H1 agrifoodtech funding drops 37% to $5.1bn; does regen ag need deep tech? Flagship’s new agtech startup

The bad-but-predictable news: Agrifoodtech VC funding is down yet again, according to preliminary data just in from AFN parent company AgFunder.

The good news? "These are typical bottom signals, indicating real opportunities," say investors we spoke to this week. So take heart, startups. Just be sure to focus on capital efficiency while you're at it.

One field still getting both attention and money is life sciences, and this week, Moderna founder Flagship Pioneering unveiled its latest company, Terrana Biosciences, which aims to bring RNA technologies to crop science at scale.

Deep tech is another investor favorite, but does it have a role to play in regenerative agriculture? AFN boss Louisa Burwood-Taylor and guest contributor Koen van Seijen investigate the question live from the UK's Groundswell conference.

Have a great weekend! Louisa, Elaine, Jenn, and Samuele

❤️ AgFunder and agrifoodtech?

The waitlist for AgFunder's Fund V opens soon

Agrifoodtech VC funding drops to $5.1bn, but ‘these are typical bottom signals, indicating real opportunities’

Agrifoodtech venture capital funding in H12025 hits its lowest point since the first half of 2015. Jennifer Marston

Flagship Pioneering launches new RNA-based crop protection company to provide ‘a huge way to deal with climate change’

With Terrana Biosciences, Moderna founder Flagship can apply its RNA knowledge to agricultural use cases like pest and disease resistance. Jennifer Marston

Bluemethane deploys first production-scale methane-capture unit at biogas plant

Bluemethane's system captures residual methane in the digestate using physical separation technology that can fit inside a 20-foot container. Elaine Watson AgFunder portfolio co!

Chinova Bioworks rides MAHA wave, expands global footprint as more firms spurn synthetic preservatives

"Over the last year, demand for non-alcoholic beer has been insane," says David Brown. "But once you remove the alcohol, beer is essentially barley juice and it’s ripe for spoilage." Elaine Watson

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Climeworks raises $162m, Danone acquires Kate Farms, Del Monte files Ch. 11

Poland's Proteine Resources nabs $11.2 million and Omnes Capital raises $132 million for deep tech. Samuele Gabbio

Deep tech in regenerative agriculture: essential ally or unnecessary intrusion?

For deep tech to truly serve regenerative agriculture, its algorithms must be fed with data that reflects the complexity of natural systems. Louisa Burwood-Taylor & Koen van Seijen

Griffith Foods on building ‘trust, transparency and long-term partnerships’ in regenerative agriculture

The food manufacturer plans to grow its regenerative agriculture footprint to more than 30,000 acres this year. Jennifer Marston

Guest article: A plan for the pile. Fixing California’s biomass bottleneck

Many current biomass solutions fail because they ask too much of growers. That's a nonstarter in an industry where margins are already razor-thin. By guest contributors Micki Seibel and Hannah Johnson

Innovation chokehold or ‘meaningless lawsuit’? Agtech weighs in on the Carbon Robotics vs. Laudando & Associates case

A federal court has granted Carbon Robotics a motion for a preliminary injunction against L&A, which in essence bans the latter from manufacturing, using, or selling its laser weeders in the US until the case is resolved. Jennifer Marston

Arkeon CEO delivers postmortem on ‘protein from air’ startup: ‘We just simply ran out of time’

Founded in 2021, Arkeon uses gas fermentation for protein production. Four years later, it filed for insolvency. So what went wrong? Elaine Watson

The quiet trends reshaping ag: a field guide for builders, backers, and business leaders

New trends in ag innovation quietly reroute where capital flows, adoption sticks, exits emerge, and market power gets built. By guest contributor Mark Brooks