Village Capital uses the power of peer support to change the traditional dynamics between investors and entrepreneurs, providing access to entrepreneurship for everyone.  We recruit entrepreneurs solving specific problems in agriculture, energy, education, financial inclusion, and health. We then put the power of investment in the hands of the entrepreneurs, who award pre-committed seed funding to the two ventures ranked highest by the entrepreneurs at the end of every program. Our programs connect high potential, early-stage entrepreneurs with the people, institutions, and capital they need to succeed. We support early-stage ventures with a 501c3 nonprofit that operates training programs for founders, investors, and communities. We also manage a for-profit, managed investment fund that provides early-stage capital to top graduates of each program, as selected by their peers. Our unique peer-selection model received McKinsey/Harvard Business Review’s prestigious M-Prize for innovation in 2013, and we have supported more than 550 enterprises across 51 programs in 9 countries. Since 2009, Village Capital has supported more than 1,000 entrepreneurs through our programs and partnered with affiliated investment funds, including VilCap Investments, that have invested seed capital in more than 90 program graduates. Over the past 8 years, our program graduates have gone on to generate $61.5M in revenue, reach 8.5 million customers, and create over 11,500 jobs. 96% of our alumni would recommend our program to other entrepreneurs, and to date and 91% of our entrepreneurs are still in business.

Village Capital

Rev1 Ventures is an investor startup studio that combines capital and strategic services to help startups scale and corporates innovate. Based in the Midwest, and in a top city for scaling startups, Rev1 aligns innovators and founders with corporate and research partners to access customers and markets, helping entrepreneurs build great companies. With a proven track record of identifying, guiding, and investing in high potential startups, Rev1 helps companies solve real problems for markets in need of real solutions. Rev1 has $100MM+ in capital under management, providing a capital continuum from corporate and community partners, as well as Ohio Third Frontier. Rev1 has been named among the Most Active VCs in the Great Lakes Region for the past three years in a row according to PitchBook. For more information, visit www.rev1ventures.com.

Rev1 Ventures

Queen City Angels (QCA) is a group of experienced, accredited investors committed to accelerating the growth of early-stage businesses in the Cincinnati area and the surrounding region, via smart investments capable of producing a substantial return.

Queen City Angels

Ohio TechAngels Funds are a group of for-profit angel investor funds that invest in highly promising early stage Ohio-based C-Corporations in IT, advanced materials, and life sciences.  More than 340 high net-worth accredited investors contribute to the funds, making it the largest angel network in North America. While OTAF founder, John Huston, is the Manager of each fund, TechColumbus serves as the Managing Member of each fund and provides key administrative and entrepreneur support.  The Ohio Third Frontier Program co-invests in the funds, and OTAF also has a strong network of collaborators and partners.     OTAF’s mission is to “Turn great ideas into prized companies to build entrepreneurial wealth”.  To-date, OTAF and its sidecars have invested $28 MM in 44 companies that have raised $355 MM from other sources.  Four companies have achieved positive exits and 10 companies were complete losses. The 30 active companies currently employ 421 people with average salaries of $87,275, and are generating about $50 MM in annual revenues.  The typical OTAF investee is in the late “Seed”, “Start-up” or “Early” lifecycle stages – depending on the industry. We prefer software companies to have demonstrated commercial feasibility by revenue generation.  To qualify for investment consideration from OTAF, the company must be (or plan to be) the following:  1)	Based in Ohio (any region) 2)	Organized as a C-Corp legal entity, incorporated in Delaware or Ohio  3)	Part of one of these subsectors: IT, Life Sciences, or Advanced Materials  How are OTAF investments structured?  OTAF IV will make 14 initial investments of $325,000, and seven of these companies will receive follow-on investments of $175,000.  Individual OTAF members who are interested in increasing their exposure may write checks and invest alongside the fund as “sidecars”. Our typical round size is $750,000 to $2.5 MM, and if this is more than OTAF and sidecars will fund directly, then we will formulate a syndication strategy to socialize the company with our investment partners around Ohio and the Midwest.   OTAF uses a standard term sheet and deal documents based on the NCVA model term sheet for participating convertible preferred equity.

