Cultivian Sandbox Ventures

Cultivian Sandbox Ventures is a venture capital firm dedicated to investing in innovative startups within the food and agriculture sectors. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Chicago, the firm focuses on technologies that enhance crop production, animal health, food safety, and sustainability​. The firm has a robust portfolio featuring companies such as Vestaron, which is leading advancements in peptide-based crop protection, Supergut, offering functional food products for gut health, and Sound Agriculture, which develops products to help plants utilize soil nutrients more effectively​​. They also back companies like Geltor, which produces animal-free protein ingredients, and Full Harvest, a B2B marketplace for surplus produce​ (Cultivian Sandbox Ventures)​. Cultivian Sandbox Ventures recently closed its third fund at $135 million, with prominent investors including Archer Daniels Midland, Corteva Agriscience, and Ecolab. This fund focuses on Series A and B deals, with a global investment scope, looking particularly at synthetic biology, AI, and advanced materials​​. The team is led by experienced professionals like Andy Ziolkowski, who has over 30 years in venture capital and merchant banking, and Dan Phillips, who emphasizes the firm's commitment to platform technologies with multiple market applications​.