Tag: exit

AgTech Exits: Raven Industries acquires two driverless tractor startups

November 7, 2019

Smart AG offers a driverless tractor technology to help farmers upgrade existing equipment to tackle time and labor challenges while DOT designs and manufactures ready-made autonomous equipment.

As Minneapolis tries to ban drive-thrus, McDonald’s tries to automate them

September 12, 2019

Using different languages to order your food could soon become a moot point at McDonald’s drive-thrus, with the company's acquisition of Apprente — a two-year-old startup that's been making impressive strides in voice recognition software.

Pontifax AgTech Achieves 2nd Exit as Precision Biosciences IPOs with $870m Valuation

March 28, 2019

Pontifax AgTech targets returns of three times its investments and sources close to the deal said it is likely the Precision Biosciences exit will come close.

“Basic Farm Tech Tools Won’t Provide VCs the Exit Returns They Need, So Why Are VCs Still Investing in Them?”

March 13, 2019

Nolan Paul, Partner at Yamaha Motor Ventures and ex-head of R&D Strategy and Emerging Technology at leading produce grower Driscoll's is offering his thoughts on how the agritech sector is developing ahead of his speaking slot at World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco next month.

Food Delivery Startups Might be Boring, But They’ve Returned 7x in Europe in 5 Years

October 31, 2018

The first wave of European food tech companies has mostly focused on building technology and logistics platforms to deliver food to consumers. And while the plethora of new food e-commerce options across the globe has caused investor fatigue and failures, the five leading food delivery companies in Europe are now worth seven times more than their combined investment, an awesome feat, according to Niccolo Manzoni, partner of agrifood tech investment firm Five Seasons Ventures.

Nutrien Acquires Agrible for $63m to “Create Ag Retailer of the Future”

July 16, 2018

Nutrien intends to integrate Agrible's suite of farm management services with its newly branded digital platform as well as continue to grow Agrible's sustainability tracking service for food companies.

The 10 Best Read AgriFood Tech Stories from 2018 So Far

July 5, 2018

The first half of 2018 is over and it's been an incredible six months for the agrifood tech industry. Here are the 10 best read agrifood tech articles published on AgFunderNews during the first half of 2018.

What is the Prototypical Agtech Exit?

April 2, 2018

At the closing investor discussion at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in San Francisco on March 21, three agrifood investors concluded that though the exits of 2017 were good to see, they weren’t necessarily as replicable as many may hope.

Agtech Exits: 2017 Activity Generates Cautious Optimism for 2018

January 3, 2018

No longer distracted by consolidation large strategic players will have more time, and money, to pursue exits in 2018, according to some industry insiders.

How an Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Startup Got Acquired by John Deere [podcast]

October 3, 2017

In this episode, I speak to Jorge Heraud, the cofounder and CEO of Blue River Technology, a Silicon Valley startup bringing robotics to the farm. Blue River was recently acquired by John Deere, the world's largest tractor company, for $305 million.

John Deere Acquires ‘See & Spray’ Robotics Startup Blue River Technology for $305m

September 6, 2017

"This is the start of the next chapter in agriculture," says Kiersten Stead from MGV, an investor in Blue River.

Dupont Acquires Farm Management Software Granular for $300m

August 9, 2017

Granular CEO Sid Gorham will continue to helm Granular while also taking over digital agriculture for DuPont, which includes responsibility for DuPont’s agronomic software business.

Gene Editing Gets Public Market Approval as Calyxt Raises $64m IPO

July 28, 2017

Calyxt spun out from its parent company Cellectis to price an oversubscribed IPO at the bottom of the price range, while analysts remain concerned about gene editing regulation.

Ag Industry Brief: AGCO Acquires Precision Planting, CropLogic Going Public, Plant-Based M&A, more

July 28, 2017

New Zealand in-field IoT provider CropLogic is set to go public on the Australian Stock Exchange while Japan’s Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co has acquired Canadian dairy-free, food company Daiya.

Is Food Tech Headed for a Cleantech Correction?

June 27, 2017

A cautionary tale is quietly making its way around food tech investor communities and conferences. The tale is the story of cleantech.

2 Plant-Based Alternative Meat M&A Deals Provide Exits for VC & PE Investors

February 27, 2017

A private equity firm and a group of venture capital investors have exited their investments in two plant-based alternative meat companies. The deals were announced within a week of each other.

Agtech Funding (& Exit) Sheet: Observant Acquired by Jain, Winnow Solutions Raises Convertible, more

February 9, 2017

The year's first exit came from Observant, an early agtech pioneer in the precision water management space. Jain Irrigation acquired the Australian company.

Scotts Miracle-Gro Acquires Oso Tech After Rollercoaster Ride for Startup

December 14, 2016

It's been a rough ride for Oso Tech and its investors from its founding in 2011 in Urbana, Illinois until now. But the journey culminated in an exit and sale to Scotts Miracle-Gro.

Monsanto’s Climate Corp Makes First Foray into Europe with VitalFields Acquisition

November 21, 2016

The deal is also the first exit for Monsanto Growth Ventures, the agribusiness’s venture arm which has been investing since the beginning of 2013 and led the $1.2 million Series A round for VitalFields in May 2015.