AgFunderNews

🎥 Eclipse Ingredients scales human lactoferrin platform: 'We're executing at a speed that is unheard of in this space'

Interview with Eclipse Ingredients' chief executive on commercialising human lactoferrin through precision fermentation, beginning with cosmetics, plus its distributor agreements and partnerships for manufacturing scale-up.

Facet Amtech bets on multifunctional catalyst to disrupt ammonia production

Profile of Facet Amtech, an Australian maker of a catalyst that yields ammonia without a dedicated hydrogen plant, covering its newly announced seed round backed by Main Sequence and Uniseed to fund pilot testing.

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IIF to launch its farm investment platform across Canada following new capital raise from Verdex

IIF has secured fresh backing from Verdex Capital, with existing supporters AgFunder and Investible also taking part, to drive its expansion into Canada after recently winning regulatory approval in New Zealand.

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AgriFood Signals: Farmbot unearths fresh funding, Homestead Capital nabs $150m, Gates backs 'HeatSmart' cassava

Roundup of agrifood industry news: funding for Farmbot, Nbryo, Oceanloop and others, Homestead Capital's fund close, two acquisitions, executive appointments, and other sector developments.

AgriFood Signals: Ranch tech startup Ranchbot nets $15m, Target hires chief AI officer, plant cell culture megadeal

AgFunderNews roundup of agrifood funding raises, executive appointments, shutdowns and partnerships, including Ranchbot's Series B, ClimateAi and Cultimate shutting down, and Novonesis seeking sole control of MicroBioGen.

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BioScout raises $4.8m for early warning system for fungal pathogens

BioScout, an Australian maker of AI spore-detection sensors for crops, has raised a seed round from Demea Sustainable Investment, Astanor and others to expand its sensor network and European presence.

Also Dealroom·agritechdigest.com·app.fundz.net·This Week in Australian Startups·winssolutions.org·agroempresario.com·finsmes.com·agrospectrumasia.com

All G makes US debut with low-iron lactoferrin made via precision fermentation

Australian food-tech firm All G has launched a low-iron, fermentation-derived lactoferrin in the US, producing multiple tonnes yearly via a Chinese manufacturer, with European capacity and a human-equivalent version planned.

AgriFood Signals: Uber’s $14.8bn bid for Delivery Hero, Hippo Harvest banks $30m, agentic AI for ag

AgFunderNews roundup of agtech and foodtech items: several venture raises and EU grants, Uber's agreed takeover of Delivery Hero, Winnow's purchase of Lumitics, Norrsken Evolve's fund close, and Goterra's liquidation.

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AgriFood Signals: Chipotle’s next agrifood cohort, John Deere settlement, fruit-harvesting robots

Agriculture and food roundup: robotics, crop and fruit-tech raises; Qantas-backed Brisbane aviation-fuel startup; three fund closes; Kimitec majority acquisition; a Hyphen executive hire; and a John Deere repair settlement.

AgriFood Signals: Bayer wins roundup case, CEO change at Vow, Reservoir acquires Contain

AgFunderNews roundup of agtech and foodtech developments: several funding rounds, four acquisitions including Danone buying Made in Protein, a leadership change at Vow, a grant, and other industry items.

Goterra administrator seeks buyer as founder warns of insect ag sector 'contagion'

Insect farming company Goterra has entered voluntary administration in Australia; its administrator is seeking a buyer while founder Olympia Yarger blames sector contagion and underfunding for the collapse.

URUS acquires AgriWebb to make livestock tech 'resemble other critical infrastructure systems'

Australia's AgriWebb, a livestock management software maker, is being bought by cattle genetics company URUS. Cofounder Justin Webb discusses the deal and a wider move toward integrated, data-driven farm systems.

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AgriFood Signals: Danone buys protein maker Huel, Miraterra Soil bags $16m, Grab buys Food Panda Taiwan

AgFunderNews roundup of agrifood deal news: eleven startup funding rounds, Generate Capital selling Equinox Growers, executive appointments including a new FFAR board member, and other industry items.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Forbes Australia

Halter says it's not an agtech company on the heels of $220m Series E

Halter, a New Zealand cattle-collar startup, has raised $220m in a Founders Fund-led Series E at a doubled $2bn valuation; the piece argues its ambitions reach beyond agtech.

