​Express interest in investing in Fund V.

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If 2025 was characterized by “chaos and uncertainty," buckle up, say agrifoodtech investors we quizzed ahead of our global investment report. In 2026, we could be in for an even wilder ride, compounded by tariff uncertainties, extreme weather, war in the Middle East, and, of course, AI.

Elsewhere, California Cultured says $3k reusable plastic bioreactors could transform the economics of cultured cocoa, while Crop Diagnostix has launched an RNA-based early-warning system designed to flag crop stress weeks before visual symptoms appear.

Plus:

• TR4 resistance: Tropic raises $105m for banana tech breakthrough
• Investor perspective: PJ Amini on exits, AI-driven discovery, and why agrifoodtech needs more zebras than unicorns.
• Alt-meat reset: Why scale won’t fix broken unit economics​

And finally... sponsors at the Food Tech Congress in Barcelona are demanding their money back as it becomes increasingly clear that the already-delayed event will not go ahead as planned in June.

Have a fantastic week! Louisa, Jenn, and Elaine

​Buckle up, say investors as AI reshapes agrifoodtech: ROI may be “unusually tangible’​

"Physical AI agtech” could “draw a lot of capital and bring back 'tourist' VC," predicts Antony Yousefian at The First Thirty. Elaine Watson

​Leaps by Bayer’s PJ Amini on exits, epigenetics, AI-driven discovery and his ‘50% rule’​

Unicorns are vanishingly rare in agrifoodtech, says PJ Amini. "But people still pay to go to the zoo to see a bunch of zebras." Elaine Watson

​Sponsors demand refunds as organizers of delayed Food Tech Congress go ‘silent’​

Sponsors who have parted with cash to back the event say the organizer has gone “silent,” with requests for refunds garnering no response. Elaine Watson

​Tropic bags $105m to scale gene-edited bananas, deploy TR4 resistant bananas in 2027​

"2025 proved that our technology delivers, not in the distant future, but right now," says CEO Gilad Gershon. Elaine Watson

​Crop Diagnostix launches RNA-based crop health early-warning system​

RNA reveals plants' real-time biological response to stress, which occurs long before conventional tools detect problems. Elaine Watson

​California Cultured bets on $3k reusable plastic bioreactors to transform economics of cultured cocoa​

The innovation "will shift the conversation about what plant cell culture can realistically achieve," claims the firm. Elaine Watson

​AgriFood Signals: First close for Aqua-Spark Africa fund, Anchr nabs funds for AI in food distribution​

Plus: a new way to define ultra-processed foods. Jennifer Marston

​Guest article: The alt-meat reset. Scale won’t fix broken unit economics ​

"If margin is only coming from massive scale, success is tenuous." By guest contributor Christie Lagally

​Remembering Rob Trice, a founding voice in agrifoodtech​

Much of agrifoodtech's early identity was shaped through conversations with Rob Trice and the connections he made. Louisa Burwood-Taylor

​With crop protection at a crossroads, it's time for big ag to embrace its big pharma moment​

Major agrochemical companies should look to pharma's recent history to address their current structural struggles. Jennifer Marston

​Infant formula cereulide recall: an isolated supplier lapse or a structural vulnerability?​

"Tightly regulated fermentation systems manage risk, they don’t eliminate it entirely," say industry insiders. Elaine Watson

​Trump has launched an unprecedented assault on the environment. Where’s the pushback?​

The Guardian

​Fertilizer woes deepen as analysts warn of longer-term impacts​

Agri-Pulse

​Six years of data. one clear message: the cea industry that survives will look nothing like the one that was promised.​

Henry Gordon-Smith, LinkedIn

​Artificial intelligence in Indian agriculture: The bus India cannot afford to miss​

The Economic Times

​Beyond Meat gets delisting warning notice​

Yahoo Finance

​Reese’s didn’t change its chocolate because of corporate greed. It was climate change ​

Food Dive

​A new class of photonic chip for human safe pathogen control (p38)- Featuring Uviquity!

Photonic Integrated Circuits

​AVPL, DeHaat, FCIPL push village drone entrepreneurs for agriculture - Featuring DeHaat!

Electronics For You

​​​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​

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