AgFunderNews reports on the evolution of the global food and agriculture system. By going beyond the headlines, we analyze the people, companies and technologies aiming to improve human and planetary health. Publishing daily, our team of award-winning journalists delivers deeper insight on the growing foodtech, agtech and climate tech industries. A multimedia publication, AgFunderNews is a division of AgFunder, one of the world’s most active agrifoodtech venture capital firms.
$35m for binding proteins, $9.5m for AI-led crop design, Meati's goods seized over unpaid taxes, dietary guidelines elevate protein, farm robotics funding
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The big news this week: New US Dietary Guidelines recommend a near-doubling of the current protein RDA and debut a redesigned food pyramid emphasizing animal-based sources. It's prompted a flurry of debate over how this squares with advice to limit saturated fat. "Highly processed" foods, meanwhile, are off the menu. What this means in practice for federal nutrition programs in the absence of a definition (or additional funding) is unclear. Elsewhere… - AI-driven crop design: Biographica raises $9.5m, partners with BASF - Alt protein blues: Meati’s unpaid taxes, Believer Meat’s insolvency - Farm 'bots: The latest funding data And finally... antibiotics are blunt tools that kill good and bad bacteria alike. Binding proteins are more precise, says Bactolife, which has just raised $35m to take them to market. Have a fantastic week! Louisa, Jenn, and Elaine. And a big thanks to this week's sponsor: Exclusive: Biographica raises $9.5m for AI-driven crop design, unveils partnership with BASF Today's process of determining which genes to edit remains costly and slow, says the UK-based firm. Elaine Watson Exclusive: Meati Foods property seized for non-payment of taxes A warrant commands seizure of “goods, chattels, and equipment” to cover $6.7 million in unpaid property taxes. Elaine Watson New US dietary guidelines elevate meat and full-fat dairy, ignite protein debate The accompanying "inverted food pyramid"—dubbed the "keto cone" by some dietitians—emphasizes whole foods. Elaine Watson New capital will fund clinical studies and help the firm commercialize ingredients for humans and animals. Elaine Watson Insolvency filing lifts lid on Believer Meats’ mounting costs and stalled scale-up A court has issued a 40-day stay on all proceedings against the company, which temporarily freezes enforcement actions by creditors. Elaine Watson From experimentation to impact: farm robotics’ top fundraises in 2025 Ag robotic offerings are evolving from single-task machines to full platforms that can tackle a number of jobs. Jennifer Marston Plus: Norway's Spoor raises funds to track biodiversity. Jennifer Marston African agrifood VC ‘does not need to follow the Silicon Valley growth trajectory’ Sector-specific funds are changing the conversation around VC investment into Africa's agrifood system, says CRAF. John Njiraini Abydos Bioscience bets on bacteria to address volatile cocoa butter prices Rather than yeast or microalgae, the company is working with oleaginous bacteria—which it claims are more productive. Elaine Watson How are CPG and retail leaders such as PepsiCo and Walmart using AI to ensure surety of supply in a climate-impacted, volatile world? 2026 will mark a pivotal shift—from reacting to food supply disruptions to predicting them. Amid climate volatility, geopolitical uncertainty, and trade risks, competitive edge comes from acting before shocks hit. Cropin delivers surety of supply that is climate-ready, measurable, and predictable, helping Walmart, PepsiCo, and other leading CPGs future-proof their supply chains with AI. Find out more 🎥 Agrifoodtech in 2025: What broke, what bent—and what might still work 2025 was meant to be the year the sector found its footing again. Instead, it turned into something messier... Elaine Watson 'What happens next is the real test': a look back at agtech in 2025 The last year in agtech wasn't a time of breakthroughs and victories—it was a year of stamina that will continue into 2026. Jennifer Marston Foodtech at a crossroads: recalibration, regulation, and harsh reality Vague platitudes about fixing the broken food system won’t cut it anymore, says Annick Verween at early-stage investor Biotope. Elaine Watson
Op-Ed: Self-GRAS isn’t a loophole. It’s a lifeline for food innovation Green Queen Venture capitalists likely to continue pivoting away from climate in 2026 The Wall Street Journal Last bastion for cheap beef fades in latest affordability threat Bloomberg 2026 in focus: Global experts predict the future of CEA Ambiguous DGAs and the rancher's pyramid Substack PepsiCo announces industry-first AI and digital twin collaboration with Siemens and NVIDIA PepsiCo How China quietly became the world’s climate policy leader South China Morning Post Trump withdraws US from key climate treaty and dozens of other groups BBC Tech startup Hyphen is bringing AI to the lunch line — with help from Cava and Chipotle Featuring Hyphen! CNBC Juicy Marbles launches umami burger in Tesco stores - Featuring Juicy Marbles! The Grocer 2025 Developing Markets AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2025 Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 10 years in agrifoodtech: an 83-page e-zine Climate Capital: Financing Adaptation Pathways for Smallholder Farmers Phagos (Suresnes, France) Klim (Berlin, Germany) Hoxton Farms (London, UK) GreenLight Biosciences (Rochester, New York, US) Chinova Bioworks (Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada) Customer success manager, Spain Aerobotics (remote/Spain) ♥️ our newsletter? Forward to a friend or subscribe here |
AgFunderNews
AgFunderNews reports on the evolution of the global food and agriculture system. By going beyond the headlines, we analyze the people, companies and technologies aiming to improve human and planetary health. Publishing daily, our team of award-winning journalists delivers deeper insight on the growing foodtech, agtech and climate tech industries. A multimedia publication, AgFunderNews is a division of AgFunder, one of the world’s most active agrifoodtech venture capital firms.
Express interest in investing in Fund V. AgFunder is a top 100 VC, according to TIME and Statista. Is your business ready for AI analytics? Find out more here. This week… What happens when a market built on foreign tech is told it must go domestic, almost overnight? Elaine Watson explores what’s next for the US ag drone sector. Elsewhere, as world leaders assemble in Davos at a time many are backsliding on ESG, Jenn Marston asks: What is planetary health, and why does it matter for the global...
Express interest in investing in Fund V. AgFunder is a top 100 VC, according to TIME and Statista. Is your business ready for AI analytics? Find out more here. This big news this week… A flurry of carbon removal megadeals from Microsoft, which teamed up with Indigo for soil carbon removal, Varaha for biochar, and Rubicon Carbon for forestry. Elsewhere… a cash injection for biopesticide startup SenseUP, which is tackling the twin challenges of cost and stability in RNAi-based crop protection....
Express interest in investing in Fund V. AgFunder is a top 100 VC, according to TIME and Statista. Is your business ready for AI analytics? Find out more here. 2025 was meant to be the year agrifoodtech found its footing again. Instead, it turned into something messier: a year of recalibration, retrenchment, and some very public reality checks. Funding fell further than many expected, some high-profile companies stumbled or collapsed, and long-standing assumptions about consumer demand,...