NSF Awards $500,000 to Five Ag Tech Startups

Five startups will share funding for farm technology, with several products set to be tested in North Dakota.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Agriculture

NSF Awards $500,000 to Five Ag Tech Startups

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Should farmers in your area adopt new ag tech like AI-powered sensors and weed control?

The NSF AgTech Engine is awarding $500,000 in funding to five startup companies developing farm technology. A panel of ag producers and independent agronomists selected the five companies from almost 90 proposals.

Why it matters

The funding supports tools aimed at reducing manual labor, detecting crop disease earlier and monitoring livestock health. Testing the products in North Dakota will provide regional performance data and producer feedback for further development.

The NSF AgTech Engine is distributing $500,000 across five selected companies out of almost 90 submitted proposals, with a $100,000 maximum request per applicant. The trial results and commercial timelines for the funded products have not yet been disclosed.

The players

NSF AgTech Engine

The National Science Foundation-backed program that awarded the funding to the five startups.

Scanit Technologies

A Fremont, Calif.-based company that developed the SporeCam pathogen-detection system.

The details

Elevator of Things, based in Champaign, Ill., has a field-tested camera and computer vision system that automates grain probes. Global Neighbor, based in Xenia, Ohio, is developing a combine-mounted Weed Seed Destroyer that uses nonlaser directed energy to prevent weed seed germination. Scanit Technologies, based in Fremont, Calif., is installing SporeCam monitors at eight North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network stations to detect airborne fungal pathogens.

Trials of Seismi ear sensors at a family farm and feedyard are planned, with no date specified.

Market Landscape

The NSF AgTech Engine's funding model channels public research dollars into early-stage agricultural startups before commercial scaling. Selecting companies from nearly 90 applicants signals a competitive pipeline for precision farm tools aimed at growers.

Farmers may gain access to tools that automate grain sampling and provide free disease-risk alerts paired with weather data. These products are still in trial stages, so availability to growers is not yet established.

The takeaway

Early-stage agricultural tools are being tested in real field conditions before wider adoption. Producers interested in these technologies can watch for trial results from North Dakota.