculture.

FoodMaven Corporation operates a digital marketplace based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Established in 2015 and formerly known as FoodEx Corp, the company connects local food distributors, manufacturers, and producers with restaurants and institutional kitchens. Its platform specializes in selling dated, perishable, oversupplied, and imperfect grocery items at discounted prices. FoodMaven's commitment to sustainability includes donating unsold food to hunger initiatives, animal feed, and composting operations, aligning its business model with environmental responsibility.

Swarm Engineering is a developer of a sophisticated Software-as-a-Service platform that utilizes cognitive computing to enhance efficiency in the food supply chain and logistics sectors. Its innovative software employs a multi-agent system integrated with machine learning to optimize various business processes, including load planning, inbound logistics, product blending, and pricing. By connecting multiple processes both within and outside corporate firewalls, Swarm Engineering's solution provides comprehensive benefits rather than isolated optimizations. This approach enables companies in the food, logistics, and container port industries to significantly reduce costs while improving operational effectiveness.

Clean Crop Technologies, based in Haydenville, Massachusetts, specializes in innovative food processing technology that enhances grain and nut quality while reducing waste and safety risks. Founded in 2020, the company's core product is a proprietary 'Clean Current' system which combines electricity with air to generate ionized gases. This process effectively removes toxins, molds, and pests from crops without compromising food quality or creating harmful residues. By extending shelf-life and improving crop yields, Clean Crop Technologies aims to reduce post-harvest losses and enhance food safety.

Provision Analytics Inc., founded in 2018 and headquartered in Calgary, Canada, specializes in cloud-based solutions for food safety management. The company provides software designed for food processors and manufacturers, streamlining food safety processes by automating data input and recall procedures. This technology connects detailed process data with production outcomes, enabling the generation of analytics that help minimize food loss and improve quality control. By enhancing traceability and tracking throughout the supply chain, Provision Analytics supports the food industry in ensuring safety and compliance.

Trace Genomics, Inc. is a company focused on advancing soil health and microbiome analysis through artificial intelligence-based diagnostic tools designed for farmers. The company provides a soil microbiome test that utilizes DNA sequencing and a comprehensive database of microbial species to predict soil diseases, assess soil health, and enhance crop quality. By analyzing the microbial composition and diversity within soil samples, Trace Genomics offers valuable insights that empower farmers to make informed decisions regarding soil management, crop selection, and the application of fertilizers. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Burlingame, California, with an additional office in Ames, Iowa, Trace Genomics aims to support sustainable agricultural practices by providing actionable information that enhances soil productivity and sustainability.

Earthshot Labs is a developer of a climate mitigation platform focused on ecological restoration on a global scale. The company utilizes an AI-powered platform to connect investors, carbon buyers, and land stewards, facilitating the financing of projects that promote ecological restoration while ensuring equity for local communities. Its comprehensive tool allows users to algorithmically identify specific regenerative strategies tailored to individual land parcels, ultimately enabling clients to maximize both the natural and economic potential of their land. Through its innovative approach, Earthshot Labs aims to enhance ecosystem regeneration and contribute to climate solutions worldwide.

Ascribe Bioscience, established in 2017 and based in Ithaca, New York, specializes in developing crop protection products. Their primary focus is creating seed treatments that bolster plants' innate defenses against pathogens like Rhizoctonia, without leaving a negative environmental footprint. The company's innovative approach involves studying the molecular interactions between microbes and plants to identify immunity-activating signaling molecules.

White Leaf Provisions, Inc. is a South Carolina-based company founded in 2016 that specializes in the manufacture of organic food products. The company is dedicated to producing biodynamic and regeneratively farmed items, ensuring that their products are free from glyphosate, genetically modified organisms, preservatives, and artificial ingredients. White Leaf Provisions focuses on creating nutritious food options for young children and families, including fruit and vegetable-based baby food, apple sauces, and snack boxes. Their mission is to provide healthy, flavorful foods while promoting sustainable farming practices that enhance soil health and environmental well-being. The company's products are available through its website, online retailers, and physical retail stores, making them accessible to a broad audience.

EarthSense, Inc. is a company based in Champaign, Illinois, specializing in agricultural robotics and artificial intelligence. It develops innovative solutions to address challenges in modern agriculture, including labor shortages, environmental concerns, and food security. The company’s flagship product, TerraSentia, is an ultracompact, autonomous robot equipped with advanced sensors and onboard computation for plant phenotyping. EarthSense's platform has three main applications: enhancing crop productivity and sustainability, providing actionable insights for growers, and managing issues such as herbicide-resistant weeds. The modular design of their technology allows for easy integration and participation from other innovators in the field, fostering advancements in agricultural practices. By promoting climate-smart strategies, EarthSense aims to improve plant and soil health while reducing reliance on chemicals and costly inputs.

Vence is a technology company that provides a hardware and software solution for livestock management, focusing on virtual fencing and autonomous animal control. Their platform employs sensors and GPS technology to enable farmers to remotely manage the movement and grazing of cattle through a smartphone application. This innovative approach not only enhances the utilization of available grazing resources but also significantly reduces costs associated with traditional fencing, such as hardware, maintenance, and labor. Additionally, Vence's system offers valuable insights into animal behavior, health, and fertility, ultimately helping livestock breeders optimize their operations and increase protein yield.

HowGood, Inc. is a data platform and research company focused on food product sustainability. Founded in 2007 and based in Brooklyn, New York, it operates the world's largest database assessing over 33,000 ingredients, chemicals, and materials. HowGood provides detailed insights into sustainability factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, animal welfare, and labor risk, enabling brands, retailers, and investors to enhance their environmental and social impact. The company's offerings include ingredient-level sustainability analysis, product ratings, and sales data, which assist in strategic decision-making for sourcing, manufacturing, and marketing sustainable products. The in-store ratings are accessible on product shelves and through a mobile app, facilitating informed purchasing decisions for consumers.

TeleSense, Inc. is an Agtech company specializing in real-time environmental monitoring solutions for the food and grain industry. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, TeleSense utilizes a suite of advanced sensors to provide grain managers with actionable insights regarding their stored grain, enabling informed storage decisions. The company's products include CellularSpear for monitoring grain conditions, SensorBall for storage temperature and moisture monitoring, and BuffaloBox, which retrofits traditional temperature cables to wireless systems. TeleSense's platform integrates cloud-based technology and machine learning algorithms to continuously monitor critical parameters such as temperature, humidity, and moisture, sending real-time alerts to users via the TeleSense app. This approach eliminates manual monitoring, minimizes grain spoilage, and enhances operational efficiency, ultimately increasing profitability across various sectors including agriculture, food supply chain, and commercial cooking.