Ohio TechAngels Fund

SVG Ventures|THRIVE is an investment and advisory firm that partners with public and private organizations on strategy, innovation and global expansion. Formed in 2010 and based in Silicon Valley, SVG Ventures|THRIVE invests in early stage technology companies.  The SVG Ventures|THRIVE team consists of accomplished technology leaders from all over the globe. With its vast network, SVG gets deeply involved with portfolio companies to support their success.

SVG Ventures

Maumee Ventures are the venture capital arm of The Andersons Inc. Founded in Maumee, Ohio, in 1947, The Andersons Inc. is a diversified public company rooted in agriculture conducting business across North America in the grain, ethanol, and plant nutrient sectors, railcar leasing, turf and cob products, and consumer retailing

Maumee Ventures

Carmen Innovations

S2G Ventures is a food and agriculture venture fund that invests in entrepreneurs whose products and services meet the shifting demands for healthy and sustainable food. The firm's mission is to catalyze innovation to meet consumer demands for healthy, sustainable, and local food. S2G will identify sectors across the food system that are ripe for change, and form a multi-stage portfolio including seed, venture, and growth-stage investments. It seeks to invest in agriculture, ingredients, infrastructure and logistics, food safety and technology, retail and restaurants, and consumer brands. S2G Ventures was established in 2014 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

S2G Ventures

3Bar Biologics

3Bar Biologics is a bioscience company based in Columbus, OH. The firm is dedicated to applying disruptive technologies to create ecologically sound products that sustainably increase yields and protect farmer’s investments in land and seed.  3Bar’s first product is Bio-YIELD, an all-natural, sustainable microbe inoculant system. Bio-YIELD was first introduced to the market in 2014 serving eastern Corn Belt growers. We will broaden to the global market as we generate supporting data for additional markets.  Scientists at The Ohio State University invested more than 15 years of research to produce the discovery process that identified the unique beneficial bacteria that are the foundation of this organic solution for increasing yields in corn, soybean, wheat, and other crops.

Ohio-based 3Bar Biologics provides proprietary packaging solutions for biofertilizer products through its “LiveMicrobe” technology. LiveMicrobe is a two-chamber packaging in which dry microbe formulations are stored in the cap. These can be “activated” via just-in-time fermentation with a push of a button. The microbes are then inserted into the nutrient solution for fermentation to occur within the packaging itself, generating the biofertilizer solution when it is needed.

Natural Fertilizers

3Bar Biologics Drives Sustainability and Profitability in Agriculture Industry

Ohio-based 3Bar Biologics provides proprietary packaging solutions for biofertilizer products through its “LiveMicrobe” technology. LiveMicrobe is a two-chamber packaging in which dry microbe formulations are stored in the cap. These can be “activated” via just-in-time fermentation with a push of a button. The microbes are then inserted into the nutrient solution for fermentation to occur within the packaging itself, generating the biofertilizer solution when it is needed.3Bar Biologics has also developed a proof of concept product “Bio-YIELD,” which is a liquid phosphate biofertilizer formulation made from the “Pseudomonas brassicacearum” microbe strain that uses the company’s LiveMicrobe packaging. Bio-YIELD uses microbes to increase phosphorus availability to plants by solubilizing soil-bound phosphorus. Bio-YIELD claims to increase corn yields by up to 7 bushels per acre and increase margins by up to USD 20 per acre. The company offers Bio-YIELD as a B2B product via private-label manufacturing and distribution support as well as direct purchase through retailers and distributors.3Bar Biologics' last funding round was in November 2021, when it raised USD 250,000 in seed funding from S2G Ventures for the commercialization of its microbe technology.

