Quercus Biosolutions

Quercus Biosolutions closed an oversubscribed $5 million seed round reported on July 29, 2026, led by Serra Ventures. Participants included Starshot Capital, the Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, Flyover Capital, Rootstock Capital, the Iowa Corn Opportunities Fund, AgriCap Fund, Kentucky Corn Plus, AgVentures Alliance, and Ag Startup Engine.

The company designs mini-proteins — peptides — as crop protection compounds, using AI to target protein-protein interactions against validated biological targets. The pitch is that crop protection is borrowing the methods of drug discovery, and that growers facing resistance across their existing chemistry need genuinely novel modes of action rather than reformulations. The capital funds regulatory and field work across a portfolio the company describes as more than five active programs.

Jon Lightner and Matt Crisp lead the company.

On the location: the round coverage did not state a headquarters, and secondary sources describe the company as operating across Madison, Wisconsin and St. Louis, Missouri. It is recorded here under Wisconsin on the strength of its listing in the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s innovation investment portfolio. If a filing establishes a different principal place of business, this entry should be corrected.

The investor syndicate is notable for what it says about how agricultural biotech gets funded in this region: no coastal lead, and five of the ten participants are agricultural producer funds or state-linked vehicles rather than conventional venture capital.