EU alt protein funding bonanza, AI and GLP-1 dominate London agrifood events, and big deals in fermentation for oils, fats, and colors

Greetings from London, where AgFunderNews has been catching up with industry leaders at World-Agri-Tech and Future Food-Tech in a week that saw a flurry of funding rounds in alt-protein in Europe, with hefty checks going to Nxtfood, The Protein Brewery, and Revyve.

Not surprisingly, AI dominated the conversations at both events, with startups deploying it in everything from plant breeding and new product development to price and supply forecasting for soft commodities.

GLP-1 was also a hot topic, with industry players seeing potential in nutrient-packed companion products for users of weight loss drugs as well as ingredients that can mimic GLP-1 by binding to GLP-1 receptors or trigger the body to naturally produce more of the gut hormone.

Finally, while ag robotics was deemed a 'hot' category with the investor panel at World Agri-Tech on the back of a wave of recent funding rounds, US ag drone maker Guardian Agriculture has reportedly ceased operations.

Have a great week! Louisa, Jenn, and Elaine...

And a big thanks to this week's sponsor:

Top 100 VC: AgFunder was recognized by TIME as one of America’s top 100 VC firms in 2025

More on our top-tier firm and upcoming opportunities here: AgFunder Fund V

Is your business ready for AI analytics? Find out more here

Clean Food Group acquires 1M-liter fermentation facility to fast-track yeast oil production

The move enables the firm to accelerate commercialization efforts and produce microbial oils at significant scale without spending a fortune on capex to build facilities from scratch, says CEO Alex Neves. Elaine Watson

French startup NxtFood raises $58m to scale alt-meat platform

Nxtfood is predicting a sharp increase in sales in 2025 and aims to achieve profitability in 12-18 months. Elaine Watson

The Protein Brewery nets $35.6m Series B to scale mycoprotein

"We can grow our mycoprotein largely under non-sterile conditions. This means our process is less capital-intensive," says CEO Thijs Bosch. Elaine Watson

Revyve raises $28m Series B for 'price competitive' egg replacers from yeast

Revyve uses “simple mechanical processing” to extract highly functional proteins from spent brewer's yeast and primary-grown baker's yeast. Elaine Watson

ArkeaBio hires Vence cofounder, raises $7m to accelerate vaccine for livestock methane reduction

ArkeaBio is on track to advance to full field trials in 2026-2027 says its new CEO Frank Wooten, who cofounded of virtual fencing co, Vence. Elaine Watson

Scindo secures $5.4m for AI-powered enzyme discovery platform - AgFunder portfolio co!

Scindo is developing enzymes that can do everything from creating lower-cost flavor components via cell-free biomanufacturing to breaking down plastics into high-value ingredients. Elaine Watson

Big Meat’s Big Poo problem creating massive risk for investors

Failure to address poo pollution leads to "growing financial liabilities" for major pork, poultry, and fertilizer companies, says FAIRR. Jennifer Marston

Michroma and CJ CheilJedang partner to scale commercial production of natural colors via fermentation

Michroma works with filamentous fungi that naturally produce heat- and pH-stable red pigments, but uses CRISPR to enhance yield and performance. Elaine Watson

Fats from fermentation startup Nourish Ingredients establishes global commercial hub in Leiden

Having a base in the Netherlands will allow Nourish to work more closely with European partners, says the Australian firm. Elaine Watson

Symbiotec solves the manufacturing challenge constraining alternative protein and biomaterials companies. Our four operational 100,000-L fermenters provide immediate capacity while our in-house engineering DNA enables rapid, capital-efficient expansion. By integrating science, engineering, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical-grade QMS under one roof, we compress timelines from years to quarters and enable sustainable unit economics.

Learn more here and connect with Arjun Satwani (business development, biotech) or Prakash Sawlani (director, US investments).

Agrifoodtech investment models need ‘a rethink’

Agritech can’t make the same promises around 10x returns in five or six years’ time, as is often seen with SaaS models. Jennifer Marston

Guest article: When rebuilding the bridge, founders and funders can’t afford the ‘slow maybe’

Founders and funders both need each other, and both deserve respect, especially when things don’t work out. By guest contributors Mark Brooks and Matt Crisp

Revol Greens makes ‘painful’ decision to close operations in California, chase efficiency gains in Texas

The site will close in November, says Dutch greenhouse operator FoodVentures, which was brought in by Equilibrium Capital in 2024 to help turn things around. Elaine Watson

NoFence plots US, European expansion for virtual fencing following oversubscribed $35m Series B

NoFence hopes to enable more farmers and ranchers to adopt rotational grazing practices through the virtual fencing solution. Jennifer Marston

Mad Capital closes $78m oversubscribed fund to bridge gap between Wall St and regen ag

“We are aiming to build a bridge between two distant worlds that need one another to transition our food system – Wall Street and organic farmers,” says Brandon Welch. Jennifer Marston