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.
Offbeast unveils hybrid whole cuts, ClimateAi ceases operations, unpacking the GRAS proposal, FCC targets existing foreign-made drones, alt cocoa, alt meat
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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 some had feared but could still create headaches for the food industry if not properly resourced and will almost certainly prompt legal challenges. Plus:
And finally… Is precision health tech a gamechanger that could move the needle on public health, or are its benefits confined to a small cohort of affluent, health-conscious consumers seeking to fine-tune their wellness? We catch up with Cornucopian Capital... Have a great week! Louisa, Jenn, and Elaine Offbeast develops ‘world’s first’ beef-plant hybrid whole cuts Offbeast has developed a manufacturing process designed to integrate into existing meat-processing lines, says CEO Insa Mohr. Elaine Watson “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 Cultivated Food Labs advances faba bean hull-based cocoa alternative “The goal is to build out supply chains for these ingredients and then work with strategic partners.” Elaine Watson From GLP-1s to biosensors: Inside Cornucopian Capital’s precision health playbook Aryeh Ganz: “What if we could make improved health span, performance, and longevity accessible to everyone?" Elaine Watson Swiss alt meat startup Planted scales fermented whole-cut platform, eyes B2B partnerships “In Austria and Switzerland we’re the market leader and in Germany we’re the fastest growing player," claims Pascal Bieri. Elaine Watson Millow raises $2.3m, gears up for launch of minimally processed alt meat "The job now is disciplined commercial execution," says CEO Fredrik Öhrn. Elaine Watson Plus: Vertical farmer GoodLeaf Farms achieves profitability. Elaine Watson Black Sheep Foods bets on ‘TVP 2.0’ as hybrid meat gains traction - AgFunder portfolio co! Black Sheep Foods has reinvented itself as a B2B supplier of next-gen TVP that can be blended with meat or alt meat at high inclusion rates. Elaine Watson Indoor ag heavyweight 80 Acres Farms to cease operations "We have helped plant the seeds for generations of future harvests," says CEO Mike Zelkind. Jennifer Marston Plantible raises $35m in debt, equity, to increase RuBisCO protein production fivefold “We've rolled out a new strain that has allowed us to increase yield by more than 40%," says CEO Tony Martens. Elaine Watson
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U.S. farmland values have climbed nearly 44% since 2020 AgDaily 80 Acres Farms was the last one standing. It still wasn't enough. Russian strikes on dozens of grain ships threaten global food supplies New York Times The post-patent wave is coming: what it means for ag retailers CropLife From milk to snack foods, more products are going 'regenerative' Bloomberg Target taps Lowe’s exec as its first-ever AI chief Chain Store Age 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 Junior project implementation analyst Solinftec (Rondonópolis, Mato Grosso, Brazil) Business development and marketing intern Singrow (Singapore) Business development manager, Italy Aerobotics (Bologna/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, 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: 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...