Rounds were on the small side this week (with one notable exception: vertical farmer Oishii’s $134m mega-raise), but sizable new agrifoodtech funds were announced by private equity investor Gresham House, quick-service restaurant chain Chipotle, and VC firm BFG Partners.
In other news, France banned “meaty” names from plant-based foods, CPG giant Unilever unveiled a regenerative ag program, and the US is trying to power more farms with wind.
Foodtech & agtech funding
🇨🇦 Over C$19 million invested in plant ingredient project Food Business News
🇬🇧 Food supply chain decarbonisation startup Mondra closes out £3.6 million pre-Series A funding round Retail Tech Innovation Hub
🇨🇿 Prague-based Choice raises €2.3 million to help restaurants digitize their customer base and increase customer retention EU Startups
🇺🇸 PawCo raises $2M for plant-based dog food Axios
🇺🇸 ‘Prioritizing taste over timelines’: amidst ongoing market correction, vertical farming company Oishii raises $134m Series B AgFunderNews
🇨🇦 Elevated Signals nets $5.8M for cannabis-to-climate move Axios
M&A, IPOs & partnerships
🇩🇪 🇰🇷 Mycelium tech Infinite Roots announces strategic partnership with Pulmuone Vegconomist
🇬🇧 🇩🇪 Vegan Food Group to acquire Germany’s Tofutown in latest consolidation deal to drive profitability Green Queen
🇫🇮 Major Finnish biogas producer acquires Nurmon Bioenergia Bioenergy News
Funds, grants & accelerators
🇺🇸 Chipotle doubles tech venture fund spending to $100M Restaurant Dive
🇬🇧 Gresham House launches $380 million biodiversity fund Agri Investor
🇺🇸 BFG Partners activates $125 million third fund to back healthy consumer products Forbes
People moves
🇺🇸 Senate confirms Gooden as USDA under secretary for rural development Biomass Magazine
🇺🇸 Taranis Board welcomes accomplished Syngenta executive Vern Hawkins PR Newswire
Other news
🇫🇷 France finally bans “meaty” names from plant-based labels in new decree Vegconomist
🇰🇷 Introducing meat–rice: grain with added muscles beefs up protein Nature
🇪🇸 Heura posts double-digit growth in 2023: ‘Our vision is to become the European champion of plant-based meats’ AgFunderNews
🇺🇸 Local Bounti receives patent for Stack & Flow Technology Horti Daily
🇺🇸 USDA launches program to power more farms with wind Agriculture Dive
🇹🇼 Talks on sale of Delivery Hero Taiwan to Uber Eats on ice: report Deal Street Asia
🇺🇸 Ag insights platform Gro Intelligence unable to make payroll, replaces founder with new CEO AgFunderNews
🇺🇸 Critics are ‘poisoning plant-based well,’ says Beyond Meat CEO as firm ditches jerky, plans price increases in US AgFunderNews
🇺🇸 New York sues beef producer JBS for ‘fraudulent’ marketing around climate change NPR
🇬🇧 Unilever rolls out its first UK regenerative farming programme Food Manufacture
