Sprout
Venture capitalPalmerston North · Pre-Seed–Seed · 17 people tracked
Also known as Sprout Financial Llc
Investment thesis
Sprout is a specialist early-stage investor focused on pre-seed rounds within the agrifood value chain. It backs ambitious founders building world-class, novel technologies aimed at improving resilience, safety and sustainability in the food system, spanning areas such as agricultural biotechnology, food innovation, synthetic biology, novel farming systems, animal health, nutrition deep tech, bioenergy and biomaterials, aquaculture, midstream traceability tech, farm management sensing and IoT, farm robotics, agribusiness marketplaces and fintech, cloud retail infrastructure, and online meal marketplaces. Beyond capital, Sprout supports portfolio companies with connections to follow-on investors and industry players, a roadmap to Series A funding, team-building help, culture development, and customer access through strategic partnerships.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 17 people
from the firm's website
Investments · 2 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBiosensor platform using insect receptors to digitise smell and taste.
Fund performance · per public LP disclosures · 5
as of Sep 2025| Fund | Vintage | Committed | Net IRR | TVPI | DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout Capital IX, L.P. | 2000 | — | 5.7% | 1.40x | 1.42x |
| Sprout VIII, L.P. | 1998 | — | -0.9% | 0.90x | 0.94x |
| Sprout Capital VII, L.P. | 1995 | — | 21.5% | 2.70x | 2.67x |
| Sprout Growth II, L.P. | 1993 | — | 15.4% | 1.98x | 1.98x |
| Sprout Capital VI, L.P. | 1989 | — | 18.5% | 2.16x | 2.16x |
Source: public limited-partner disclosures (CalPERS, CalSTRS). Net IRR / TVPI / DPI as reported by the limited partner; a fund's early-year IRR is an interim estimate (J-curve).
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Sprout invest at?
- Sprout invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does Sprout focus on?
- Sprout focuses on AgTech, Biotech, Cleantech, Deep Tech, Fintech, FoodTech, IoT, Marketplaces, Robotics.
- Where is Sprout located?
- Sprout is headquartered in Palmerston North, NZ.
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