Agrifood Tech
Frontier and Growth Markets | January 26, 2023
Climate tech venture Ecozen raises $25 million, giving early investors a partial exit
ImpactAlpha, January 26 – Ecozen, in Pune, India, launched a decade ago to provide affordable, clean energy-fueled products for India’s smallholder farmers. The …
Dealflow | December 16, 2022
Deal spotlight: Plant-based versus lab-grown meat opportunity
ImpactAlpha, December 16 – 2022 has been a hard year for champions of the plant-based diet. The economic downturn, VC slowdown and rising …
Image credit: NotCo
Dealflow | December 15, 2022
NotCo lands $70 million for its line of plant-based foods as it readies an IPO
ImpactAlpha, December 15 – Chilean food company NotCo launched in 2015 with an animal-free mayonnaise designed by artificial intelligence software and has since …
Amy Novogratz and Mike Velings | Photo by Aqua-Spark.
Dealflow | December 5, 2022
Aqua-Spark secures €15 million from Silverstrand Capital for sustainable aquaculture
ImpactAlpha, December 5 — Utrecht-based impact fund Aqua-Spark has secured a €15 million ($15.8 million) investment from Singapore-based family office Silverstrand Capital. The …
Photo credit: IFAD
Frontier and Growth Markets | November 16, 2022
Katapult’s Africa accelerator zeros in on food security
ImpactAlpha, November 16 – Insect farming in Ghana. Aquaculture in Kenya. Land restoration in Morocco. Seven of the nine startups in the Norway-based impact …
Low-carbon transition | November 10, 2022
Radical Ventures plants $9 million in seed funding for ranch management
ImpactAlpha, November 10 — Billings, Montana-based Enriched Ag uses machine-learning to help U.S. ranchers reduce emissions, improve soil health and generate revenues from …
Agrifood Tech | October 25, 2022
Misfits Market finds an (im)perfect solution to the problems of food waste and surplus produce
The imperfect produce channels space took a major step forward last month, toward mainstreaming and potential adoption with the announced acquisition of Imperfect Foods by market leader Misfits …
Photo by Advanta.
Smallholder Agriculture | October 25, 2022
KKR Global Impact takes a $300 million stake in seed platform Advanta Enterprises
ImpactAlpha, October 25 — KKR Global Impact, the $1.3 billion impact fund of private equity giant KKR, has acquired a 13.3% of Advanta …
Photo by Propagate.
Dealflow | October 12, 2022
Propagate scores $10 million to help farms transition to agroforestry
ImpactAlpha, October 12 — Agroforestry, the integration of trees in agricultural production, promises to sequester carbon, decrease erosion, reduce nutrient loss and increase …
Photo credit: CCS Logistics
Frontier and Growth Markets | October 5, 2022
A $150 million fund aims to curb food waste by investing in Africa’s cold chain
ImpactAlpha, October 5 – Fragmented supply chains, inadequate technology and unpredictable power cause nearly half of food produced in Africa to go to waste. …
Photo by Bond Pet Foods.
Agrifood Tech | September 13, 2022
Bond Pet Foods raises $17.5 million to make lab-grown meat for pets
ImpactAlpha, September 13 — Animal byproducts used in pet food are less carbon-intensive than other types of meat, but they are still derived …
Dealflow | September 8, 2022
Misfits Market acquires Imperfect Foods to consolidate the food-waste reduction market
ImpactAlpha, September 8 — Even amid the downturn in venture funding this year, significant raises for companies in food waste management and upcycling …
Agrifood Tech | September 5, 2022
Silver linings in an uncertain fundraising market for food waste innovation
We have entered a strange and challenging funding environment brought about by inflation and economic uncertainty – the two, of course, are inevitably …
Photo credit: Loopworm
Dealflow | August 25, 2022
Omnivore backs Loopworm’s network of insect farms with $3.4 million
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – Bangalore-based Loopworm works with a network of smallholder farmers to raise insects that can be converted to animal and pet …
Photo by Radoslaw Prekurat on Unsplash
Dealflow | August 12, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Food waste solutions
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 12 – Companies and governments are recognizing the cost savings of curbing food waste, as well as the social and climate benefits. …
Green Generation Fund's founders Manon Sarah Littek and Janna Ensthaler. Photo by Green Generation Fund.
