Terva, the ‘Zillow of agricultural farm real estate,‘ is getting some seed money from the Ag Startup Engine at the Iowa State University Research Park. This is the fifth Iowa-based startup ASE has invested in since its formation.
The Ag Startup Engine effort was launched two years ago to help address two fundamental gaps that prevent agricultural startups and entrepreneurs from being more successful in Iowa: early, seed-stage investment and organized mentorship from successful Iowan and Midwestern entrepreneurs. Terva’s central mission is to make the world’s farmland information more accessible. The company achieves this mission through its online marketplace for farmland real estate. Terva streamlines the farmland sales and rental process by connecting landowners with farmers and real estate professionals so they can buy, sell, and rent farmland.
“Growing up on a fifth-generation family farm, I was raised to solve problems,” said Steven Brockshus, CEO of Terva. “That’s exactly what we do at Terva. We’re
using technology to tackle the issue of land access. I’m grateful to join the Ag Startup Engine and learn from the incredible network of agricultural leaders
involved.”
Terva joins their fellow Iowa-based startups Performance Livestock Analytics, Nebullam, Gross-Wen Technologies, and Smart Ag in the portfolio companies of
the Ag Startup Engine Fund. ASE aims to provide agricultural entrepreneurs a structured means of moving from a startup concept to a seed-ready business.
Working in partnership with ISU’s Startup Factory Accelerator, the program is implementing an infrastructure for mentoring, rapid prototyping, product
development, financing, and customer acquisition.
“We are investing in the emergent agtech ecosystem in Iowa,” said Joel Harris, co-director of the Ag Startup Engine. “This is such an exciting space for investors
and entrepreneurs to explore. We’re so happy to support the growth in Iowa.”
Over the next two years, the Ag Startup Engine hopes to add five-to-ten more agriculture technology startups like Terva to the portfolio, ranging from animal health to precision agriculture.
