“BIFT is a significant step forward in addressing the smallholder financing gap by unlocking much-needed private capital.”
Plus: M&S deploying drone tech, robotic grocery delivery, alt leather.
“Put it this way,” says Kevin Helash. “If you’re trying to fund an eight-year regulatory process with investors who have a window of five years, there’s a disconnect there.”
While it accounts for a small fraction of global investment in the field, Africa’s agrifoodtech sector is showing mild growth in 2024, with startups raising $145 million in the first half of 2024, a 1.6% year-over-year increase vs H1, 2023.
A paltry 2.8% of the world’s oceans are effectively protected, according to a new report from a consortium of NGOs and funders.
Regen ag pioneer AEA hopes to transition more growers in the region through a new partnership with Turkey-based precision ag company Topraq.
“The thing that will be most successful in this market has to be very low cost and very high efficacy. And right now I don’t see how that can be achieved with anything that’s not a synthetic chemical,” says Dr. Tom Williams.
Crude pongamia oil can be converted into biodiesel, renewable diesel, or sustainable aviation fuel, says Terviva founder and CEO Naveen Sikka.
AGRIVI has made its AI Advisor tool available to every farmer in Barbados for free in order to “democratize” access to agtech.
Farm automation faces a trust and manufacturing barrier that investment money alone cannot overcome.
Plus: Germany’s forward earth raises money for its environmental management software.
Jacqueline Heard discusses a new discovery capability for the Enko platform and what should happen next to progress crop protection.
“Now we’ve got a much more structured approach and good clarity on our verticals (gene editing, ag biologicals, tech platforms, decision science), we feel comfortable making investments early,” says Dr. Tom Greene.
Funding will also enable expansion to Turkey, India, and other geographies, and the creation of new fintech divisions and products.
VCs need to think longer term and more realistically for future agtech investments, said panelists at World Agri-Tech London.
Europe needs a roadmap for minimizing reliance on these chemicals altogether to build food security around the world.
Cultivated meat advances in S. Korea while the US sees more legal battles for plant-based meat labeling.
“We are getting closer to $100 million in revenues,” says BeeHero cofounder Omer Davidi. “We expect to be there very soon. This year, we’ll probably exceed $70 million.”
After closing a $40 million Series B, Micropep now looks to bring its crop protection products based on micropeptides to market.
Global demand for seafood is set to soar in the coming years, yet in the first half of 2024 funding was down 40% compared to the first half of 2023.