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 Based in Michigan, Gantec offers plant-based liquid fertilizers, micronutrient supplements, concentrates and biopesticides using a proprietary process called “Bio-Adaptive Supplementation” (BAS). BAS extracts properties from plants that thrive in extreme environments such as the neem tree and converts them into fertilizers. Gantec’s products can be applied to a range of crops, including field crops, root crops, vegetables, and tree and bush crops. The company initially began sourcing its raw materials from West Africa, and, as of May 2022,  sourced it from six continents.  
 
 
 Gantec’s BAS solutions claim to improve plant resiliency, nutrient uptake, yield, and growth. For instance, based on a trial conducted by the Saginaw Valley State University, applying the company’s GantecPro liquid fertilizer to cherry tomatoes increased the yield by 17%. For potatoes, based on another trial conducted by the Michigan State University, applying GantecPro increased the yield by 11%. 
 
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Gantec Inc

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 Based in Washington, Impact Bioenergy manufactures portable systems that convert organic waste to produce electricity and fertilizer. The company started manufacturing its own biofertilizer product called “ProBiotic Plant Food” (PBF)  in July 2020. PBF is a compost biofertilizer, which is made by first creating a “smoothie” from waste food such as spent yeast, curds, whey, and trub. This is then digested by microbes in a 30-day process to convert it into PBF. The final product is dried and pulverized to create a mix called “PBF Mix No 7.” Based on a trial conducted by Forest Garden Farm for a butternut squash tree, PBF increased yields by almost 30% compared to using a standard fertilizer. 
 
 
 The company also adds fish bone meal, poultry feather meal, biochar, and mealworm frass to the base product to produce different blends of PBF, which is offered as a dry blend or concentrated liquid blend that can be mixed with water to make a fertigation liquid. PBF initially was available to B2B customers on a subscription basis and then later targeted B2C customers selling online via ecommerce sites such as Amazon.  
 
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Impact bioenergy

Based in France, Toopi Organics converts human urine (which is naturally high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) into fertilizer called “BACTIPI" using a proprietary patented fermentation process. The process involves collecting and filtering ‘pure’ urine (not mixed with water) from public places including schools, stadiums, and amusement parks before fermentation. The company ferments the cleaned urine at its production facility in Loupiac de la Réole France using 5,000 liter fermentation tanks along with sugar and Lactobacillus paracasei lactic bacteria to create a 100% organic fertilizer.“BACTIPI” can be applied to field crops, vine crops, home gardening, and industrial crops and promotes the growth of microorganisms and solubilizes phosphorus in the soil, increasing plant and root growth. The company has demonstrated that its fertilizer has similar efficiency and is a cheaper alternative to other chemical fertilizers in the market.Toopi aims to partner with local companies including farmers, fertilizer distributors, and sanitation companies to set up and operate urine processing plants. Toopi will handle the production of the fertilizer, while the partnering company will handle distribution. As of May 2022, Toopi states had set up a subsidiary in Belgium and was actively working with companies in Benin and Kenya to commercialize its products. The company had also signed an agreement with a large fertilizer distributor in France (name undisclosed) to sell its fertilizer for the following three years. Toopi has received approval to sell its products in Belgium and expects to obtain the same in France in 2022.Financials and Funding:In <a href="https://techfundingnews.com/french-startup-toopi-organics-raises-95m-to-turn-human-urine-into-crop-biostimulants/">November 2023</a>, Toopi Organics raised EUR 8.4 million (~USD 9 million) from EIC Accelerator, a European innovation programme for deep tech startups. The funding comprises a EUR 2.4 million non-dilutive grant and EUR 6 million in equity to be invested in 2025. Also, in <a href="https://techfundingnews.com/french-startup-toopi-organics-raises-95m-to-turn-human-urine-into-crop-biostimulants/">September 2023</a>, the company raised EUR 16 million (~USD 17 million) in funding to expand its urine collection network.&nbsp;Previously, In <a href="https://www.eu-startups.com/2021/04/bordeaux-based-toopi-organics-scales-up-urine-recycling-network-in-france-with-e3-8-million-funding">April 2021</a>, The company received a EUR 3.8 million (~USD 4.1 million) grant from ADEME (The French Agency for Ecological Transition). The company planned to use the funds to build a network of urine recycling plants in partnership with toilet manufacturers, installers, and collectors.

