Trailhead Capital Research
Investment Thesis
Trailhead Capital is a mission-driven investment firm created to generate outstanding financial, societal, and ecological returns by backing entrepreneurs who are building the regenerative future of food and agriculture. Founded by Bobby Pelz, a legendary grain broker with 40+ years of global commodities relationships, Trailhead Capital leverages these deep industry connections to identify and support innovative companies disrupting the food system. The firm believes that the global agricultural sector—worth over $200B in direct output and $1.3T indirectly—is at a critical inflection point where regenerative practices, technology, and systemic change can simultaneously improve profitability and ecological outcomes.
Investment Framework: Soil, Systems, Stakeholders
Trailhead employs a proprietary three-pillar investment framework:
Soil: Every investment must demonstrate positive impact on soil health, including improvements to crop yield, nutrient density, carbon capture and storage, aquifer quality, pollinator habitat, runoff reduction, insect health, and local microbiology. The firm assesses soil impacts rigorously using scientific advisors.
Systems: Beyond the farm, investments are evaluated for systemic impact across the broader food system. This includes bolstering profit margins for farmers and ranchers, preserving resources, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building efficient markets that value externalities, mitigating pathogen effects, and embedding resilience into supply chains.
Stakeholders: Recognizing that all economic activity creates ripple effects, Trailhead prioritizes companies that take stakeholder impact into consideration, aiming to realign value to farmers and ranchers, build local and direct markets, remunerate regeneration, develop resilient communities, and provide long-term compounding returns.
Sector and Investment Focus
Trailhead invests across two primary verticals within regenerative food and agriculture:
Producer: Farming practices and technologies addressing soil health, biodiversity, water retention, and carbon drawdown. Specific focus areas include water/irrigation technology, carbon and biodiversity solutions, biological fertilizers, pollination technology, novel farming approaches (agroforestry, controlled environment agriculture), and future farm implements and robotics.
Post-Producer: Technologies disrupting inefficiencies outside the farm gate, including alternative proteins, processing technology, spoilage and waste reduction, and supply chain logistics with AI/ML-powered digitization and predictive analytics.
Stage and Check Size
Trailhead targets Seed and Series A stage investments. Based on their $50M fund size and market positioning, the fund provides:
- Check sizes typically ranging from $500K to $2M at Seed stage
- Capacity for larger follow-on investments at Series A
- Target ownership: 15-20% at entry
Fund Details and Deployment Status
Trailhead Capital closed its inaugural $50M fund in September 2023, with actively deploying capital into the food and agriculture ecosystem. Recent activity demonstrates consistent deployment:
- October 2025: Series A investment in Ascribe Bioscience (sustainable crop protection)
- December 2025: Investment in HerdDogg (data-driven livestock management)
- Portfolio of 12-16 active companies with demonstrated success in follow-on financing
Portfolio and Investment Activity
Trailhead's portfolio spans the regenerative agriculture ecosystem:
Smart Farming & Data: HerdDogg (livestock management), EarthSense (precision agriculture), Vence (smart fencing)
Crop Innovation: Ascribe Bioscience (sustainable crop protection, Series A Dec 2025), Avalo (crop development with ML), Earthshot Labs (soil and crop solutions)
Ecosystems & Carbon: Funga (fungal solutions for soil), Eion (enhanced rock weathering for carbon removal)
Alternative Proteins: Omeat (cell-cultured meat)
Market Development: Local Line (local food producer enablement), other supply chain and post-farm solutions
The portfolio demonstrates active ownership and follow-on investment capacity, with companies securing additional institutional and corporate venture funding from major players like Syngenta Group Ventures and Microsoft-backed initiatives.
Geographic and Sector Preferences
Geographic Focus: Primary concentration in North America (particularly US agricultural regions), with selective global investments leveraging Bobby Pelz's international commodities relationships and knowledge of global food systems. Specific focus on innovation hubs like the Northeast (Ascribe), Southeast (HerdDogg/Memphis region), and agricultural regions across the Midwest and West.
