Verdelis Fund Completes First Year with Focused Portfolio of Early-Stage Investments in Ag-Tech
As of the conclusion of 2025, Verdelis Fund LLC of Verdelis Investments / ProAgInvest LLC completed its first year of operations with a focused portfolio of early-stage investments addressing productivity, sustainability, and efficiency challenges in agriculture and related infrastructure.
Verdelis — led by longtime agribusiness / ag-tech industry leader and CEO Bob Trogele, PhD, and CFO Ralph Pastore, who brings more than 50 years of experience in finance and accounting across various industries — targets technologies with clear real-world applications, strong strategic relevance, and multiple paths to scale.
“Verdelis is off to a great start,” said Trogele. “We look forward to even bigger things in 2026 and beyond.”
In building its portfolio, Verdelis Fund especially emphasizes:
- Balanced exposure across biology, infrastructure, and automation
- Strategic alignment with major industry partners
- Sustainability-driven solutions
- Multiple value-creation paths including direct sales, partnerships, and licensing
Assisting the Fund in its efforts and market outreach is a stellar and growing roster of more than a dozen industry-seasoned Affiliate Consultants and eight Select Collaborators from across the breadth of ag-tech and agribusiness.
Investment Highlights
Among its Representative Portfolio Companies, Verdelis Fund made particular progress in the following areas:
Confluence Genetics. Confluence develops advanced biological solutions to improve animal health and agricultural productivity, initially focused on poultry production. While revenue timing in this sector can be uneven, the company has made steady progress validating its technology through trials and customer engagement, with additional upside from expansion into other animal categories and potential licensing opportunities.
EcoPhage. EcoPhage develops environmentally friendly biological products that protect crops from bacterial diseases, reducing reliance on traditional chemical pesticides. In 2025 the company submitted its third product for U.S. regulatory approval, demonstrating the repeatability of its technology platform.
Emergent Connext. Emergent Connext is building a reliable Internet of Things (IoT) network for underserved rural and agricultural regions. During 2025, the company expanded its network footprint and formed strategic partnerships, including a collaboration with Microsoft’s Airband initiative, positioning it as foundational infrastructure for modern agriculture.
Kilter. Kilter develops autonomous robotic systems that reduce herbicide use through precise, AI-driven weed control. In 2025 Kilter entered into a strategic partnership with Kubota to pilot and commercialize its technology in Europe. The investment was approved and Verdelis Fund’s inaugural portfolio reflects a disciplined approach to investing in practical, scalable technologies aligned with long-term agricultural and sustainability trends.
Verdelis Fund’s inaugural portfolio reflects a disciplined approach to investing in practical scalable technologies aligned with long-term agricultural and sustainability.
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