# Robert Shapiro

> Robert Shapiro is a Series A investor at Cultivian Sandbox Ventures backing Farming and Software. See 4 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Cultivian Sandbox Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/cultivian-sandbox-ventures)
- Location: Washington, United States
- Total investments: 4
- Last investment: Sep 2018
- Lead investor: 75%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/shapirorobert

Robert Shapiro is a Series A investor at Cultivian Sandbox Ventures in Washington focused on Farming and Software. Robert Shapiro is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sandbox Industries, a development firm that creates, launches and manages new business concepts. Sandbox Industries also manages venture funds, including the BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners fund.He was formerly Chairman and CEO of Monsanto Company. Upon the merger of Monsanto withPharmacia & Upjohn, he served as Chairman of the newly-formed Pharmacia Corporation.Previously, Robert was President of Monsanto’s Agriculture Group, Chairman and CEO of The NutraSweet Company, a subsidiary of Monsanto, and President of the NutraSweet Group of G.D. Searle & Co., where he previously served as Vice President and General Counsel. Before joining Searle, Robert was Vice President and General Counsel of General Instrument Corporation. Prior to this, he practiced law in New York City; served in government as Special Assistant to the General Counsel and later to the Undersecretary of the U.S Department of Transportation; and served as a professor of law at Northeastern University in Boston and the University of Wisconsin in Madison.Robert has served on the boards of the New York Stock Exchange (later NYSE Euronext), Citigroup Inc., Rockwell International, Silicon Graphics Inc., and Sequus Pharmaceuticals. He currently serves as a director of Theranos Inc., Darkstrand Inc., Sapphire Energy Inc., and Elevance Renewable Sciences.He has also served on the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy, and on the White House Domestic Policy Review of Industrial Innovation. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Robert Shapiro is a 1959 graduate of Harvard College and holds a JD from Columbia University School of Law.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Farming | 1 | 25% |
| Software | 1 | 25% |
| Agriculture | 1 | 25% |
| Enterprise Software | 1 | 25% |

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 1 | 25% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 25% |
| Debt Financing | 1 | 25% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Conservis | Conservis provides farm management software to help you see your operation from the dirt up. Track field activities, manage inventories and analyze yields. The Conservis platform connects your information to manage your progress today and harvest opportunities ahead. Conservis started when four farmers asked our founders for help with workflowmanagement. That was five years ago. Today, the Conservis system is used by the most successful agricultural producers to make informed business decisions. It is trusted to manage over $8 Billion in land, equipment and crop assets at all stages of production to improve bottom-line performance. | $12M |  | Sep 21, 2018 |  |
| Conservis | Conservis provides farm management software to help you see your operation from the dirt up. Track field activities, manage inventories and analyze yields. The Conservis platform connects your information to manage your progress today and harvest opportunities ahead. Conservis started when four farmers asked our founders for help with workflowmanagement. That was five years ago. Today, the Conservis system is used by the most successful agricultural producers to make informed business decisions. It is trusted to manage over $8 Billion in land, equipment and crop assets at all stages of production to improve bottom-line performance. | $9.5M | Debt Financing | Jul 11, 2017 |  |
| Conservis | Conservis provides farm management software to help you see your operation from the dirt up. Track field activities, manage inventories and analyze yields. The Conservis platform connects your information to manage your progress today and harvest opportunities ahead. Conservis started when four farmers asked our founders for help with workflowmanagement. That was five years ago. Today, the Conservis system is used by the most successful agricultural producers to make informed business decisions. It is trusted to manage over $8 Billion in land, equipment and crop assets at all stages of production to improve bottom-line performance. | $5M | Series A | Sep 11, 2015 |  |
| Conservis | Conservis provides farm management software to help you see your operation from the dirt up. Track field activities, manage inventories and analyze yields. The Conservis platform connects your information to manage your progress today and harvest opportunities ahead. Conservis started when four farmers asked our founders for help with workflowmanagement. That was five years ago. Today, the Conservis system is used by the most successful agricultural producers to make informed business decisions. It is trusted to manage over $8 Billion in land, equipment and crop assets at all stages of production to improve bottom-line performance. | $10M | Series A | Sep 08, 2014 |  |

4 of 4 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Aliment Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/aliment-capital) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Aliment Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/pontifaxagtech) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Middleland Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/middleland-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Sandbox Industries](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sandbox-industries) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About Cultivian Sandbox Ventures

VC Fund · Chicago, United States

Cultivian Sandbox is a venture capital firm focused on building next-generation disruptive agriculture and food technology companies capable of generating superior returns. As early investors and active board members, we employ a hands-on approach to building companies and are often directly involved in setting company strategy, recruiting keyexecutives, and raising additional capital. Much more than simply a financial resource, we are capable of delivering tremendous value though active collaboration with our strategic partners and network, which are unparalleled in the agriculture and food industries.As both experienced operating managers and venture investors we add value to portfolio companies both through our highly skilled team and extensive industry network. Our investment team combines the domain expertise and investment experience from Cultivian Ventures and Sandbox Industries. Our expertise in sourcing, evaluating, closing, managing and ultimately exiting successful equity investments positions us not only to build stronger businesses, but reshape industries.

5 contacts available at Cultivian Sandbox Ventures.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amanda Donohue-Hansen | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/amanda-donohue-hansen |
| Ariel Choi | General Counsel | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ariel-choi-8b71 |
| Dan Phillips | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/dan-phillips |
| Robert Shapiro | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/robert-shapiro |
| Ronald Meeusen | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ron-meeusen-e70d |

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## FAQ

### What does Robert Shapiro invest in?

Robert Shapiro invests primarily in Farming, Software and Agriculture startups, most often at Series A and Funding Round stage. Most of the 4 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Robert Shapiro last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Robert Shapiro closed in Sep 2018. Shizune tracks 4 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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