Model Preferences: B2B SaaS for agriculture, climate tech, regenerative agriculture, agtech innovation, alternative proteins, and supply chain optimization.
Tech Preferences: AI and machine learning for crop breeding, predictive analytics, data-driven decision support, precision agriculture technologies, and blockchain for supply chain transparency.
Team and Governance
Founders & Managing Partners:
- Mark Lewis (Co-Founder & Managing Partner): Deep agriculture and regenerative systems expertise
- Pete Oberle (Co-Founder & Managing Partner): Operational and investment leadership
- Bobby Pelz (Founder): 40+ years of global grain trading relationships; ongoing strategic advisor
Investment Team:
- Nick Schroer (Principal - Investments): Investment thesis and deal sourcing
- Sarah Hovde (Head of Investor Relations & Operations): Investor management and operations
Advisory Network:
- Alexander Weisberg, PhD (Venture Partner): Scientific expertise in agriculture and soil science
- Additional scientific advisors providing rigorous assessment of soil and systemic impacts
The team structure balances deep domain expertise (agriculture, regenerative systems) with investment discipline and operational support for portfolio companies.
Decision Process and Investment Approach
Trailhead operates as a partnership with collaborative decision-making among Mark Lewis and Pete Oberle. The fund demonstrates:
- Partnership-based decision process with consensus among managing partners
- Scientific rigor through regular consultation with PhD advisors
- Relationship-driven sourcing leveraging Bobby Pelz's four decades of connections
- Active board participation and operational support for portfolio companies
- 2-4 week typical decision timeline for opportunities within thesis
Lead Tendency
Trailhead demonstrates a lead tendency. Evidence:
- Series A investment in Ascribe (Oct 2025) alongside Syngenta Group Ventures and others
- Willingness to invest in early-stage companies with minimal commercial traction
- $50M fund size suitable for leading Seed rounds ($1-3M) and co-leading Series A
- Recent activity shows investment velocity and conviction
Founder and Company Preferences
Trailhead seeks founders building solutions across the regenerative agriculture spectrum, with particular affinity for:
Founder Type: Technical founders with deep agriculture domain expertise, scientists and agronomists, serial entrepreneurs who've built agricultural companies, and mission-driven founders aligned with regenerative principles.
Company Type: Companies with clear soil/systems/stakeholders framework alignment, scalable technology solutions, capital-efficient business models, and potential for network effects through commodities relationships.
Geography: Flexible on founding location but strong preference for teams with agricultural region connections or enabling rapid customer development and on-farm testing.
Recent Market Positioning
Trailhead positions itself as thought leadership in regenerative agriculture investing:
- Regular publication of market analysis and portfolio spotlights
- Public commentary on food system inefficiencies and investment opportunities
- Board seat positions enabling influence and value-add
- Advisor network providing scientific credibility and technical support
The firm emphasizes that regenerative agriculture requires addressing not just farming practices but the entire food system economics, positioning themselves at the intersection of climate impact, agricultural innovation, and financial returns.
Notable Recent Publications
- "An Informal Guide to Finding Value in the Ag Economy" (Jul 2025)
- "How to Build a Market for Regenerative Agriculture" (Jun 2025)
- "Trailhead Capital: Now Is the Time to Invest in Regenerative Ag" (media feature, Dec 2024)
- "Beyond MAHA Politics: The Case for Investing in Food as Medicine" (Jun 2025)
- Regular "Guidepost" newsletter covering market trends and portfolio company developments
Future Outlook
With $50M capital in active deployment, portfolio companies securing additional institutional funding, and clear thesis articulation, Trailhead is positioned for continued growth in regenerative agriculture VC. The fund demonstrates staying power through a combination of founder-backed capital, clear market thesis, experienced investment team, and proven ability to help portfolio companies raise follow-on institutional funding.