Prairie Crest Capital, a venture capital firm focused on early to mid-stage investments in breakthrough agriculture and technology firms, has been launched in Des Moines by principals Barry Adams and Mark White. The partners said the firm will address underserved investment opportunities in the agriculture and technology sectors, particularly in the Midwest. “Although the Midwest has approximately 20 percent of the population, research and development spending, top research universities, and entrepreneurial talent, our region receives less than 5 percent of venture capital investment,” White said. Additionally, the rise of new and adaptive agriculture technologies such as precision agriculture and predictive software indicates a growing and underfunded pipeline of solutions in ag tech, he said. Most recently, White was CEO and Adams chief operating officer of Gooi Global Inc., a Des Moines-based holding company that invests in companies providing products to mid-sized financial institutions.