Investment in Asia-Pacific (APAC) agrifoodtech has bounced back, a point well-illustrated by this week’s headlines: India-based rural fintech platform SarvaGram and Malaysian farm-to-restaurant platform Secai Marche both closed rounds, while Dutch alt-meat company Meatable secured backing from one of Thailand’s largest meat companies.
In Singapore, TurtleTree is lending its cow-free dairy to functional coffee drinks, while Australian startup Vow announced it is now selling its cultivated “foie gras” in the city-state as well as in Hong Kong and the US.
Agtech funding
🇮🇳 Peak XV leads SarvaGram’s nearly $70m Series D round VCCircle
🇺🇸 Oishii raises additional funding to close Series B at $150m, preps first international expansion AgFunderNews
🇫🇷 Faircraft raises €15M to scale lab-grown leather production Tech.eu
🇳🇱 Tract raises $11.2M in funding FinSMEs
🇺🇸 Industrial microbes raises $10m to transform biomanufacturing Cause Artist
🇺🇸 Four Growers secures $9M to optimize $40B indoor farming market Startup Hub
🇫🇷 Louvain-la-Neuve-based BiocSol raises €5.2 million seed funding to advance sustainable crop protection EU Startups
🇲🇾 Secai Marche adds US$1.6M to Series A round to double down on Southeast Asia e27
Foodtech funding
🇩🇪 Natural snack brand KoRo secures €35M Series C for European expansion Tech.eu
🇺🇸 Keychain raises $15m to expand CPG manufacturing platform; firm will ‘change how the CPG industry works,’ says General Mills AgFunderNews
🇫🇮 Happy Plant Protein secures €1.8 million to revolutionize local plant protein production Protein Production Technology
🇳🇱 🇹🇭 Thailand’s leading meat company Betagro invests in Meatable to fuel asian expansion Vegconomist
M&A, IPOs & partnerships
🇺🇸 Solis Agrosciences buys local firm’s DNA testing platform Biz Journals
🇸🇬 Singapore startup strikes seal to launch cow-free dairy protein in functional coffee drinks Green Queen
🇺🇸 Lifeway rejects Danone’s second takeover offer Food Dive
Funds, grants & accelerators
🇺🇸 Seaweed innovators Sway and Umaro join forces to optimize alginate for sustainable bioplastics Umaro Foods [disclosure: AgFunderNews‘ parent co AgFunder is an investor in Umaro Foods.]
🇺🇸 FFAR & Danone North America announce grant opportunity to support regenerative agriculture FEAR
🇺🇸 Former Ginkgo Bioworks execs launch venture studio fund Biz Journals
🇺🇸 USDA to give specialty crop growers $2B to expand markets, combat natural disasters Agriculture Dive
People moves
🇬🇧 Chris Mitchell joins Bramble as cofounder and partner and managing partner of Bramble Intelligence LinkedIn
🇺🇸 Trump taps Howard Lutnick as Commerce secretary Axios
🇸🇬 Francisco M. Codoñer steps down as CEO of ScaleUp Bio LinkedIn
🇺🇸 Exacto Announces David Hollinrake as CEO Crop Life
Other news
🇦🇺 Vow unveils world’s first cultured quail ‘foie gras’ Perishable News
🇩🇰 Green Queen
🇺🇸 Sollum Technologies launch scholarship program for college students Produce Grower
🇺🇸 Stabenow releases farm bill text and summary TriState Livestock News
🇫🇷 Ceva Animal Health invests in new 7,000 m² vaccine manufacturing plant to expand global production capacity Ceva Animal Health
🇨🇱 NotCo launches functional NotSquares Snack, aims to transform category with $30m investment Vegconomist
🇺🇸 Corteva unveils ‘breakthrough’ in drought-resistant wheat Agriculture Dive
