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.
Meltdown at Meati, Miyoko's insolvency, insect ag co declared bankrupt... but good news for biologicals and robotics
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Two scoops this week: A meltdown at alt-meat co Meati, which initiated mass layoffs blaming “financial holds on company accounts,” and news that bidders—including Miyoko Schinner—are circling the assets of alt-dairy brand Miyoko’s, which entered insolvency proceedings last month. There was also bad news from Danish insect ag firm ENORM, which was declared bankrupt, although fellow insect ag firm nextProtein raised new funds to scale production in Tunisia. Precision fermentation startup The EVERY Co also raised $55m to scale egg proteins from microbes, not chickens. Elsewhere, ag robotics startup Naio relaunched after a tumultuous year, Appetronix raised funds to scale its robo-kitchens and Cargill revealed how a robot dog called "Spot" serves as “an extra set of eyes and ears” at its crushing facility in Amsterdam. Finally, Corteva unveiled its first bioinsecticide, Biotalys got the green light from the EPA for its first biofungicide, and Ginkgo Bioworks gave us the lowdown on the race to create next-gen nitrogen-fixing biologicals. Have a great week! Louisa, Jenn, and Elaine... 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: AgFunder Fund V Is your business ready for AI analytics? Find out more here EXCLUSIVE: Miyoko’s founder plans bid to buy back brand from liquidator "I'm putting together a team of people to make a bid as I believe I am the best person to be the face of the brand," says Miyoko Schinner. Elaine Watson EXCLUSIVE: Mass layoffs at Meati after weeks of payroll glitches According to one employee: “The entire fermentation team has been laid off as well as food production and only some managers and maintenance people will remain. Still zero communication from Yasir.” Elaine Watson Meati has experienced repeated payroll challenges over the past few weeks with some staff refusing to come into work until they are paid. Elaine Watson Ag robotics startup Naïo bounces back after a year of financial turmoil Naïo will consolidate R&D activities and focus on making ag robotics and automation an option for small farms and vineyards. Jennifer Marston Atinary partners with ABB Robotics, others to accelerate R&D with self-driving lab The two companies will build a research environment that makes small-molecule synthesis faster, cheaper, and less repetitive. Jennifer Marston Corteva’s unveils its first-ever bioinsecticide: ‘Combining biologicals with synthetics is critical’ Goltrevo promises to help growers fight destructive yield losses from pests like the corn leafhopper. Jennifer Marston While there are ethical and environmental arguments for making eggs without chickens, most buyers are motivated by basic economics, says The EVERY Co CEO Arturo Elizondo. Elaine Watson Danish insect ag firm ENORM declared bankrupt after failed reconstruction process COO Jane Lind Sam told reporters earlier this year that ENORM had “experienced strong interest and premium pricing potential until late 2024." However, momentum had since “waned significantly." Elaine Watson “For Appetronix, the inspiration comes more from factories than kitchens. None of my engineers have set foot in a kitchen," says Nipun Sharma. Elaine Watson 'Japan's new agriculture minister breaks with tradition in foodtech summit speech: "Earn, earn!" Agrifood should generate serious revenue, not just survive, said Japan's new ag minister in a clear shift from past protectionism. Louisa Burwood-Taylor US will waste 267m meals this Thanksgiving: ReFED About 320 million pounds of food are expected to go to waste this Thanksgiving, according to food systems think tank ReFED. Jennifer Marston Plus: Big Chocolate goes cocoa free. Jennifer Marston To truly deliver on their promise, nitrogen-fixing microbes need to up their game, says Ginkgo ag bio head, Michael Miile. Elaine Watson Cargill's new robot dog is 'part of a much larger shift' towards 'responsible' AI In an agribusiness setting, Spot is "an extra set of eyes and ears" that can inspect operations and catch potential hazards. Jennifer Marston 🎥 Inside Danone’s open innovation model: From AI to Ozempic-era nutrition Danone's Irini Schoeman-Giziakis joins AgFunderNews to talk open innovation, nutrition in the GLP-1 era, and artificial intelligence. Elaine Watson Why smallholder farmers must be the epicenter of global supply chain transformation Well-functioning, traceable, and sustainable supply chains are the backbone of global food security, says Olam Agri. John Njiraini Guest article: Agtech is dead. Long live the system The future of agtech won’t be decided in a field or a lab. It will be decided by who rewires the flows of trust, capital, data, and standards. By guest contributor Mark Brooks 🤖 Carbon Robotics founder Paul Mikesell on agtech: ‘Be careful how you talk about it’ Will ag automation and robotics ever reach smaller farms? Will specialty crops ever see the rise of harvesting robots? And most important, how should agtech startups approach VCs now that the cheap money is gone and investment is down? Jennifer Marston “There will come a time that people realize that there are not enough bananas, and prices will shoot up,” says Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh. Elaine Watson 🥚 The EVERY Co and Onego Bio eyed merger before IP talks went south, court docs reveal According to The EVERY Co, the two parties had been in discussions about licensing deals or a merger for months, “during which Onego repeatedly threatened to burden EVERY with expensive litigation." Elaine Watson The Amazonification of Whole Foods is finally here—bring on the Doritos Wall Street Journal Kraft Heinz CEO warns of worst consumer sentiment in decades Bloomberg The four forces reshaping the crop protection industry and what comes next Upstream Ag Insights Scientists criticize ‘straw man’ arguments in Bill Gates climate memo The Guardian Stress testing agriculture: What happens when the system breaks? New product seeks to reverse honeybee colony collapse Farm Progress What agribusiness leaders need to know from the MIT state of AI in business report Upstream Ag Insights World gone crazy for protein is a boon for dairy Bloomberg Who are the major players at Cop30 and what do they want? The Guardian
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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.
Alt dairy bidding war: Miyoko Schinner did not win her bid to reclaim the brand she built. However, the winning bidder may face challenges as it will own the trademark but not the license to use the founder's name or image... Also: Meati is “poised for growth" insists new owner Beyond Meat has "plenty of fight left" despite grim Q3 'Human-centered’ AI is top of mind for Foodora, says Jenn. Japan's agrifoodtech ecosystem is maturing, reveals Louisa. Do the economics of recombinant dairy stack...
This week, Bill Gates threw the cat amongst the pigeons... While climate change is serious, it will "not lead to humanity’s demise," said Gates; tackling poverty and disease are now higher on his agenda, according to a new essay. "Sometimes the world acts as if any effort to fight climate change is as worthwhile as any other. As a result, less-effective projects are diverting money and attention from efforts that will have more impact on the human condition." Elsewhere, Jenn Marston had a...
This week: a mixed bag for alt protein. Plant-based cheesemaker Stockeld Dreamery called it quits, while MATR Foods secured new funds to expand its minimally processed meat alternatives, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office teamed up with The EVERY Company and Vivici to explore a 4-million-liter facility for alt protein production in the UAE. Elsewhere, Jenn Marston examined the current state of the bioherbicide market and checked in on Q3 funding for ag robotics, while Elaine Watson caught up...