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Mike Wilbur, President and CEO of Cavallo Ventures, was featured in an article in Successful Farming magazine about agriculture innovation. Wilbur talked about how Wilbur-Ellis – through its Cavallo Ventures venture capital arm – is investing in the development of new agriculture technologies, helping to bring them to market for customers.
The Successful Farming story notes the “rise of ag tech in recent years,” which has “introduced a host of new possibilities in agriculture. Ag tech also poses unique challenges and opportunities. By enhancing and deepening interactions with start-ups, major ag companies are elevating technologies that can truly add value for farmers. Their active involvement is defining the future of agriculture.”
In the story, Mike Wilbur discusses how Cavallo Ventures came to be created in 2017. “We wanted to bring organization to how we dealt with these companies and curate the better ones to bring forward,” he said. “We could be innovators in the market, while giving a more value-added experience to our customers.”
The story also notes the unique role Wilbur-Ellis and Cavallo Ventures play, bringing expertise as well as financial investment to promising start-up companies. As the story said:
The investment team leans on the expertise within Wilbur-Ellis to provide candid feedback from the real world. “We are a 100-year-old company. If we are going to make it to the next 100 years, we must constantly be innovating and taking risks,” Wilbur says. “We have a lot of tools and resources in-house that can help entrepreneurs figure out product market fit. The better companies really try to understand if there is a need for their product or service.”
To date, Cavallo Ventures has invested more than $60 million in about 25 start-ups. In nearly every investment, the group has either collaborated on research or partnered with a start-up to commercialize an idea.
Check out the full story in the online version of Successful Farming.