2025 has been another challenging year for agrifoodtech startups, and unfortunately, the “If it bleeds, it leads’” maxim applies when it comes to our “most read” list at AgFunderNews, which is dominated by bad news from the meltdown at Meati and Believer Meats to Biomilq’s bankrupty filing.
We also saw significant traffic on stories around litigation, with David Protein finding itself on the receiving end of a high-profile anti-trust suit over access to alt-fat ingredient EPG, and Onego Bio and The EVERY Co squaring up in a high-stakes IP fight over egg proteins made via precision fermentation.
But it’s not all doom and gloom! Stories about regenerative agriculture, Tropic’s non-browning bananas, new tech from Edacious to measure and map nutrient density in whole foods from meat and milk to fresh produce, and novel approaches to sterilizing bioreactors from Biosphere also attracted eyeballs…
1 – Food & ag groups blast ‘destabilizing’ tariffs, seek exemptions: ‘We urge the White House to reconsider’ Elaine Watson
2 – Exclusive: Peter Rahal, David Protein, sued over ‘bait & switch’ scheme to monopolize Epogee’s fat replacer Elaine Watson
3 – FMC Corporation restructures agtech VC arm FMC Ventures ‘to optimize operations’ Jennifer Marston
4 – Exclusive: Meati plans “gut-wrenching” mass layoffs amid “bank-induced crisis” Elaine Watson
5 – Exclusive: BIOMILQ files for bankruptcy amid IP dispute that made it ‘uninvestable and unacquirable’ Elaine Watson
6 – Protein bar maker David acquires novel fat maker Epogee, raises $75m Series A on back of ‘explosive’ growth Elaine Watson
7 – Tropic to launch non-browning bananas in March, extended shelf-life bananas by year-end Elaine Watson
8 – Regenerative agriculture’s biggest developments in 2024 — and what they mean for 2025 Jennifer Marston
9 – ‘Objectively unreasonable’: Onego Bio slams The Every Co in high-stakes patent fight Elaine Watson
10 – Motif FoodWorks assets up for sale in online auction Elaine Watson
11 – Plenty, an autopsy: It promised the moon, but plants don’t run on pitch decks, say experts Jennifer Marston
12 – Oishii acquires Tortuga AgTech’s IP, assets, and engineering team to ‘supercharge’ its vertical farms Jennifer Marston
13 – Edacious raises $8.1m to ‘break the cycle of commoditization’ by measuring nutrient density in whole foods Elaine Watson
14 – Biosphere emerges from stealth, raises $8.8m for UV-sterilized bioreactors it claims can slash bioproduction costs Elaine Watson
15 – Revol Greens makes ‘painful’ decision to close operations in California, chase efficiency gains in Texas Elaine Watson
16 – Exclusive: Miyoko’s founder plans bid to buy back brand from liquidator Elaine Watson
17 – Believer Meats ceases operations, but ‘setback’ does not mean cultivated meat sector is doomed, insist key players Elaine Watson
18 – Carbon Robotics founder Paul Mikesell on agtech: ‘Be careful how you talk about it’ Jennifer Marston
19 – Icafolin-methyl ‘a completion of glyphosate,’ not a replacement: in conversation with Bayer Jennifer Marston
20 – Corteva’s planned separation raises questions about AI and data split Louisa Burwood-Taylor