Impact Tech | August 10, 2022
Green Generation Fund raises €100 million for food- and green-tech ventures
ImpactAlpha, August 10 — The women-led fund based in Berlin is looking to invest in up to 30 early-stage companies in the U.S. …
Photo by Afresh.
Agrifood Tech | August 9, 2022
Afresh rakes in $115 million to help grocers reduce food waste
ImpactAlpha, August 9 — The San Francisco-based company developed an AI-based system to help grocery store owners manage fresh food inventory and sales …
Photo credit: Akorn
Frontier and Growth Markets | August 3, 2022
Morocco’s UM6P Ventures backs U.S. and Israeli food tech startups
ImpactAlpha, August 3 – UM6P Ventures, the venture investing arm of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, launched last year, supports early-stage science and tech startups …
Photo credit: Enko
Climate Finance | July 29, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Climate-smart agriculture
ImpactAlpha, July 29 — Farmers around the world will need to produce about 70% more food by 2050 to feed an estimated nine …
Pompano Beach, Florida
Agrifood Tech | July 27, 2022
Food banks and food donors get a tech makeover to reduce hunger – and food waste
We are living in the technological age, and a trend ReFED has been watching closely is how this is affecting food rescue, which …
Photo credit: Enko
Agrifood Tech | July 27, 2022
Gates Foundation-backed Enko raises $70 million for sustainable crop treatments
ImpactAlpha, July 27 – Enko uses machine learning and drug discovery to develop non-chemical modes of killing agricultural pests and weeds. The Connecticut-based company …
Image credit: Wheelocity
India | July 19, 2022
Wheelocity raises $12 million to cut waste from India’s food supply chain
ImpactAlpha, July 19 – Waste of fresh food is a common problem in emerging markets where many small farmers lack access to cooling technologies, …
Dealflow | July 12, 2022
Ankur Capital backs impact tech ventures Vegrow and String Bio
ImpactAlpha, July 12 — Mumbai-based impact fund Ankur Capital seeks out early and even unproven businesses that are using technology to drive down …
Dealflow | July 11, 2022
Argentinian agtech startup SIMA raises $2 million to help farmers optimize crop yields
ImpactAlpha, July 11 – SIMA’s mobile app is used by farmers to monitor 129 million fields of soy, wheat and other crops across …
Amy Bell, The Cook's Nook
Agents of Impact | July 8, 2022
Amy Bell, The Cook’s Nook: Planting seeds for impact
ImpactAlpha, Jul. 8 – Amy Bell’s early work as a financier and advisor to impact funds and social enterprises helped establish the nascent field …
Photo credit: Educe Cooperativa
Smallholder Agriculture | June 16, 2022
Investing to transform food systems in the face of a global crisis
The growing food crisis has become a global catastrophe. The combined impact of the invasion of Ukraine, climate-related disasters like droughts, and other …
Agrifood Tech | June 13, 2022
What $8 billion in food-waste investments tells us about what’s next
The message received from private funding activity into food waste solutions over the last ten years is clear: Food waste is an established …
Agrifood Tech | June 3, 2022
ImpactAlpha Deal Spotlight: Climate-smart food
ImpactAlpha, June 3 – Minimizing food waste. Managing emissions of food brands and ingredients. Decarbonizing fertilizers and food processors. Climate change is spurring …
Image: Screenshot / RobinFood Instagram
Latin America | June 2, 2022
Bogotá-based RobinFood raises $32 million to expand food access and cut waste
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 2 – Colombian startup RobinFood operates physical and virtual restaurants that make and deliver affordable, homemade food. The company deploys artificial …
Agrifood Tech | May 31, 2022
ReFED and Closed Loop Partners launch funds to catalyze capital for food waste solutions
ImpactAlpha, May 31 – Berkeley-based food waste nonprofit ReFED and New York-based Closed Loop Partners are standing up three investment vehicles as part …
Agrifood Tech | May 31, 2022
Switch Bioworks raises $4.3 million for sustainable nitrogen biofertilizer
ImpactAlpha, May 31 — Biotech companies are promising to help farmers cut down on synthetic, and expensive, nitrogen fertilizer. San Carlos, Calif.-based Switch …
Impact Voices | May 23, 2022
Invest in agriculture for its critical role in food security and climate change
More than two billion photos were taken of dinner plates in 2020, at the advent of a global pandemic. Americans have always turned …
Photo credit: Sencrop.
