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.
Building a better venture firm with AI, in ovo sexing deep dive, ProducePay’s “massive pivot,” NoFence on virtual fencing’s next chapter, SweetAg’s new round
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: In ovo sexing—tech designed to end male chick culling —has gone from zero to 40% market penetration in the EU in five years. But can it gain traction in markets with less legislative pressure? Elaine investigates. Plus:
And finally… Accelerator programs can generate plenty of activity, but not necessarily much business, says Orbit Ventures. Elsewhere, AgFunder founding partner Rob LeClerc explains how AI is helping the firm see more and make better-informed decisions in the future. Have a great weekend! Louisa, Jenn, and Elaine How AgFunder is using AI to build a venture firm that remembers "Venture still runs on trust, taste, ambition, and contact with the physical world, and AI raises the price of that judgment." Rob Leclerc In ovo sexing hits 40% penetration in the EU. What will it take to crack the US? Can in ovo sexing gain meaningful traction in the US and other markets where there is no legislative pressure to act? Elaine Watson ProducePay is bringing in outside capital to fund grower advances while building out data tools that could become the core of the business. Elaine Watson Knip bets on postbiotics, not commodity protein, as it scales biomass fermentation Knip is not competing with bulk proteins used in animal feed such as soy and fishmeal, says CEO Caitlin Wege. Elaine Watson Builders VC and others back SweetAg’s bid to modernize the agricultural lending process The company has raised $7.4 million to bring its AI-based agrifintech platform to more agricultural lenders around the US. Jennifer Marston NoFence’s new herd management platform points to virtual fencing’s next chapter NoFence's cattle management platform includes offers ranchers a continuous, automated picture of what's happening on the land. Jennifer Marston Blitzscaling relies on an investor base to support the next round and the next round, says Orbit Ventures. and that's a huge risk. Elaine Watson Plus: Recycling butter into energy Jennifer Marston Medici Brands is moving into new territory with the launch of HallPass, pitched as the “Coke Zero of candy," and chips brand Rowdy. Elaine Watson 🎥 From 2D images to 3D worlds: Bonsai bets on AI-powered farm robotics Bonsai Robotics has a vision-based autonomy stack that can turn 2D camera images into a scaled 3D understanding of the farm environment. Elaine Watson 🎥 ‘The whole system is now more investable’: Reservoir makes the case for ag robotics Advances in AI, perception and edge computing, plus more off-the-shelf tech, are helping startups build more flexible ag robots faster, says Reservoir founder Danny Bernstein. Elaine Watson
US agriculture technology companies join forces for driverless precision spraying tool - Featuring Verdant Robotics! The Western Producer
Physics is replacing chemistry on the farm. Somebody has to pay for the transition. Court-supervised receivership for Agronutris, despite €60 million in public funding Onei Farm Progress Show 2026: Where did all the agtech go? ‘This market is going to turn around,’ AGCO CEO discusses growth strategy, OEM rebound AgNavigator Kendall Jenner buys stake in UK drink and supplements brand Trip The Times 2026 Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 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 Klim (Berlin, Germany) Semiconductor process technician Uviquity (Raleigh Durham, Chapel Hill Area, North Carolina, US) Atinary Technologies (Boston, Mass, US) Facilities and maintenance technician Future Fields (Edmonton, Canada) Phagos (Suresnes, France) Faeth Therapeutics (remote) ♥️ 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: If lack of fit-for-purpose manufacturing capacity was a critical bottleneck for next-gen precision fermented ingredients, why is Liberation Bio struggling to raise the funds to get its Indiana facility over the finish line? Elsewhere, robotics hit the headlines as Kodama raised $7m to scale physical AI for forestry,...
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: With AI and digital tools more prevalent than ever in ag, it's critical to take action on cybersecurity threats already here, says Jenn. Elsewhere, 10 months after the FCC’s bombshell decision to ban sales of new models of foreign made drones in the US, the US ag spray drone market is “very much in flux," experts tell...
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 went wrong at Kenyan ag marketplace Twiga? Poor execution, high operating costs, or a flawed business model? Elsewhere, with the rise of GLP-1s, will food companies begin to compete on a “nutrition per calorie” basis? Plus: Regen organic: Can it make crops ‘measurably more nutritious?' Ag robotics: Picker's Dr...