The Yield Lab Institute (YLI) in St. Louis today announced the launch of H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech, the next generation of a proven incubator that will further accelerate technical resources and funding for the global agtech startup community.

H.A.R.V.E.S.T. (Harnessing Agricultural Research and Venture Ecosystems for Sustainable Technology) builds on the strong foundation of the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator’s (IN2) agtech track. IN2 is funded by Wells Fargo & Company and co-administered by NREL, a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory. Since 2014, IN2 has supported 77 startups working across the built environment, agtech, and infrastructure sectors. To date, the 26 agtech companies have raised nearly $290 million in follow-on funding, and five have exited via acquisition or merger. These companies worked with the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to validate and de-risk their technologies.

With today’s announcement at a joint event in Denver, Colorado, YLI is joining IN2 to carry the agtech programming into its next chapter. By continuing the shared mission of empowering the global agriculture startup community through research collaborations, field testing, and direct funding opportunities, promising innovations can reach the market faster. H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech will be administered by YLI in St. Louis, Missouri.

YLI also welcomed two new technical partners for H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech: North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative (NC PSI) and University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources (UC ANR), which spans all campuses associated with the UC system.

In addition, YLI announced the launch of its inaugural Ecosystem Partner Network, which will collaborate with AgTech Nation to engage 12 regional ecosystems across the United States and expanding for the first time into leading international innovation hubs in Argentina, Brazil, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

Breakthrough Energy Discovery and NREL Foundation have joined as founding partners, providing critical support for H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech. In addition, the Missouri Technology Corporation provided early funding to ensure Missouri-based IN2 alumni can remain actively engaged in this next chapter.

More information about the H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech program will be shared in the coming weeks online at: www.harvestagtech.org.