Powerplant Ventures Raises Largest Animal-Free Food Fund to-date with $42m Close
Why 2 veggie restaurant tycoons, the founder of ZICO coconut water, and a VC from Disney's Steamboat Ventures are placing their bets on plant-based foods.
Tag Archives: Investment
7 Questions with AgLink CEO Bill Dowdle and Tech Manager Phil Hoult on Aussie AgTech over the Last Decade
Bill Dowdle is stepping down as the CEO of AgLink and along with tech manager Phil Hoult, shares his thoughts about the Aussie agtech scene.
Ag Producers and Marketers Call For Industry ‘Coopetition’ in the Development of Agtech
A group of producers and agribusinesses has called for collaboration in the industry to ensure the development of effective agriculture technology.
Tyton Brings New Future to Tobacco as Sustainable Biofuel
The biotech research company expects its engineered "energy" tobacco to outperform other leading biomass feedstocks as a low cost, sustainable alternative to fossil fuels.
Autonomous Tractor Corporation Aims to be the Tesla for Tractors
As its name suggests, the Minnesota-based company is revamping cumbersome modern tractors into nimble, autonomous vehicles.
How to Invest in the Agtech Revolution
Innovation in agriculture is rife and agriculture technology startups could become the next generation of food and agriculture companies. But some investors are unsure how to invest in this growing sector. Here are our top 3 ways to access agtech.
Moving to Mainstream: AgTech Gathers $2.06bn in the First Half of 2015
What a start to the year! Today AgFunder releases its Midyear AgTech Investing Report (Free Download) and 2015 has already lived up to expectations. Nearly surpassing investment volumes captured during the whole of 2014, the first half of 2015 brought in $2.06 billion of capital across 228 deals.
Organic Baby Food Pouch Maker Scores Private Equity Deal
Sprout Organic foods recently announced a new investment partnership with North Castle Partners, a consumer-focused private equity firm investing in the health, wellness and active living sectors.
Spoon University Takes Food Back to School with $2.76m Seed Round
Two college graduates are looking to cash in on social media's buzz around food by carving out a food-centric blog geared towards delivering edible news to today’s college crowd.
Healthy Office Catering Service Secures $17m Series A
Zesty, the online healthy food delivery service, will use the proceeds for expansion beyond San Francisco after attracting investment from Founders Fund and Index Ventures.
5 Observations from GAI AgTech Week in San Francisco
As we look ahead to the Forbes AgTech Summit later this week, we took a moment to reflect on GAI’s AgTech Week, which took place two weeks ago in San Francisco, to make a few observations on what’s happening in agtech.
Salinas Mayor Joe Gunter Sees $20 Billion Future for Salinas Driven by AgTech
Editor’s Note: AgFunderNews recently had the opportunity to speak with The Honorable Joe Gunter, Mayor of Salinas, on the relationship between agriculture and technology both in his home town and around the world.
Maritime Data Powerhouse Spire Announces Close of $40M Series B Round
According to the American Association of Port Authorities, “The United States is served by some 360 commercial ports that provide approximately 3,200 cargo and passenger handling facilities.” Food and farm products, including wheat and wheat flour, corn, soybeans, rice, cotton, and coffee are listed among the leading commodities shipped for domestic and foreign trade through U.S.
Futuristic Jellyfish Barge Offers Floating Food Scarcity Solution to Farming-Challenged Regions
As the world population continues to climb, so does the demand for food. With a finite amount of arable land, keeping up on the supply side is a major challenge for farmers located in certain regions of the world.
Revised SEC Regulation A+ Opens New Door to Funding
A new investing and finance rule that will provide more opportunities for startups to attract early-stage capital and more options for investors to get involved in the space took effect last Friday.
Smart Irrigation Provider CropX Nabs $9M Series A Marking Farm2050’s First Investment
Smart irrigation company CropX has announced a $9 million Series A round led by Innovation Endeavors, Finistere Ventures, GreenSoil Investments. Prior backer OurCrowd also participated in the round. CropX uses wireless sensors and big data to help farmers conserve water used in crop growing operations.
Zymergen Seals $42M Series A to Continue Mass Production of Microbes Using Robotics
Microbial DNA maker Zymergen recently announced a $42M Series A led by Data Collective, with a group of investors participating, including AME Cloud Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurveston, HVF, Innovation Endeavors, Obvious Ventures, True Ventures, and Two Sigma Ventures.
Pop-Up Food Market Facilitator La Ruche Announces $9M Series B Round
Food retailers have been hot on the trail of new ways to help consumers stock their pantries and refrigerators. Using platforms similar to Amazon, many have turned to the internet to provide shoppers with a digital supermarket and fast delivery.
Crop Protection Product Developer Asilomar Bio Announces $3M Series A Round
“Farmers everywhere will tell you that weather and water are the biggest issues,” Travis Bayer, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Asilomar Bio. The company recently closed a $3 million Series A round co-lead by Cultivian Sandbox Ventures and Fall Line Capital.
Private Equity Investors Set Their Sights on Food & Agriculture
Editors Note: AgFunderNews recently had the opportunity to speak with Mitchell Presser, a GAI Innovation Advisory Board Member and Head of U.S. Mergers and Acquisitions for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, regarding his perspective on the relationship between private equity investment and the growth of agtech, a topic that he will be speaking on at the upcoming GAI Conference in San Francisco, running from Monday June 22 to Wednesday June 24.