Ag Industry Brief: Monsanto Licenses CRISPR, Ginkgo Bioworks Partners with Cargill, California Wants to Regulate Cow Farts, more
Monsanto's CRISPR license comes with restrictions.
Indoor Farms: Where Venture Capital Doesn’t Always Make Sense
Indoor agriculture is one of agtech's smallest subsectors by venture capital funding, but has had some of the market's biggest deals to-date. What does this say about access to funding?
Agtech Funding Sheet: IKEA Invests in Terramera, AST (AgFunder Alum), Brightfarms, Farmers Edge, Cool Planet, more
Brightfarms, the greenhouse operator, closed a $30.1 million Series C led by growth equity firm Catalyst Investors and joined by existing investors WP Global Partners and NGEN Partners. According to the company, this funding is the largest equity investment to date in the controlled environment local produce industry in the US.
Agritech Accelerators: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
In an effort to help startups navigate the growing number of agritech accelerators on offer, we surveyed 13 program graduates to get their feedback.
How Bayer Stands to Reinvent GMO with CRISPR and Monsanto Acquisition
The gene-editing powerhouse the merger between Bayer and Monsanto could produce has been less discussed in media and investment circles, but is a major part of the transaction, writes Emma Cowan.
John Deere’s Technology Innovation Strategy Manager in Europe Talks Partnerships and Decision Support Tech
Ahead of a speaking slot at the World Agri-Tech Investment Summit in London in November, we caught up with Dr. Thomas Engel, manager of John Deere's Technology Innovation Strategy in Europe
Ag Industry Brief: Bayer to Acquire Monsanto, Coalition for Responsible Gene-Editing Launches, Farmigo Sells Delivery Business, more
Bayer's acquisition of Monsanto was the week's biggest piece of news, but we also have items from agtech startups, such as Farmigo, accelerators such as Thrive, and legislators.
Australia’s SproutX Launches Pre-Accelerator and Targets $10m for Accelerator Fund
Australia’s first agriculture technology accelerator SproutX is taking shape and is now open for applications to its pre-accelerator program.
Agtech Funding Sheet: Harvard Angels Invest in IntelinAir, Wheatsheaf Invests in Animal Health Tech, BayoTech Raises $1.5m, more
IntelinAir, a San Jose-based automated aerial imagery analytics startup, closed its seed round consisting of $3 million in equity and $500k in venture debt from Midwest high-growth tech funders Hyde Park Venture Partners, early- and mid-stage tech business investors Western Technology Investments, Harvard Business School Angels of Chicago, Holdsworth & Company, seed-stage multi-industry funders HiveFund, and other angel investors.
Lewis & Clark Ventures Joins Agtech Investor Ranks with $20m Plant Sciences Fund
A new venture capital firm has entered the agriculture technology market to invest in startups at Series A and Series B stage.
1955 Capital Makes First Investment into Startup Combatting Pests in Developing Countries
Crop Enhancement, a startup using what it dubs “sustainable chemistry” to combat crop pests and increase crop yields in the tropics, has raised $8.5 million in Series B funding.
Ag Industry Brief: Verizon Announces New Ag IoT Partnerships, Rootility Hires Ex-Syngenta Exec, more
Verizon is deploying its agriculture IoT service on three new Californian vineyards, USDA awards $33.4m in grants to ag innovation initiatives, and more in this week's industry brief.
Agrilyst Reports Indoor Agriculture Over 4k Times More Productive Than Outdoor Commodity Crop Production
Better yields, the opportunity to harvest more times a year and higher retail prices are making indoor farming more productive than conventional outdoor operations, according to a new report from data software company Agrilyst.
S2G Leads $6m Series A for Gluten-Free Flour Alternative Blue Prairie Under New CEO
Blue Prairie Brands, a startup producing chicory flour to replace white flour in food, has raised $6 million in Series A funding.
Gotham Analytics Provides Power & Connectivity to Any Rural Farm in the World
Internet and cellular connectivity, and power are not always luxuries the world’s farmers can rely upon, whether in the US or in Indonesia. Gotham Analytics has a one-stop solution.
Acquisitions and SaaS Development: What’s Trimble Been Up To in Agtech?
Trimble has been slowly, but surely, building up an arsenal of agriculture technologies far beyond the GPS technology which put it on the industry's map.
Agtech Funding Sheet: UTIMCO Leads $20.4m Series E First Close for Agrivida
The only deal in a quiet week for agtech fundings is Agrivida, a biotech startup in the animal nutrition industry. The startup has raised $20.4 million in Series E funding, in a first close for the round.
Farmers, Food Waste, and CRISPR: What to Expect from This Year’s Ag Innovation Showcase in St. Louis
For the eighth round of this annual event, 20 companies will present across multiple technology categories while panel discussions will focus on food waste, gene-editing technology and a keynote from farmers.
How to Optimize Biofuel Production Through Plant Genetics and Alternative Ingredients
Ahead of International BioFest2016 in October, AusBiotech gives us a snapshot of how some of its members and partners are innovating in the biofuel space.
Agrilyst’s Kopf Talks Indoor Ag in New York and Funding Advice for Startups
Ahead of speaking at NYC AgTech Week, Agrilyst CEO Allison Kopf talks to us about funding options for indoor ag startups and New York's indoor ag scene.