Vertical farming saw good and bad news this week, as Hardee Fresh raised new funds, Upward Farms ceased operations and Kalera filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Elsewhere, digital-first burger delivery service VICIO secured new capital to expand in Europe, and wine experts and climate scientists unveiled an experimental beverage we’d rather not taste.

Foodtech funding
๐ธ๐ฆ The Saudi Industrial Investment Group injects $70 million into Unibio International. Unibio will use the funds to grow its sustainable protein business. (Zawya)
๐ช๐ธ Digital-native burger brand VICIO grabs โฌ17 million ($18.5 million). IRIS Ventures led the round with companies from Barlon Capital. (EU Startups)
๐บ๐ธ Pickup-only grocer JackBe picks up $11.5 million. The round comes as pickup-only stores and companies struggle to maintain consumers. (Grocery Dive)
๐ฉ๐ช Magnotherm closes โฌ5 million ($5.5 million) seed round to mass produce “sustainable” refrigerators. The round was led by Extantia Capital, BMH Beteiligungs and others. (Tech.eu)
๐บ๐ธ Aqua Cultured Foods reels in $5.5 million seed round led by Stray Dog Capital. The startup will expand its low-cost production platform for whole cuts of fungi-based seafood. (AFN)
๐บ๐ธ Flyby Robotics lands $4 million round led by MaC Venture Capital. The round will kickstart a drone delivery pilot program with foodservice brands. (Restaurant Dive)
๐ฎ๐ณ Biotech startup Zero Cow Factory raises $4 million seed round to make animal-free casein at scale. Green Frontier Capital, GVFL and pi Ventures led the round. (Vegconomist)
๐จ๐ญ Impossible Materials secures SFr3.4 million ($3.8 million) seed round commercialize titanium dioxide replacement. Mission Possible Capital led the round. (AFN)
๐ซ๐ท ๐ฎ๐ฑย Danone invests $2 million into cultured breastmilk startup Wilk. The investment, part of a $3.5 million fundraise, gives Danone a 2% stake in Wilk. (Green Queen)

Agtech funding
๐บ๐ธ Hardee Fresh secures $56 million to build and run a 340,000 square-foot vertical farm. X-Caliber Rural Capital led the bridge round. (Vertical Farm Daily)
๐ณ๐ฟ Halter raises NZD 85 million $53.3 million for solar-powered livestock management. Bessemer Venture Partners led the Series C round with participation from Blackbird Ventures and others. (AVCJ)
๐บ๐ธ Babylon Micro-Farms bags $8 million in Series A for its remotely-managed vertical farming technology. Venture Southย led the round with participation fromย Virginia Venture Partners and others. (AFN)
๐ฎ๐ฉ Fresh Factory raises $4.1 million to address cold chain logistics. SBI Ven Capital led the round through its joint fund with Kyobo Securities and NTUitive. (Tech in Asia)
๐ฌ๐ง Pastoral raises ยฃ205,000 ($255,000) pre-seed round for precision livestock management. SFC Capital led the round, which Pastoral will use to expand in North America and elsewhere. (UKTN)
๐จ๐ญ Produce-tech startup Agrinorm secures 7-digit funding. QBIT Capital led the round, supported by the renowned Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC). (Fresh Plaza)
Funds, grants & accelerators
๐บ๐ธ S2G Ventures has closed a $300 million Special Opportunities fund. The fund will provide flexible financing for capital-intensive, asset-oriented industries including agriculture, energy and oceans. (AFN)
๐ฒ๐ฆ VC firm Bidra Innovation Ventures scoops up $200m to back sustainable agriculture and energy startups. Investment and support comes from Mohammed VI Polytechnic Universityย (UM6P) and theย OCP Group. (AFN)

Other news
๐บ๐ธ Upward Farms shutters vertical farm after 10 years. โWe found that vertical farming is almost infinitely complex โ as we tackled challenges, new ones emerged,โ the company said in a statement. (Just Food)
๐บ๐ธ Eat Just launches “Brunch for Everyone” initiative in Tennessee. These drag brunches will raise funds to help the LGBTQ+ community fight recent legislation trying to ban drag in public. (VegNews)
๐บ๐ธ Online food retailer Boxed files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company will wind down its retail operations over the next several weeks. (Grocery Dive)
๐ซ๐ท Wine experts and climate scientists develop “experimental” wine to underscore climate change’s impact. Bordeaux 2050 is “dense, less refined, less elegant, with a dry and tannic finish.” (Green Nudges)
๐ Trophic rewilding can expand natural climate solutions, says new report. The research calls the restoration of wild animals and their ecosystems key component for fighting climate change. (Nature Climate Change)
๐ป๐บ Vanuatu wins big climate victory. The tiny island nation convinced the UN to urge the world’s highest court to rule on whether polluting nations must address climate change. (Grist)
๐ฆ๐บ Meal delivery marketplace CoLab, formerly ChefPrep, enters administration. Administrators at EY said theyโll take the startup through the sales process. (Startup Daily)
๐บ๐ธ Kalera files for Chapter 11 protection. The company, which also fired its CEO Jim Leighton, will operate its business as “debtor-in-possession.” (Vertical Farm Daily)