This week, Israeli bee tech company Beewise raised funds to save the world’s apine population with robotic hives, while US autonomous greenhouse tech provider Koidra closed its seed round. In alternative protein, US-based companies closed rounds for a ‘protein design’ platform and fermentation technology.
Agtech startup funding
🇮🇱 Beewise pulls in $80 million in Insights Partners-led round. The robotic beehive startup’s solar-powered, AI-based automatic solution is aimed at saving the world’s bee population. (Times of Israel)
🇮🇳 FarMart raises $32 million in Series B round led by General Catalyst. The startup allows enterprise customers to source fresh produce direct from farmers. Existing investors Matrix Partners and Omidyar Network also participated in the round. (The Hindu Business Line)
🇸🇦 Haseel closes $6.6 million Series A funding. This is another farmer-to-enterprise customer platform, delivering farm-fresh produce across 16 cities in Saudi Arabia within two hours. Vision Ventures led the round. (Wamda)
🇺🇸 S2G Ventures leads $5 million seed round for Leaf Agriculture‘s data unification software. Leaf’s API integrates agriculture data from multiple sources including John Deere, AGCO, and Trimble, among others. (Venture Beat)
🇺🇸 Autonomous greenhouse tech provider Koidra rakes in $4.5 million seed round. Ospraie Ag Science (OAS) led the round with participation from Amritam Holdings, Cavallo Ventures, and Foothill Ventures. (Horti Daily)
🇲🇾 Plant Cartridge reaps $3 million in seed money. Backed by 500 Global among other investors, the Kuala Lumpur-based startup provides hardware and software for controlled environment agriculture. (Tech in Asia)
Foodtech startup funding
🇺🇸 MycoTechnology nets $85 million Series E led from Omani sovereign fund. The startup will use the funding to “further capitalize” on its fermentation technology platform and expand its geographical footprint in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. (AFN)
🇺🇸 Yami bags $50 million Series B funding to boost its online Asian marketplace. Yami delivers Asian food, skincare, and household products to consumers in the US. Altos Ventures and Balsam Bay Partners co-led the round. (TechCrunch)
🇺🇸 “Protein design” company Arzeda closes $33 million Series B led by Conti Ventures. Arzeda will use the funds to expand its product portfolio of computer-designed enzymes that can be used for food, personal, and homecare products. (Arzeda)
M&A, IPOs & partnerships
🇫🇷🇺🇸 Ynsect buys Jord Producers for undisclosed sum. The French edible insect startup will leverage Jord’s mealworm facility in Nebraska to supply chicken feed to the US. (Reuters)
🇮🇱🇺🇸 Wanda Fish Technologies and Tufts University partner for cultivated seafood research. The two-year research agreement gives Israel’s Wanda access to intellectual property in fish cell cultivation from Tufts. (Food Navigator)
🇺🇸 Sustainability-focused delivery service URB-E partners with Square Roots. URB-E will manage the last-mile of delivery for Square Roots vertically grown greens to NYC retail stores [disclosure: AFN‘s parent company, AgFunder, is an investor in URB-E.] (AFN)
Other news
🇺🇸 Gotham Greens announces major US expansion. The indoor farming company will double the size of its high-tech greenhouse capacity from 600,000 square feet to over 1.2 million in 2022. (Perishable News)
🇫🇷🇺🇸 Sodexo doubles down on restaurant tech for college campuses. France-headquartered foodservice provider Sodexo will add virtual food brands, ramen vending machines, and checkout-free grocery to several campuses in the US. (Restaurant Dive)
🇺🇸 Chipotle and Miso Robotics are testing a tortilla chip-making robot. The AI-powered system being trialed in California replicates Chipotle’s tortilla chip recipe, including cooking and seasoning techniques. (AFN)
🇺🇸 Pairwise to bring gene-edited leafy greens to market. The US company’s new consumer-facing brand, Conscious Foods, will sell mustard greens altered with CRISPR editing to reduce the plant’s normally pungent flavor. (The Spoon)
🇮🇩🇸🇬 Green Rebel launches plant-based meats in Singapore. The Indonesian startup’s beef, chicken, and pork analogs are now available at multiple popular restaurants throughout the city-state [disclosure: AgFunder is an investor in Green Rebel.] (Green Rebel)
