Loading organizations...
Cooperative Ventures is a stage-agnostic venture capital fund based in Bloomington, Illinois, and St. Paul, Minnesota, that invests in emerging agricultural technologies benefiting North American farmers and their broader supply chains. The investment vehicle primarily targets early-stage startups developing hardware and software solutions across broad acre crop production, precision agriculture, supply chain efficiency, farm business management, and environmental sustainability. Beyond providing financial capital, the fund actively leverages the extensive industry expertise and distribution networks of its corporate backers to foster commercial relationships and accelerate market adoption for its portfolio companies. In November 2022, the organization announced its first official transaction by participating in a venture funding round for the autonomous agricultural machinery startup Sabanto. Cooperative Ventures was officially founded in late 2021 as a strategic joint venture between two prominent farmer-owned agricultural cooperatives, CHS and GROWMARK.
Key people at Cooperative Ventures.
Cooperative Ventures was founded as a joint venture between CHS and GROWMARK, both of which are large farmer-owned agricultural cooperatives.
The fund seeks to invest in innovative solutions that help farmers, such as artificial intelligence-powered systems for agricultural data collection, to enhance farming practices.
Cooperative Ventures was founded as a joint venture between CHS and GROWMARK, both of which are large farmer-owned agricultural cooperatives.
The fund seeks to invest in innovative solutions that help farmers, such as artificial intelligence-powered systems for agricultural data collection, to enhance farming practices.
Cooperative Ventures is a venture capital fund that commenced operations in late 2021. It was established as a joint venture between CHS and GROWMARK, two prominent farmer-owned agricultural cooperatives. This strategic partnership was formed to channel investment into innovative solutions for the agricultural sector, leveraging the extensive networks and industry knowledge of its founding organizations.
The fund's core mission revolves around fostering commercial partnerships. It aims to connect promising startups with its farmer-owned cooperative partners, facilitating the integration of new technologies and business models into the agricultural value chain. This collaborative approach is designed to create mutual benefits, providing startups with market access and cooperatives with cutting-edge tools and services.
CHS and GROWMARK, as the foundational partners, bring significant scale and expertise to Cooperative Ventures. Their status as large farmer-owned agricultural cooperatives underscores the fund's commitment to supporting the farming community. This backing provides Cooperative Ventures with a deep understanding of agricultural needs and challenges, guiding its investment decisions towards solutions that can have a tangible impact on farmers.
Cooperative Ventures focuses on identifying and funding innovative solutions that can help farmers. Its investment strategy targets technologies and companies that align with the evolving needs of modern agriculture. For instance, the fund has made investments in areas such as artificial intelligence for farming, exemplified by its support for Precision AI, a developer of AI-powered aerial systems for plant-level data collection.
By bridging the gap between technological innovation and agricultural practice, Cooperative Ventures aims to contribute to the long-term sustainability and efficiency of the farming industry. The fund seeks to empower farmers through access to advanced tools and foster an ecosystem where startups can thrive by addressing real-world agricultural challenges.
Cooperative Ventures has 1 tracked investment across 1 company. The latest tracked deal is $4.4B Series A in constellr in February 2026.
| Date | Company | Round | Lead Investor(s) | Co-Investor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 2026 | constellr | $4.4B Series A | Alpine Space Ventures, Lakestar | Bayern Kapital, Cardumen Capital, CosmiCapital, EIC Fund, FTTF, Kineo Finance, Semapa Next, Vsquared Ventures |
Key people at Cooperative Ventures.
