Farmhand Ventures

Farmhand Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage agtech venture capital firm and startup studio founded in 2022 and based in St. Louis, Missouri. Led by Founding General Partner Connie Bowen, the firm invests exclusively in US-based agtech companies focused on the future of work in agriculture, with a thesis built on three pillars: farmworker equity and well-being, economic viability for agricultural businesses, and climate resilience. The firm deploys up to $250K per external pre-seed startup and uses two forms of risk capital — traditional equity and redeemable equity — the latter allowing founders to buy back equity over time using revenue, reducing pressure for large-scale exits. Farmhand Ventures Fund I targets $25 million in total commitments. The firm also builds companies through a studio collaboration with UC Agriculture and Natural Resources' VINE innovation network. Portfolio companies include L5 Automation (AI-powered strawberry harvesting robots), Scout (AI vineyard analytics), New West Genetics (hemp seeds), and Nutt Bio (swine care). Founders can reach out directly via the startup contact form on the website; cold outreach is welcomed.