Calling Visionary Founders to Transform Agriculture—In the Field, With Farmers

MEMPHIS, Tenn., (AgPR) Aug. 4, 2025 - AgLaunch has officially opened applications for the 2026 AgLaunch365 Accelerator, a bold, multi-stage challenge designed to catapult the next generation of agtech startups—not in a lab or a pitch room, but in the field, shoulder-to- shoulder with farmers. Applications are due by September 15, 2025.

If you're building a breakthrough startup that can reshape how we grow food, raise animals or steward the land, then we are your proving ground.

AgLaunch365 isn't like other accelerators. We embed founders directly into the real-world complexity of farming. Selected startups will partner with AgLaunch's aligned and connected national farmer network, made up of farmers working hundreds of thousands of acres, more than 150 crops and all major classes of livestock. Using standard trial protocols and milestones, these innovation-ready producers operate across diverse regions and production systems throughout the country, forming a massive, real-time feedback loop that powers technology validation and adaptation at scale.

What Accepted Startups Gain


• Investment: $100K initial investment, with additional milestone-based capital available through seed round to prepare for a strategically timed Series A.
• Farmer Insight: Endorsement and co-development support from the trusted national farmer network.
• On-Farm Trials: Commercial-scale testing in real-world conditions in key markets, funded through a sponsored cost-share program developed with the Tennessee Department of Ag and now being replicated across the US.
• Farm Data Access: Datasets from farm operations to train, test and refine your model(s);
• Technical Expertise: Guidance from in-house agriculture expertise from managing farm trials to building regional teams.
• Business Development: Deep understanding of market entry and scaling within a complex agricultural system.
• Strategic Partnerships: Unapparelled access to influential partners like Ag Ventures Alliance and Farm Journal.
• First Access: Priority integration into new AgLaunch ventures including the AgLaunch Data Cooperative and others in development.

What Accepted Startups Give
• 10% equity: Founder-friendly terms to a shared pool benefiting farmers and mission-driven partners,
• Time and Commitment: Willingness to iterate, refine, and scale your technology in collaboration with AgLaunch and its ecosystem,
• Embedded Engagement: Boots-on-the-ground approach to solving complex agricultural challenges in farm regions across the U.S.
• Unwavering Focus: Relentless drive to achieve bold, system-changing outcomes.

What Type of Startups Should Apply

Early-stage, pre-seed startups that are working on groundbreaking technologies that need ongoing feedback iterations from farmers.

• Intelligent Farm Systems: Autonomous machinery, smart infrastructure, AI-driven tools, "plants as sensors"
• Regenerative Biological Solutions: On-farm biomanufacturing, microbial and living inputs
• Farmer-Centered Data Platforms: AI copilots, sensors and cooperative data ecosystems
• Regionally Adapted Innovations: Solutions grounded in place, ecology and local culture
• Full-Stack Ag Robotics: Scalable robotics for labor, precision and value delivery
A full list of 20 "areas of interest" is available HERE

How It Works
The journey begins with a farmer-sourced down-select to yield invitations to a 2-day competitive, in-person Challenge Event in Memphis, Tennessee this fall. Challenge participants will interact with AgLaunch, farmers and investor partners, refine their business models and pitch to secure a spot in the exclusive 2026 AgLaunch365 cohort, which will start in January 2026 with multi-year farm trials starting in Spring of 2026. The startups chosen for the 2026 cohort will receive deep support through product development, field validation and early commercialization built around real farmer trials and co-development across the U.S. integrating into milestone- based capital allocation.

If you would like to learn more, please join us for a short Q&A webinar:

• August 4, 1-2pm CT: Registration link.
• August 14, 12-1pm CT: Registration link.
• August 25, 12-1pm CT: Registration link.

Apply Now
Deadline to Apply: September 15, 2025
Priority date: September 1, 2025
Apply at: www.aglaunch.com/aglaunch-365

About AgLaunch
AgLaunch is an innovation engine built around a national network of forward-thinking farmers advancing agricultural technology through farm trials, knowledge, market access, data and investment. AgLaunch365 is an industry leading commercialization approach which provides multi-year support from proof of concept through Series A. The program consists of its accelerator, farmer-centered business development approach, and multi- year farm trials across the U.S. AgLaunch Farmers LLC is a business network of farmers from across the U.S. that supports startups from idea to scale. www.aglaunch.com

About Ag Ventures Alliance
Ag Ventures Alliance is a 25-year-old farmer cooperative focused on increasing farmer profitability. The cooperative started in 1998 by pooling together financing from farmers in Northern Iowa and Southern Minnesota to build one of the first farmer-owned ethanol plants in the Midwest. A profitable acquisition led these farmers to invest into other new projects and Ag Ventures Alliance expanded into providing venture investments into new startups and value-added projects in the agriculture sector. Ag Ventures Alliance has a high success rate in profitable exits from pre-seed and seed stage investments. www.agventuresalliance.com

About Farm Journal
Farm Journal is the nation's leading business information and media company serving the agricultural market. The company serves the row crop, livestock, produce and retail sectors through branded websites, eNewsletters and phone apps; business magazines; live events including conferences and tradeshows; nationally broadcast television and radio programs; and an array of data-driven, paid information products. Farm Journal is also the majority shareholder of the online equipment marketplace, Machinery Pete LLC. Trust In Food is a Farm Journal division dedicated to accelerating the adoption of climate-smart and regenerative agriculture in ways that work for producers and enhance connection to consumers. In 2010, the company established the non-profit, public charity, Farm Journal Foundation, dedicated to sustaining agriculture's ability to meet the vital needs of a growing population through education and empowerment. www.farmjournal.com