Agrifoodtech startups tackle labour, nutrition and biosecurity issues at evokeAG 2023
APAC’s premier agrifoodtech event evokeAG brings investors, innovators and others together to address some of the biggest challenges of our time.
APAC’s premier agrifoodtech event evokeAG brings investors, innovators and others together to address some of the biggest challenges of our time.
Chipotle tests robotic makelines in its restaurants and Barcelona follows other European cities banning dark stores for quick commerce.
The Covid-19 pandemic had a clear impact on brick & mortar restaurants and retailers, forcing them to innovate to stay afloat, so while globally there was a dip in investment during 2020, it soon picked up in 2021 as these stores adjusted to a new normal that forced many of them to digitize.
New School Foods, E-TERRY, BloomX and many other agrifoodtech startups raised funds this week, even as food and ag industry layoffs continue.
AgFunder led a $3 million round for farm real estate marketplace CommonGround, and a cultivated meat company has achieved kosher status.
The week also saw new deals for ingredient tech startups and funding for revitalizing the world’s forests.
Alterpacks raised $1 million while greenhouse grower AppHarvest entered a sale-leaseback deal for one if its Kentucky facilities.
Food delivery, cultivated meat, and bio-energy startups across Asia, North America and Oceana landed agrifoodtech’s top five deals of 2022.
In agtech, deals from Grow Indigo, FreezeM and others were all about insect farming, forest restoration and capturing more carbon.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s time for the research team at AFN’s parent company AgFunder to start compiling its global foodtech and agtech investment report, which will be released in early March.
NotCo has big plans for its AI tool, while nutrition platform HealthKart will expand its business and Winter Farm will grow a new crop.
Meanwhile, collaborative investment platform FoodShot Global announced the winners of this year’s esteemed GroundBreaker Prize.
Investment in farm technologies was particularly buoyant, increasing 185% year-on-year and accounting for 60% of the total number of deals closed.
In agtech, produce quality control platform Clarifruit raised $12 million while more layoffs struck the food delivery sector.
The category’s strong fundraising performance underscores its potential to positively impact Asia-Pacific, especially when it comes to smallholder farmers.
Other notable raises this week came from shelf-stable meal producer Proper Good and Mexico produce rescue company Perfekto.
Innovative Food startups garnered $356 million in 2021; much of that went to Singapore alt-protein companies as well as those in China and India.
Ostara closes $70 million round and more than one vertical farming startup ceases operations.
India is by far the region’s most advanced farmtech ecosystem, while a Chinese agricultural drone service raised the biggest farmtech round in 2021.
Local Bounti raises new funds for indoor farming while Bill Gates and others start a new venture to decarbonize rice production in Asia.
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International Fresh Produce Association launches year 3 of its produce accelerator