Reservoir acquires Contain to scale agtech startups

In its first-ever company acquisition, funding agency Reservoir Co. has bought agriculture finance and information platform Include Inc. It has appointed the Reno, Nev.-based firm’s founder, Nicola Kerslake, as a basic companion.

Kerslake will chair Reservoir VC’s funding committee and oversee its underwriting capabilities because the agency expands its footprint into agricultural gear and managed surroundings agriculture (CEA) to assist “rugged AI” startups transition from pilot to business scale. Monetary phrases of the deal weren’t disclosed.

“Reservoir invests the place AI, {hardware}, and agriculture meet within the area, and people corporations want capital companions who perceive deployment, unit economics, and enterprise fashions,” said Danny Bernstein, founder and CEO of Reservoir and managing companion of Reservoir VC. “Nicola constructed that self-discipline at Include. Bringing her and the Include platform into Reservoir can provide startups fashions that higher align with the realities of scaling rugged AI-enabled know-how.”

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Include so as to add startup expertise to Reservoir

The transaction marks Reservoir’s first acquisition and provides a brand new layer to its value-creation mannequin for startups. By including Include’s market, underwriting, financing expertise, and market intelligence capabilities, the Salinas, Calif.-based company is increasing the way it may help startups transfer from pilot to business scale.

“Reservoir is constructing a brand new trusted rural establishment the sector has wanted for a very long time: Capital that understands {hardware}, incubator farms the place that {hardware} is put to work, and diligence that doesn’t finish on the information room,” mentioned Kerslake. “Collaborating with Reservoir over the previous six months developed our rugged AI thesis, and now I’m excited to work extra intently on growing Reservoir VC’s subsequent fund.”

Earlier than founding Include, Kerslake based Newbean Capital and launched and offered Indoor Ag-Con, one of many sector’s largest and best-known conferences for indoor and controlled-environment farming. She has greater than a decade of expertise in managing early-stage enterprise capital mandates. Kerslake’s background spans institutional funding, enterprise capital, and agricultural finance.

Reservoir is presenting a two-day occasion in August 2026 referred to as Ruggedize, centered on the challenges of constructing robots and automation for agricultural purposes. The occasion can be hosted on the Reservoir’s web site in Salinas.