Congratulations to Sentera on their acquisition by John Deere
Hearty congratulations to Sentera, a leading Minnesota-based provider of remote imagery solutions for agriculture, on their recent acquisition by John Deere. Drones equipped with Sentera technology fly over farm fields at high speeds and generate high-resolution images, enabling farmers to assess plant-level health, identify stressors, and manage their crops accordingly.
Founded in 2014, Sentera participated in the first cohort of MBOLD’s Bold Growth program, which provides tailored mentorship to help start-ups achieve their next level of growth.
Bold Growth: Scaling for Success in Food & Ag
The program targets post-accelerator companies with annual revenues between $5 million and $50 million that demonstrate strong growth potential while advancing sustainable practices. Led by Naturally Minnesota and the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, MBOLD is also pleased to welcome Launch MN as a supporter this year, strengthening its commitment to fostering sustainable innovation in Minnesota’s agricultural and food sectors. Open globally to both domestic and international applicants, the program focuses on sustainable protein innovation.
Learn more about Bold Growth.
Applications for the 2026 Program are now CLOSED. Check back in the Spring for updates!
Watch the video above to learn more about the Bold Growth opportunity.
MBOLD Welcomes Bettani Farms, Proeon, and NuCicer to 2026 Bold Growth Cohort
MBOLD is excited to announce that Bettani Farms, Proeon, and NuCicer have been selected to participate in the 2026 Minnesota cohort of the Bold Growth entrepreneurship program.
Bettani Farms, headquartered in California, is on a mission to transform the cheese industry with its proprietary CaseedTM protein ingredient, which enables a new class of protein-rich, dairy-free cheeses that are creamy, melty, and stretchy. Proeon, based in the Netherlands and India, produces next generation plant protein ingredients with superior taste, functional and nutritional profile from sources such as peanuts and mung beans using a proprietary, water-based extraction process. NuCicer, headquartered in California, brings together the power of wild diversity with advanced genomic breeding to unlock the next generation of simply processed, protein and fiber ingredients with their non-GMO chickpea varieties that have up to 75% more protein, shorter growing seasons, and improved agronomics.
Managed by Naturally Minnesota and AURI, with support from the state of Minnesota, Bold Growth provides high growth businesses with tailored mentorship from senior business leaders within and beyond MBOLD’s membership.
A Quick Snapshot of Our Past Cohorts
Our 2025 Cohort consisted of successful companies such as Prairie Fava, Three Farmers Foods, and Laketown Mills
Our 2024 Cohort consisted of successful companies such as Clo Clo Vegan Foods and Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed
Our 2023 Cohort consisted of successful companies such as Step One Foods, LocalCrate, Bizzy Coffee, and HidrateSpark.
Our 2022 Cohort consisted of successful companies such as So Good So You, Sentera, Bizzy Coffee, Peace Coffee, and Katana AgriScience.
The cohort companies receive things like:
A 3 person Advisor group made up of senior-level leaders from within the MBOLD coalition companies. They meet every 6 weeks to discuss progress and additional needs
Tailored work/support on ~2 specific projects
Option to participate in additional cohort-wide education sessions.
Quarterly networking events for existing and previous Cohort members, Advisors, and MBOLD leaders.
All programming is highly customized and will span 6-12 months as needs are determined by the company and Bold Growth program leaders.
“We’ve had a phenomenal experience with Bold Growth. MBOLD spent a lot of time getting to know our business and what we’re trying to solve for. They facilitated connectivity and engagement by the right corporate leaders - people we wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. They were incredible partners. This program has helped us take our business to a whole new level.”