Also AgFunderNews

AgriFood Signals: First close for Aqua-Spark Africa fund, Anchr nabs funds for AI in food distribution

Roundup of international agtech and foodtech items: startup funding rounds, investment funds reaching closes, a New South Wales government lending fund, CEO appointments and new partnerships.

AgriFood Signals: Dicamba reinstated, Bayer gets Stryax green light, SP Ventures closes $50m

AgFunderNews roundup of agtech and foodtech items: startup raises across Asia, Europe and Australia, acquisitions including SunOpta and Cosmix, SP Ventures' $50m fund close, executive hires, Avant Proteins' shutdown, and regulatory news.

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AgriFood Signals: SAP & Syngenta partner, BASF buys biocontrol startup, Microsoft's record deal with Indigo

Weekly agtech and foodtech roundup: several startup raises, BASF's purchase of AgBiTech, three new funds, a Bühler CEO appointment, Microsoft carbon-credit deals, and company shutdowns.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily

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Robot cowboys: GrazeMate bets on fully autonomous cattle mustering drones

GrazeMate, an autonomous cattle-mustering drone startup founded by Sam Rogers, raised a pre-seed round led by Y Combinator with Antler and NextGen Ventures, and is piloting on Queensland and New South Wales farms.

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All G raises $6.6m, forms JV with Armor Protéines to scale human and bovine lactoferrin

Precision fermentation startup All G banked A$10 million through a convertible note and teamed up with French dairy ingredients maker Armor Protéines to sell lactoferrin, targeting a first product launch in early 2026.

Also Startup Daily·SmartCompany·Startup Daily

AgriFood Signals: GoPuff nets $250m, Microsoft, Land O' Lakes partner on AI, M&A for carbon markets, COP30 protests

Weekly agtech and foodtech roundup: multiple venture raises, Carbon Direct's purchase of Pachama, two food-focused funds closing, board and C-suite appointments, and an Australian delivery firm shutting down.

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: Funding for insect protein, Believer Meats USDA approval, Pow.Bio scales continuous biomanufacturing

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: raises for more than a dozen companies including Australia's Uluu and Nbryo, executive and board appointments, Leon's buyback from Asda, and the collapse of two insect firms.

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Farm robotics in the weeds as funding declines 36% from Q2 to Q3

AgFunderNews' quarterly analysis finds funding for agricultural robotics down 36% quarter-on-quarter, with SwarmFarm, Beewise, 4AG and other weed-fighting startups among 2025's raises, plus a new crop robotics market map from The Mixing Bowl.

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: SwarmFarm Robotics nabs $30m, DoorDash delivery 'bots, new carbon fund from Cibus

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: several offshore raises, a baby-food company's IPO filing, a new carbon fund for Australia, delivery robots, award winners, and a handful of executive moves.

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

Australian fermentation-fat maker Nourish Ingredients is opening a Dutch base in Leiden for European operations, with its CTO relocating, as it nears initial sales of Tastilux and works with partners including CABIO and Fonterra.

Bramble’s Chris Mitchell shares a vision for the future of UK health and agrifood

AgFunderNews Q&A with Bramble Partners' Chris Mitchell on Britain's emerging agrifood policy: weight-loss drugs, compulsory sales reporting, regenerative farming, and the VC firm's five priority areas across the food system.

v2food CEO on entering the US via the Daring Foods acquisition: “It’s one of the few brands that’s growing”

Australian meat-alternative firm v2food buys US plant-based chicken company Daring Foods as its US entry; Ajinomoto has invested in v2food and will license-manufacture its products in Asian and African markets.

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Provectus Algae nets fresh funds to scale methane reduction seaweed tech platform

Queensland seaweed producer Provectus Algae raised a $10.1m Series A led by At One Ventures plus a $2.5m government grant to scale indoor Asparagopsis production for livestock methane reduction.

Breaking: Eclipse Ingredients secures funding for its ‘capital-light’ spin on making human lactoferrin

Precision fermentation startup Eclipse Ingredients has come out of stealth with a $7 million round backed by the Australian government and AgFunder to produce human lactoferrin for food and skincare markets.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany

Inside the UK cultivated meat regulatory sandbox with Mosa Meat, Hoxton Farms, and BlueNalu

Eight cultivated-meat startups enter a UK regulator's sandbox for tailored guidance; executives from Mosa Meat, Hoxton Farms and BlueNalu discuss approval timelines, resourcing and international alignment.

