AgFunder Network Partners

Category: Opinion

The Modern Acre podcast: leveraging tech to disrupt outdated processes with ImpactVision

September 17, 2019

ImpactVision uses machine learning and hyperspectral imaging to detect the quality and composition of food products to a degree that has not been possible before.

Can alternative protein startups justify their climbing valuations?

September 11, 2019

It’s hard to miss the investor enthusiasm for alternative protein startups but valuations are creeping up as I heard at the Good Food Conference last week.

The world’s banana supply is at risk. Here’s what you need to know

September 11, 2019

A deadly fungus is putting the world’s banana supply at risk. Here’s what you need to know about Fusarium TR4, and what researchers are doing to fight it

GFI India: Demand for “prestige foods” will drive alt meat industry in emerging markets

September 6, 2019

Asia and Africa are home to 80% of the world’s population and with rising incomes, they are craving and demanding more animal-sourced foods, GFI India's head Varun Deshpande told AFN on the sidelines of the Good Food Conference in San Francisco today.

Startup Spotlight: NATIVE wants farmers to spend less time trying to make more money

September 6, 2019

Farmers direct marketed $8.7b in farm products during 2015 as consumers continue to seek out locally produced goods.

The Modern Acre podcast: Restoring food as medicine with Brightseed

September 5, 2019

In partnership with AgFunder, Tim & Tyler Nuss have produced a 4-part series including three of our portfolio companies. Here's the first one, enjoy!

How a family business became a global pioneer and tech giant in dairy farming

September 4, 2019

Every family is unique – but some families are more unique than others. This is certainly true for the Van der Lely family who started their dairy technology business as a ‘studio for invention’ in 1948. Lely has recently launched a startup challenge called Feed the Future.

How to pitch like a pro

September 3, 2019

Applications for the evokeAG 2020 Startup Program in Australia are open and the team has called on three of Australia's leading innovators and champions for entrepreneurship to discuss what makes a stellar pitch.

A mini-guide to cannabis in Asia

August 31, 2019

Asia's softening its stance towards cannabis, a once-taboo drug. It's been legalized in three countries here, and counting. But is it a good time to invest?

Farmers are adopting regenerative ag practices, but who’s leading the movement?

August 30, 2019

Comparing 2012 and 2017 Census of Agriculture Data, the Soil Health Institute identified a 50% increase in adoption of regenerative agriculture practices like no-till drilling and cover cropping.

Table Talk: The scramble for plant-based eggs is JUST about to reach Europe

August 30, 2019

You learn a fair bit about someone by just asking how they take their eggs. And it’s a pretty hot question to fire up AFN’s new “Table Talk” series when across the table this time is a veteran food industry egg-spert like David Wagstaff.

Regen Ag Renegades: Koen Van Seijen’s podcast is who’s who of regen ag investing

August 28, 2019

In this new series, we will highlight some of the key players helping to define the regenerative agriculture ecosystem including academics, farmers, technologists, agronomists, and investors.

The Amazon is being decimated. How could tech have prevented it?

August 28, 2019

The Amazon Rainforest is being whittled away by one of the most massive blazes in history. Could tech have prevented it?

How much should you feed fish? UMITRON’s ‘Fish Appetite Index’ can tell you

August 26, 2019

How much do fish need to eat? UMITRON tells us how its tech uses machine learning & IoT for aquaculture. We also interview their co-founder & MD.

Farming is the world’s most important career — that’s why it needs a new image

August 26, 2019

Karn Manhas is founder and CEO of Terramera, an agbiotech startup focused on improving the sustainability of farming. Here he writes about the importance of promoting the farming industry as an appealing and impactful career for the next generation.

The evolution of cannabis investing, according to Mary Dimou from Canopy Rivers

August 26, 2019

While cannabis investing might still seem like the Wild Wild West because its psychoactive component remains illegal at the federal level, there's are some serious minds -- and serious funds -- dedicated to this space, including Mary Dimou.

Why AgFunder thinks Ai Palette will revolutionize $4T FMCG industry

August 22, 2019

Did you know that 85% of new food products fail within two years? We've invested in Ai Palette to reduce that, writes AgFunder founding partner Michael Dean.

5 questions with AquaBounty on feed ingredients, social license for GE animals, and regulation

August 13, 2019

AquaBounty was the first company to obtain FDA approval for genetically modified seafood intended for human consumption. We spoke to COO Alejandro Rojas ahead of the Animal AgTech Innovation Summit in Amsterdam in October.

How fertilizer companies are using technology to stay relevant

August 5, 2019

Charlotte Hebebrand, is director-general of the International Fertilizer Association (IFA), a nonprofit organization that represents the global fertilizer industry, on issues related to the promotion of plant nutrients, improvement of the operating environment of the member companies and the collection and compilation of industry information.

New Harvest 2019: Envisioning a food system built around cells, not animals

August 1, 2019

Investors are paying attention. So are larger meat, dairy and seafood groups. And yet the cell ag industry still has a long way to go, agreed delegates of the recent New Harvest conference in Boston. Brittany Solano reports for AFN.