Salinas, California, October 14th, 2025, NewsDirect
Matthew Hoffman, Ph.D., Named General Partner of RESERVOIR VC to Lead Pre-Seed Investments and Ecosystem Growth
The Reservoir, a California-based company dedicated to accelerating the future of agricultural technology and specialty crop farming, announced Reservoir Ventures (VC) — a new evergreen fund focused on pre-seed startups in robotics and autonomy, precision agriculture, and AI-enabled SaaS platforms for specialty crops. Matthew Hoffman, Ph.D., formerly global R&D, AgTech, and digital transformation lead at Driscoll’s, has been named General Partner to guide the growth and development of Reservoir’s investment arm.
Built on the foundation of Reservoir Farms and its on-farm incubator model, Reservoir VC operates a disciplined investment framework that helps founders build capital-efficient companies, leverage AI and existing platforms for accelerated innovation, and scale validated solutions toward faster, higher-quality outcomes. The fund focuses on translating deep technical progress into applied solutions and market traction, advancing the future of climate-smart agriculture through technology and operational excellence.
“Matt joining to lead Reservoir VC is a major step in our strategic evolution and for the broader AgTech community,” said Danny Bernstein, founder and CEO of Reservoir. “He is highly respected across the industry for his approachability, technical depth, pragmatism, and leadership. Matt’s deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in a wide range of specialty crops will accelerate the startup lifecycle from ideas to impact faster than ever before.”
A sixth-generation Californian from a farming family, Hoffman is known for his leadership in advancing technology and data integration at Driscoll’s, backed by more than a decade of experience in specialty crops and digital agriculture. He holds a doctorate from UC Davis and has authored research in sustainable agriculture and knowledge management. Hoffman’s work across industry groups and his focus on connecting global and local stakeholders have driven technology adoption throughout the agricultural value chain.
”AgTech wins in the field. Reservoir goes beyond venture capital — we’re in the community, on the farm, and we know how agriculture works. Joining Reservoir VC as General Partner is a platform for setting a lucrative course for AgTech that works for everyone, growers and investors alike,” said Hoffman. “Reservoir will do this by building a supportive and energizing community around startups that have what it takes to roll up their sleeves and build solutions that help solve the industry’s most pressing challenges.”
Despite specialty crops generating more than $1 trillion in annual global value, less than 5 percent of agtech investment has flowed into this segment — a striking mismatch given the high capital intensity and risk at early stages. Though over 70 percent of specialty-crop growers have already invested in automation or robotics, many startups—particularly those focused on climate-smart solutions—still face steep challenges securing the funding required to scale. Reservoir VC is designed to close this gap by deploying stage-gated early capital to unlock the most promising pre-seed innovations in the space.
Reservoir VC writes pre-seed checks with valuations aligned to today’s AgTech exit realities. The fund emphasizes rigorous capital efficiency—even for deep-tech ventures—and employs stage-gated funding to reward technical milestones and commercial validation. Reservoir’s approach aligns incentives early, with step-ups via secondaries serving as the primary path to investor liquidity. Initial startup investments include Farm-ng (acquired by Bonsai Robotics), TerraBlaster (led by Jorge Heraud, founder of Blue River Technologies), Agriful Software (led by a Stanford team with ties to the Central Valley), and Nexstera Tech (led by Cal Poly alums).
Welcoming New Startups, Partners & Investors
This strategic expansion of Reservoir VC builds on Reservoir’s public–private partnerships and recent state funding commitments, underscoring its growing momentum and industry influence across California and beyond. Founded in 2024, Reservoir’s mission is to bridge the critical divide between promising prototypes and full-scale farm deployment. At the heart of this mission is Reservoir Farms — the organization’s nonprofit, on-farm incubator. Embedded in active production systems, it gives emerging robotics, automation, and digital AgTech teams a rare opportunity to test, refine, and scale their technologies under real farming conditions.
As Reservoir Farms deepens its impact, Reservoir VC is actively inviting like-minded startups, strategic partners, and investors who share its commitment to advancing agricultural technology, sustainability, and grower success. Whether you are a grower, AgTech platform, food company, or impact investor, we welcome you to join us in this collaborative model — helping scale specialty crop production from California’s Salinas Valley to fields worldwide.
For more information about Reservoir Farms and partnership opportunities, please visit www.Reservoir.co.
ABOUT THE RESERVOIR:
The Reservoir develops products and platforms that enable deep tech startups to make a significant impact in agriculture, including a startup incubator and venture capital fund focused on helping AgTech startups succeed where agriculture happens—in the field. Reservoir Farms is the world’s first on-farm robotics incubator, launching in the Salinas Valley and expanding to other key regions, including California’s Central Valley. Reservoir Ventures (VC) backs deep-tech startups solving real problems in high-value crops. By combining R&D space, hands-on grower input, and early-stage capital, the Reservoir helps turn promising ideas into tools for the growers who feed the world. Learn more at https://Reservoir.co.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Goldston, [email protected]
Contact
Jennifer Goldston
AgTech PR
[email protected]