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.
dsm-firmenich's single cell protein play, 'dramatic uptick' in CRISPR licensing, IIF takes ag investment platform to Canada, enhanced rock weathering 2.0, citrus harvesting 'bots, postbiotics
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: Single-cell protein has attracted growing interest as an efficient way to produce protein, but many startups have struggled to scale. dsm-firmenich is betting that an optimized yeast strain, low-cost feedstocks, and superior yield and productivity can close the gap. Elsewhere, gene editing is rapidly expanding beyond row crops into specialty crops, animals, and microbes, says Pairwise, which has seen a “dramatic uptick” in licensing deals for its Fulcrum platform over the past 12-18 months. Plus:
And finally… how should investors vet ag robotics startups? Watch how they engage with potential customers, say Connie Bowen and Hannah Johnson: "The field day tells us whether or not they’ll stay in business for the long run." Have a great week! Louisa, Jenn, and Elaine dsm-firmenich takes Protopia yeast protein to industrial scale, targets fishmeal and whey Protopia could generate a novel revenue stream for Indian ethanol producers who are sitting on significant underutilized capacity. Elaine Watson Pairwise sees ‘dramatic uptick’ in CRISPR licensing as gene editing moves beyond row crops "You don’t have to get multiple licenses. We’re offering one-stop shopping," says COO Ian Miller. Elaine Watson IIF to launch its farm investment platform across Canada following new capital raise from Verdex - AgFunder portfolio co! The startup's expansion shows how rapidly its investment platform can be replicated in a new market, says founder Nathan MacPhee. Jennifer Marston Mafix raises $5.4m to activate silicate rock into climate-smart fertilizer The capital injection will help Mafix produce 1,000 tons of product for trials across the US, says cofounder Jade Marcus. Elaine Watson Quorn's new protein bites reach a new set of consumers and command higher price points and margins, says the alt meat firm. Elaine Watson Inside Nanovel’s bid to crack robotic citrus harvesting In the US, says Isaac Mazor, “manual citrus harvesting costs around $42–43 per 900-lb field bin, versus $25-30 using our technology.” Elaine Watson Superbrewed Food expands beyond bulk protein with postbiotic launch Postbiotics can generally be used in a wider variety of products than probiotics. Elaine Watson "The signals from a field day are invaluable in vetting teams, and too many investors miss them." By guest contributors Connie Bowen and Hannah Johnson Plus: Physicians sue over dietary guidelines. Jennifer Marston From field data to verifiable sustainability outcomes Doktar turns field data into measurable sustainability outcomes across water, soil, carbon and biodiversity. By combining digital monitoring, agronomy and actionable intelligence, we help organizations improve resource efficiency, track progress and scale impact across agricultural value chains. Learn more about Doktar’s sustainability solutions. “Climate resilience” platform ClimateAi winds down operations CEO Himanshu Gupta blamed unspecified “geopolitical and climate headwinds” that “made it hard to continue our mission." Elaine Watson GRAS overhaul: less onerous than feared, but legal battle likely The long-anticipated proposal is less onerous than some had feared but could still create headaches for the food industry, say experts. Elaine Watson New FCC proposal could ‘retroactively ban’ some existing ag spray drones, warns DJI The proposal would mean that selected ag spray drones already cleared for the US market could no longer be imported or sold, says DJI. Elaine Watson
DeHaat Consumer Products raises ₹35 crore in pre-Series A - Featuring DeHaat! Whalesbook Tracking the rise of blended meat products - Featuring Fable Food! Supermarket Perimeter Azaneo bets on irreversible electroporation to beat herbicide on cost - Featuring Azaneo! Future Farming
China puts alternative proteins at heart of future food strategy FoodNavigator The Ozempic food system: directions and opportunities for a civilizational drug Sweden FoodTech Soil degradation is quietly cutting global food supplies, landmark study finds AgNavigator CropLife UK relies on heat-stressed countries for fruit and veg it could grow itself – report The Guardian Why crops are becoming less nutritious Civil Eats Canadian foodtech funding concentrates in industrial technology as consumer categories stall Vegconomist Nestle looks to develop new products to serve users of weight-loss drugs Reuters 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 Telecallers, Punjabi and Hindi Varaha (remote, India) Key account manager (modern trade) Eratani (Jakarta, Indonesia) Senior key account executive Klim (Berlin, Germany) Quality manager (lab ops/GMP) phagos (Suresnes, France) Firmware and hardware manager 3Bee (Milan, Italy) IntegriCulture (Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) Junior project implementation analyst Solinftec (Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso, Brazil) ♥️ 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, Elaine caught up with David Protein founder Peter Rahal after his $250m Series B and took a deep dive into ag robotics at Reservoir Farms to learn how startups are starting to build more flexible 'bots, more quickly. Elsewhere, Jenn quizzed PepsiCo on how to support the next generation of farmers. Plus: David Protein: Medici...
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, UPSIDE Foods terminated its $50 million bid for Believer Meats' US cultivated meat facility but says it “remains interested” in the site. Elsewhere, TerraBlaster—a startup using tech first deployed on the Mars rover to determine levels of key nutrients in the soil—raised a $12.5 million seed round as it gears up for...
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: Offbeast unveiled new tech to make hybrid whole cut meats, and long-range forecasting firm ClimateAi ceased operations, two years after ag intelligence platform Gro Intelligence called it quits. Elsewhere, we delve into FDA's long-awaited proposal to close the so-called GRAS loophole, which experts say is less onerous than...