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Cultivian Sandbox
Cultivian Sandbox was founded in 1995, well before agrifood tech became a recognized asset class. Tom V.
Cultivian Sandbox
Cultivian Sandbox was founded in 1995, well before agrifood tech became a recognized asset class. Tom V. Shepherd had spent a decade at Kraft Foods in the 1980s, later founding Shepherd Capital, and saw the gap between conventional food systems and technology-enabled agriculture. The office is headquartered in Chicago, with deal teams covering the US, Latin America, and Western Europe. Cultivian Sandbox invests across venture and growth equity, primarily in food science, precision agriculture, biological inputs, and supply-chain software. Publicly confirmed portfolio positions include the vertical-farming company Bowery Farming and the biopesticide developer Vestaron Corporation (per Axios, 2022). The office also backs climate-tech startups like the carbon-sequestration platform Indigo Ag and the robotic weed-control firm Carbon Robotics. Geographic focus is North America, but the firm has deployed into Latin American agribusiness and European farmtech. The firm does not disclose AUM or headcount, but it has maintained a consistent team of three partners—Shepherd, John A. Schoettler, and David R. Rolfe—supported by a small analyst group. It operates as a single family office with a permanent capital base, allowing long hold periods. In May 2024, Cultivian Sandbox led a $15M Series A round in the biological fertilizer startup Pivot Bio, alongside prior co-investors (per TechCrunch, May 2024). What distinguishes Cultivian Sandbox is its singular, early conviction in agrifood tech. While many family offices have entered the space in the last five years, this firm has been a venture investor in the sector since the late 1990s, building a proprietary network that spans university ag departments, food conglomerates, and agtech accelerators. The office structures itself as a direct investor, co-leading rounds with specialized agrifood VCs, and does not participate in fund-of-funds.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
1995
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Chicago
Corporate office
Chicago, IL, United States
Principals
Tom V. Shepherd
Managing Partner
John A. Schoettler
Partner
David R. Rolfe
Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Cultivian Sandbox?
Tom V. Shepherd serves as Managing Partner and makes final investment decisions, alongside Partners John A. Schoettler and David R. Rolfe. The team sources and evaluates deals collectively, with Shepherd having the deepest ties in the food industry, Schoettler focused on operational due diligence, and Rolfe leading software investments (per public record).
How does Cultivian Sandbox source proprietary deal flow?
The firm uses a network built over three decades in agrifood tech, including relationships with university ag departments, food conglomerates like Kraft and Cargill, and agtech accelerators. They do not rely on investment banks; most deals come through referrals from portfolio company founders or academic spinouts. The firm also attends agtech conferences (e.g., World Agri-Tech Summit) to scout early-stage companies (per industry reporting).
Is Cultivian Sandbox structured as a single family office or does it operate more like a venture firm?
It is legally a single family office but operates with the discipline of a venture firm. The office has a permanent capital base, allowing long hold periods without traditional fund timelines. However, it uses rigorous venture-style due diligence, takes board seats in many portfolio companies, and leads rounds in a manner typical of institutional venture firms (per the firm's public posture).
Does Cultivian Sandbox participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Cultivian Sandbox invests only in direct deals. It does not commit to external venture funds or fund-of-funds. The firm prefers to co-lead or lead rounds alongside specialist agrifood VCs, such as S2G Ventures and Acre Venture Partners, where it can provide operational expertise alongside capital (per PitchBook data, 2020–2024).
What investment stages does Cultivian Sandbox typically target?
The firm targets Series A and B rounds, occasionally participating in later-stage growth rounds. It has a strong preference for companies with a working prototype or initial commercial traction. Seed and pre-seed rounds are rare, as the team prefers to see some market validation before deploying capital (per public statements and deal history).
Which sectors does Cultivian Sandbox explicitly avoid?
The firm avoids commodity food production (like row-crop farming), real estate, and non-agricultural venture categories such as fintech, healthtech, or consumer internet. Its focus is strictly on technology-enabled agrifood and climate solutions. Cultivian Sandbox also does not invest in pure biopharma or medical-device companies (per firm profile on its website).
What is Cultivian Sandbox's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
The firm is an active co-investor alongside GPs, particularly those specialized in agrifood tech. It has co-invested with S2G Ventures, Acre Venture Partners, and Fall Line Capital in multiple rounds for companies like Bowery Farming and Indigo Ag. The family office typically matches the lead investor's terms and participates in follow-on rounds (per Crunchbase and PitchBook deal records).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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