Participated · Seed · Jul 2026

Quercus Biosolutions leverages generative AI tools adapted from drug discovery to design novel mini proteins that bind validated biological targets in weeds. Unlike traditional approaches that screen naturally occurring proteins, the company designs proteins from scratch to potentially overcome mechanisms of resistance to conventional small-molecule herbicides. It currently runs five active programs and has multiple field trials underway. The company plans to expand its herbicide pipeline and pursue regulatory work to advance at least one product toward late-stage development. Quercus is also exploring broader applications of its platform against fungi, insects and other agricultural pests. The recent $5 million seed raise will fund these development and regulatory efforts.

Participated · Equity · Dec 2020

Tractor Zoom operates a cloud-based marketplace that aggregates real-time price and valuation data to simplify procurement of tractors, combines and other farm machinery for farmers, dealers, auctioneers and lenders. The platform lets auctioneers and dealers list inventory while farmers browse, filter and compare listings from mobile or desktop. Since its 2017 founding by Southern Iowa farmer Kyle McMahon, Tractor Zoom has added over 1,450 equipment suppliers, 600 auctioneers and 1,900 dealer locations, and its user base has grown 400%. The company now holds data on more than $20 billion in equipment sale transactions, a 14x increase from 2020, and it offers financing pre-approval services though it is not a lending institution. Tractor Zoom previously raised $3 million in 2020 and recently secured $5 million in a Series A to fund growth. The new capital will be used to expand data-science products and product development with the goal of building a streamlined end-to-end mobile transaction flow, while continuing to focus on the North American agriculture market. Tractor Zoom operates Iron Comps, a pricing and analytics product that tracks used equipment transactions and provides real-time comparable sales for farm machinery. Its Tractor Zoom marketplace lets farmers enter exact make and model details and find auctions where equipment is being sold. The company monetizes through traditional ad buys, primarily from banks and insurance companies. Tractor Zoom has partnered with over 450 auction companies to market more than 6,300 farm equipment auctions to an audience of over 225,000 buyers across the U.S. The company plans to use new funding to scale Iron Comps and to add four hires to its current team of 12. CEO Kyle McMahon developed the idea after attending over 1,000 auctions and positions Iron Comps as a Kelley Blue Book–style valuation tool for heavy equipment. Tractor Zoom operates a digital marketplace that aggregates farm equipment auction listings and lets buyers search by keyword and set auction alerts. The platform uses natural language processing to repurpose sparse auction descriptions and surface details such as hours run and serial numbers. It launched in 2017 and reports 266 auction companies on the platform, 97,000 subscribers, and 102,000 pieces of equipment transacted through the system. The site is monetized primarily through traditional ad buys, especially from banks and insurance companies, with zip-code targeting for local vendors. Tractor Zoom aims to add an Iowa team and expand into agricultural regions beyond the Corn Belt. The company was founded and led by CEO Kyle McMahon, who built the product from firsthand auction experience. Tractor Zoom is an online marketplace that connects farm equipment auctioneers and buyers, aiming to simplify and speed up auction listing and shopping. The company launched mobile apps in November 2017 and a web app in February of this year, built on an AngularJS web framework and the Ionic framework for mobile. Its platform lets auctioneers list large auctions quickly (the company says auctioneers can list a 2,000-lot auction in under five minutes) and lets farmers browse aggregated inventory to find specific equipment. The company’s genesis followed the founder attending more than 1,000 auctions and speaking to over 300 industry participants to validate the concept. Tractor Zoom plans to hire key staff, expand its geographic footprint across North America, bring in more inventory, and release products for other ag-industry players to “bring the equipment buying and selling experience full circle.” Financially, Tractor Zoom completed a $1 million seed round following an earlier family & friends round; the proceeds will be used primarily for team growth, inventory acquisition and North American expansion.