The Week in AgriFoodTech: Captain Fresh reels in $25m, Trace Genomics lands $10.5m, new beef at Beyond Meat

Plenty of funding rounds to be had this week, from sustainable seafood company Captain Fresh to soil insights startup Trace Genomics, a UAE-based cloud kitchen company and an agrifintech outfit from India.

Elsewhere, Syngenta and Lavie Bio teamed up to develop a bioinsecticide, alt-protein startup Meati announced layoffs, and Beyond Meat unveiled v.4 of its flagship burger.

Foodtech funding

🇦🇪 The Cloud raises $12 million Series B, acquiring UK’s KBOX Wamda

🇺🇸 Pacifico Biolabs secures $3.3m to ‘transform seafood” with whole cut alternatives Vegconomist

🇳🇿 Miruku: New Zealand startup raises $5m in pre-Series A to create dairy products with molecular farming Green Queen

🇸🇬 Prefer raises $2m for bean-free coffee made with upcycled ingredients and fermentation Vegconomist

Agtech funding

🇮🇳 Tiger Global-backed B2B fish firm Captain Fresh hooks $25m funding Deal Street Asia

🇺🇸 Trace Genomics raises $10.5m in Series B funding FinSMEs

🇮🇳 Varaha raises $8.7m to help smallholders in Asia & Africa transition to climate-friendly farming methods AgFunderNews

🇮🇱 WeedOut raises $8.1 million Series A to combat weed resistance Global Ag Investing

🇬🇧 London startup Climate Policy Radar raises $6.8M to leverage AI in climate policy tracking Tech.eu

🇮🇳 Agri-focused fintech Ayekart secures $6.5 million in equity funding from Omnivore, others Economic Times

M&A, IPOS & partnerships

🇺🇸 POS Nation completes acquisition of GrazeCart, expanding reach of direct-to-consumer E-commerce technology for farm-to-fork suppliers PR Web

🇦🇪 UAE: Bustanica 100% acquired by Emirates Flight Catering Vertical Farm Daily

🇺🇸 Syngenta to expand use of CropX soil monitoring system Agriculture Dive

🇸🇬 🇻🇳 Entobel and Vinh Hoan partnership accelerates adoption of insect protein in aquaculture Feed Additive

🇮🇱 Aleph Farms partners with BBGI, Fermbox Bio in Thailand as part of ‘step-by-step de-risking process’ for cultivated meat AgFunderNews

🇺🇸 Syngenta and Lavie Bio Form partnership to discover and develop novel bioinsecticide AgriBusiness Global

🇺🇸 Bayer, AgPlenus Team Up to Develop a New Sustainable Weed Control Solution Using AI Technology CropLife

Funds, grants & accelerators

🇺🇸 Bluestein Ventures closes third fund with $45m to focus on nutrition, sustainability, digitization FoodNavigator

🇸🇬 Applications are now open for agrifoodtech founders to join the fifth cohort of the AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator AgFunderNews

People moves

🇺🇸 Elemental Enzymes selects Jagresh Rana as new Chief Commercial Officer Elemental Enzymes

🇺🇸 Ahold Delhaize USA names Marc Stolzman chief sustainability officer Global Newswire

🇺🇸 Taranis board welcomes accomplished Syngenta executive Vern Hawkins PR Newswire

🇺🇸 FBN appoints Diego Casanello as CEO BusinessWire

Other news

🇦🇺 Australian government approves release of QUT-developed GM Cavendish QCAV-4 QUT

🇺🇸 Meati Foods brings in new CEO, lays off more staff, as its mycelium-based whole cuts reach 3,600 stores AgFunderNews

🇩🇪 German alt seafood startup Ordinary Seafood to cease operations Vegconomist

🇺🇸 Beyond Meat unveils its Beyond IV platform, the fourth generation of the Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef Beyond Meat

🇺🇸 Mushroom vertical farming company Smallhold files for bankruptcy; firm in ‘worse financial shape than previously disclosed’ AgFunderNews

🇮🇱 Day 8 emerges from stealth with plans to extract ‘holy grail of proteins’ from ag waste AgFunderNews

🇳🇿 🇳🇱 Fonterra/DSM backed startup Vivici unveils whey protein from fermentation: ‘We are already at commercially viable titers’ AgFunderNews

🇺🇸 FDA releases guidance on voluntary premarket engagement for foods derived from plants produced using genome editing FDA