Southern Cross Capital Advisors has established an AgTech Advisory Practice focused on capital formation, strategic finance, and mergers & acquisitions advisory for companies operating across the agricultural ecosystem.
The practice supports businesses developing, commercializing, and scaling agricultural products, production technologies, and critical inputs across the value chain. Southern Cross combines deep capital markets expertise with sector-specific insight through its strategic alliance with Mountain States Ventures (MSV), creating a differentiated advisory platform for operators and investors in production-driven industries.
Our approach emphasizes practical operating alignment, institutional capital readiness, and disciplined transaction execution, tailored to the complexity and unique dynamics of agricultural markets.
Practice Focus & Capabilities
Southern Cross delivers a comprehensive suite of advisory services across the lifecycle of growth and capital deployment:
Capital Formation & Strategic Finance
• Growth capital advisory for AgTech & Ag Innovation companies
• Capital formation and investor process management, including materials and execution
• Capital structuring across debt, equity, and hybrid instruments
• Investor readiness and institutional presentation development
Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory
• Buy-side and sell-side advisory for founder-led and lower middle market businesses
• Ownership transitions, recapitalizations, and strategic exit planning
• Financial diligence, valuation, and transaction execution
• Strategic finance support, acquisition strategy, and capital structuring
• Financial and economic analysis, including pricing strategy and unit economics
Operational & Financial Infrastructure
• Financial reporting and KPI development
• Operational finance infrastructure buildout
• Institutional governance and reporting frameworks
• Market and commercialization strategy driven by end-use economics and ROI
Financial & Transaction Advisory
• Financial diligence, valuation, and investment analysis
• Advanced financial modeling (LBO, DCF, operating models)
• Pricing strategy, unit economics, and margin optimization
• Strategic planning and capital allocation analysis
Southern Cross Capital Advisors and Mountain States Ventures operate the AgTech Advisory Practice through a strategic alliance designed to deliver integrated advisory across capital formation, mergers & acquisitions, and strategic finance for companies operating in agriculture and related industries.
Southern Cross contributes institutional capital markets expertise, transaction execution capabilities, and investor process management. Mountain States Ventures, led by Cody Welborn, contributes sector-specific knowledge, operating experience across agricultural production systems, and direct transaction execution support. Together, the alliance provides clients with a cohesive advisory team across the full transaction lifecycle.
The alliance serves businesses across the agricultural value chain that are navigating commercialization, capital formation, and strategic transactions, with focused coverage in:
Agricultural Inputs, Crop Protection & Biologicals
Seed, fertilizer, chemistry, and biological product companies
Production Systems & Ag Infrastructure
Businesses supplying the equipment, technology, and physical infrastructure that support modern production agriculture
Supply Chain & Logistics Platforms
Operators and technology providers managing the movement, storage, and distribution of agricultural commodities and inputs
Precision Agriculture & Data-Driven Technologies
Companies developing software, sensing, and analytics solutions that improve farm-level decision-making and operational efficiency
The agricultural sector remains one of the most underserved markets across growth capital and lower middle market finance. Founder-led operators, input suppliers, and production businesses have struggled to access institutional capital, not for lack of opportunity, but because the bridge between capital markets and the realities of agricultural business has rarely existed. This alliance was built to be that bridge, connecting institutional capital with the operators, founders, and agricultural businesses that have long deserved better access to it.
Origination & Assessment
We engage directly with management teams and capital partners through an initial discovery conversation to evaluate the opportunity, assess strategic fit, and define the scope of the engagement.
Diligence & Positioning
We conduct detailed financial and operational analysis to assess business quality, identify value creation levers, and develop the positioning framework that will drive the transaction or capital raise. This includes financial modeling, quality of earnings support, and market analysis tailored to the agricultural sector.
Process Management & Execution
We manage the full transaction or capital formation process, preparing marketing materials, managing investor or buyer outreach, coordinating diligence, and leading negotiations. Our team is actively engaged at every stage, not managing from a distance.
Transaction Close & Integration Support
We drive execution through closing, coordinating across legal, accounting, and capital partners to ensure a disciplined and efficient process. Where applicable, we provide post-close support on financial integration, reporting infrastructure, and capital deployment.
Cody Welborn advises operators and investors in agriculture, manufacturing, and industrial businesses, working alongside management teams on acquisitions, recapitalizations, and growth investments, with responsibility across financial diligence and transaction execution. His experience spans private equity, growth equity, private credit, and lower middle market transactions across agriculture, construction, consumer products, and health and wellness.
Cody structures transactions, leads financial diligence and strategic analysis, and drives execution through the investment process. His transaction experience includes financial modeling, valuation analysis, due diligence execution, and preparation of investment memoranda.
Cody developed an early understanding of operating realities at the farm level and across production systems through his experience in a family-owned agricultural equipment business. He later held finance roles within Nutrien’s proprietary seed manufacturing business, developing deep exposure to agricultural innovation across seed genetics, production systems, and commercial ag markets, before moving into investment roles at Cardone Ventures, supporting growth equity investments and ownership buyouts, with early experience at Merrill Lynch.
He has also served as Chief Financial Officer within a family office with investments in construction, banking, agriculture, and real estate.
Mountain States Ventures
Mountain States Ventures is an advisory and investment platform specializing in mergers & acquisitions and strategic finance for agricultural and production-driven businesses. The firm advises owners, operators, and management teams across the full transaction lifecycle.
MSV's coverage includes growth equity, private equity transactions, private credit, ownership recapitalization, and sell-side and buy-side M&A for founder-led and lower middle market businesses. The firm brings direct transaction execution experience alongside sector knowledge rooted in agricultural production systems, inputs, and the commercial dynamics that drive value in these markets.
Representative Engagement Areas
• AgTech & Ag Innovation growth capital advisory
• Capital formation and capital raise support, including investor materials and execution
• Financial diligence and transaction support
• Strategic review and capital structure planning
• Investor materials and institutional presentation preparation
• Financial and economic modeling, including pricing strategy and unit economics
• Operational finance infrastructure and reporting development
Relevant Experience
• Nutrien Ag Solutions – Finance professional supporting financial planning, pricing strategy, and capital analysis for a $400M proprietary seed business; developed deep exposure to agricultural innovation across seed genetics, production systems, and commercial ag markets
• Cardone Ventures – Investment professional supporting growth equity and recapitalization transactions across lower middle market businesses
• New West Capital – Chief Financial Officer for a family office with investments across construction, banking, agriculture, and real estate; overseeing financial reporting, capital planning, treasury management, and investment analysis
• Merrill Lynch – Investment professional supporting investments in equity and fixed income
• Welborn Farm Equipment Services – Operational leadership within an agricultural equipment business, providing early exposure to production systems and operator dynamics
• Platinum Livestock Investment – Founded and scaled a livestock and forage business, executing on arbitrage and value-add opportunities across stocker cattle and hay markets
