InnerPlant CEO and Co-Founder, Shely Aronov, Named to Inc.’s 2025 Female Founders 500 List

InnerPlant, the seed technology company engineering crops that communicate their needs, today announced that CEO and co-founder, Shely Aronov, was named by Inc, the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future, to its eighth annual Female Founderslist. Following a competitive selection process, the 2025 list honors a bold group of 500 women whose innovations and ideas are leading their industries forward. These resilient entrepreneurs expressed grit and drive to collectively attract approximately $9 billion in 2024 revenue and $10.6 billion in funding.

By tapping into plants’ immune systems, InnerPlant engineers crops that emit optical signals detectable by specialized equipment as far away as space when under attack by pathogens, pests, or other stressors.

“The future of modern agriculture involves optimizing every aspect of how we farm, and technology-driven solutions are crucial to unlocking that potential,” said Aronov. “This recognition from Inc. is a testament to the InnerPlant team and underscores the significance of our work in creating a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable agricultural system.”

Each year, Inc. editors review thousands of applications highlighting female founders who are challenging the status quo and tackling some of the world’s biggest problems, and cull applicants through three rounds of judging, looking specifically at an entrepreneur’s bona fides in the past year. Criteria include quantifiable metrics such as revenue, sales, revenue growth, funding, and audience size. Inc. also looks for qualitative metrics including social media momentum and stories of impact.

Honoree selection is also honed through the evaluation of the program’s advisory board: Cate Luzio, founder and CEO of Luminary; Dany Garcia, founder, CEO, and chairperson of the Garcia Companies; Pinky Cole Hayes, founder and CEO of Slutty Vegan; Anu Duggal, founding partner at Female Founders Fund; Katherine Power, serial entrepreneur and partner at Greycroft; Tiffany Dufu, president of the Tory Burch Foundation and founder of the Cru; and Kay Koplovitz, co-founder and chair at Springboard Enterprises, founder of USA Network.

Since co-founding InnerPlant in 2018, Aronov has led the company through impressive growth, including the launch of its first commercial product, CropVoice—a novel fungal insights platform for soybeans. CropVoice helps farmers detect fungal infections early, addressing a problem that costs U.S. soybean growers an estimated $3.2 billion annually. A pivotal first step in InnerPlant’s technology journey to “every seed,” CropVoice enables crops to communicate with farmers for the first time in agriculture’s 10,000-year history. By delivering actionable insights directly from plants, InnerPlant’s new category of seed technology underpins a new era of responsive agriculture, transforming risk mitigation and decision-making on the farm.

The founders cross all industries and bring with them unique stories of success from each stage of the entrepreneurial journey — from startup to going public, being acquired by big buyers, or spending decades at the helm of an organization.

“Female founders know what struggle is, but they’re also experts of improvisation, adaptability, and creativity. The women featured on this year’s list exemplify these qualities. Through times of uncertainty, their unwavering dedication and steadfast leadership are not only inspiring but vital to driving progress,” said Inc. executive editor Diana Ransom.

To see the complete list of honorees, please visit: https://www.inc.com/female-founders

About InnerPlant
InnerPlant is a seed technology company developing novel traits that harness plant physiology and unlock actionable data at scale. The Company’s technology enables the earliest detection of pathogens and other stresses in key crops to make farming more efficient, sustainable, and resilient. By tapping into plants’ immune systems, InnerPlant engineers crops that emit optical signals detectable by specialized equipment as far away as space when under attack by pathogens, pests, or other stressors. InnerPlant’s first commercial product, CropVoice, was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024. The company is backed by leading industry and venture partners, including John Deere, Systemiq Capital, and an alliance of North American farmers via Coutts Agro. For more information, visit innerplant.com

About Inc.
Inc. is the leading media brand and playbook for the entrepreneurs and business leaders shaping our future. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of its community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating the future of business. Inc. is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with fellow leading business publication Fast Company. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Media Contacts:
Alyssa Harker / InnerPlant
alyssa.harker@innerplant.com

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Contact Information

Alyssa Harker

Director of Communications

InnerPlant

alyssa.harker@innerplant.com