Agrifood Tech | May 17, 2022
Sencrop secures $18 million to help farmers manage ‘ultra-local’ weather risks
ImpactAlpha, May 17 — French agtech venture Sencrop provides microclimate information to 20,000 farmers in Europe from its network of ultra-local weather stations. …
Illustration by Cornelia Li/The Counter.
Regeneration | May 16, 2022
AXA, Unilever and Tikehau Capital seed regenerative agriculture fund with €300 million
ImpactAlpha, May 16 — Paris-based Tikehau Capital and AXA and U.K.-based Unilever are joining forces to launch a regenerative agriculture fund, which seeks …
Photo by Joao Marcelo Marques on Unsplash.
Agrifood Tech | May 3, 2022
Lightsmith Group backs Brazil’s Solinftec’s precision agriculture-as-a-service
ImpactAlpha, May 3 — New York-based private equity firm Lightsmith Group raised $186 million to invest in companies with data and technology for …
Photo credit: AEA.
Regeneration | April 20, 2022
Advancing Eco Agriculture raises $4.7 million for regenerative agriculture
ImpactAlpha, April 20 — Middlefield, Ohio-based Advancing Eco Agriculture provides sustainable fertilizer, consultations and data to farmers to transition to regenerative agriculture practices. …
Agrifood Tech | April 11, 2022
Food startups are using discounts to give food a second life
When a business wants to move product, it cuts the price. Think 50% discounts on day-old bakery items. And while this is not …
Photo credit: Apollo Agriculture
Smallholder Agriculture | March 31, 2022
Apollo Agriculture is out to show how financing smallholder farmers can boost production and profits
ImpactAlpha, March 31 – Smallholder farmers have long been the darling of development specialists, microfinance institutions and impact investors. Now, commercial investors are …
Photo credit: ThriveAgric.
Smallholder Agriculture | March 23, 2022
ThriveAgric scores $56.4 million in debt to help smallholder farmers build income
ImpactAlpha, March 23 — Africa is home to approximately 33 million smallholder farmers, who produce nearly 70% of the continent’s food supply. Most …
Image Credits: Zafaran Photography.
Smallholder Agriculture | March 22, 2022
Apollo Agriculture raises $40 million to bank smallholder farmers in Africa
ImpactAlpha, March 22 — Nairobi-based Apollo has used satellite imagery data and machine learning to underwrite loans to Kenya’s small-scale maize farmers since …
Photo credit: Bioenergy Insight.
Climate and Clean Tech | March 14, 2022
TPG Rise backs Monarch Bioenergy’s renewable natural gas and biofertilizer
ImpactAlpha, March 14 — TPG Rise, the impact investing arm of TPG, last year raised more than $5 billion for a growth-stage climate …
Photo credit: HEATHER KHALIFA.
Dealflow | March 10, 2022
Clean Crop Technologies raises $6 million for food safety and reduced waste
ImpactAlpha, March 10 — Mycotoxins, molds and pathogens are responsible for approximately 500 million tons of wasted food. The food waste represents nearly …
Photo credit: Koolboks
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 6, 2022
Nigerian gender-lens fund Aruwa Capital backs cold-chain company Koolboks
ImpactAlpha, March 7 – Koolboks makes affordable, renewably-powered refrigerators for food-based and other small businesses in Africa. The woman co-led company is based …
Frontier and Growth Markets | March 1, 2022
Ankur Capital backs Krishify’s farmer network and Offgrid Energy Labs’ green batteries
ImpactAlpha, March 1 – India’s tech-focused impact fund Ankur Capital invested in Krishify, which puts a business-to-business spin on social networks, connecting smallholder …
Photo credit: Corne de Weert.
Agrifood Tech | February 15, 2022
Protix raises €50 million to expand insect farming business globally
ImpactAlpha, February 15 — Protix, launched in 2009, uses organic waste to feed black soldier fly larvae, which are then processed into ingredients …