Greentech TOOPI Organics

Reazent is a Canadian company that has developed a patented technology to organically replace agrochemicals. The company focuses on loading plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) to treat the soil and the plant. The company states that its technology can be applied across a wide range of crops such as soybean, peanuts, wheat, kale, and lettuce.Studies show that only 0.1% PGPR strains have been commercialized to date. Reazent claims that its competitive advantage is that it can work with up to 116 PGPR strains and has identified that soil bacteria have a second metabolite that can be used to up-regulate plant defense and root growth genes in plants. The company further claims that its technology helps in achieving an improvement of 5x in the plant’s immune system, thereby providing protection against pesticides as well.As of June 2022, the company has not commercialized and is actively working on obtaining regulatory approval for the sale of its products in Canada and the US. Based on trials conducted in 2020 across different growing conditions, its product has demonstrated a 400% increase in soybean root nodules, a 30% increase in peanuts above-ground biomass, and up to a 35% increase in peanuts pod dry weight when compared with synthetic and other organic products. In October 2020, the company reported that it had many trials underway, including for tomato, and was expecting results by December 2021. The company noted in November 2021 that it would be extensively trialing its fertilizer product for soybeans in North America, Brazil, and India during the following growing season.Funding and financialsIn May 2020, the company received CAD 350,000 (USD 250,000) in seed funding as part of joining IndieBio’s accelerator program. The funds were to be used to conduct trials for its prototype fertilizer product at the <a href="http://www.verschurencentre.ca/">Verschuren Center for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment </a>at Cape Breton University ass well as to develop its product for large-scale trials. In <a href="https://crushdynamics.com/news/natural-products-canada-supports-over-4m-in-commercialization-activity-for-seven-promising-canadian-food-and-agriculture-companies/">February 2023</a>, the company raised USD 15,600 from Natural Products Canada, a non-profit organization that supports Canadian bio-based innovation and commercialization to fast-track the development of a regulatory plan.

Reazent

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 Based in Spain, Ficosterra is a marine biotechnology company that offers seaweed and algae-based fertilizers and biostimulants, with applications in agriculture, landscaping, and turf. The company offers fertilizer under the brands “Ficosterra-g” (algae-based) and “Ficosgreen” (algae and seaweed-based), made using its “Biological Crop Booster” (BCB) technology. BCB combines microbes and algae extracts to produce soil-regenerating microbes.
 
 
 As of June 2022, Ficosterra operated two manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Spain and sold its products via its own online store, serving the local and overseas markets (launched across the US and Europe in 2019). 
 
 
 To expand the reach of its products in Spain, in October 2018, the company partnered with Sipcam Jardin, a Spanish multinational distributor of fertilizers, nutrients, and biostimulants, for the distribution of “Ficosterra-g,” Ficosterra’s algae-based fertilizer. In January 2021, Ficosterra also partnered with Algas Marinas (AlgaMar), a Mexico-based company producing algae-based products for agriculture and human consumption, to jointly launch “Ficosterra America,” which would serve both the American and European markets. Ficosterra and AlgaMar were to combine their seaweed and algae nutrient-extracting technologies to develop and produce fertilizer.
 
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Focisterra

Contain bacteria such as Rhizobia, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, and blue-green algae that transform nitrogen into organic compounds that can be absorbed by the plant

Contain bacteria and fungi capable of breaking down insoluble phosphates to make them available to crops

Contain rhizobacteria that can act as biofertilizers, bioprotectants

Contain organic matter such as animal dung which enriches the soil with microorganisms

Fertilizers derived from animal materials such as cow manure, crushed animal bones, animal blood, shellfish, and fish meal

Fertilizers made with plant material such as compost produced from plant waste, seaweed, cottonseed meal, and soybean meal

Fertilizers developed from natural elements like greensand, rock phosphate, and nitrogen from air

Provides a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers

3Bar Biologics

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