The Week in AgriFoodTech:Tidal Vision completes $140m B round, Oobli raises $18m, Agteria bags $6.2m

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: twelve startup funding rounds, an Australian government grant for cultivated meat, three acquisitions, and a NotCo executive hire.

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: Colossal Biosciences raises $200m, Chipotle invests in methane reduction

Weekly agrifoodtech digest: Colossal Biosciences' mammoth-de-extinction raise, Formo's venture debt, NatureMetrics' Series B, Chipotle's corporate bets, two agri fund closes, two acquisitions, and a cultivated-meat startup's layoffs.

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Funding for mealworms & green hydrogen, Ohalo unveils a new kind of almond

AgFunderNews weekly roundup: new raises for Udaan, Matteco, Foodsi, Bendi, Revo Foods, Paleo, Tebrio and Earthodic; Blue Evolution and Blu3 merge; USDA and Finnish grants; three executive appointments announced.

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: Blue Stripes, Nukoko land rounds for alt chocolate, OroraTech snags deal for wildfire detection

Roundup of agrifoodtech news: alternative-chocolate funding for Blue Stripes and Nukoko, new capital for OroraTech and other climate startups, an Australian plant-based firm's liquidation and sale, executive moves, and a forest fund's first close.

Number 8 Bio CEO: Synthetic chemistry, not seaweed or biomanufacturing, is key to cost-effective livestock methane reduction

The startup's chief executive explains its pivot from yeast engineering to lab-made compounds that cut cow burps, covering its fresh seed round, a planned Sydney facility and trials ahead of a 2025 rollout.

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: Fly farmer catches $58m, new deals for restaurant tech, TR4-resistant bananas

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup covering startup funding rounds, two venture fund closes, executive appointments, and new products such as a disease-resistant banana and 3D-printed protein.

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BREAKING: CropX adds nitrogen-optimizing tech to its farm management array with EnGeniousAg acquisition

Farm management firm CropX has bought nitrogen-sensor maker EnGeniousAg, its sixth acquisition, terms undisclosed; staff join the buyer, which recalls a $30m raise in 2023 and earlier sensor deals.

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: New climate tech deals in Europe, banks urged to stop funding livestock

Weekly roundup: European climate and food startup raises, an Australian biotech's funding, Rappi buying Fountain9, Motif FoodWorks shutting down, a new Certis CEO, and a letter pressing banks over livestock lending.

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Algenie emerges from stealth with next-gen bioreactor it claims can unlock algae's potential in feed, bioplastics, and fuel

Australian algae startup Algenie raises A$1.1 million from University of Technology Sydney and Better Bite Ventures while unveiling a thin-layer photobioreactor designed to make algae production dramatically cheaper for fuels, plastics and feed.

Also SmartCompany

Cauldron awarded $2.8m to advance continuous fermentation tech, appoints CTO

Precision fermentation firm Cauldron wins an Australian government grant for its continuous fermentation platform and appoints David Weiner chief technology officer, alongside mentions of fellow grant recipients and its Horizons Ventures-led Series A.

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Australia’s IIF wants to build a farm on everyone’s smartphone and de-risk agriculture in the process

Interview with IIF founder Nathan MacPhee on his cooperative platform letting ordinary people fund crops and livestock, giving farmers earlier payment and shifting seasonal risk; New Zealand's Agnition Ventures has backed the company.

The Week in AgriFoodTech: quick-grocery app Zepto bags $665m, Lululemon backs $66m round for recycled plastics

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: Zepto and Getir raise big rounds, an Australian recycled-plastics startup lands $100 million backed by Lululemon, SoundHound acquires Allset, and several agrifood companies announce executive appointments.

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: THIS bags $25m & Tender scoops up $11m for meat alternatives, Farmbot scores $4.6m

Weekly agri-foodtech roundup: raises at THIS, Tender, Ever After Foods, Farmbot and Beta Bugs; two acquisitions; Proterra's rural fund raise; grants; and AgriFORCE appointing Jolie Kahn CEO.

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: EvodiaBio scores $7.5m, Microcaps raises $10m, Aleph Farm lays off 30% of staff

Roundup of agrifoodtech news: raises across Europe, Singapore and Australia, Collaborative Fund wraps a $125m vehicle, Neutral Foods merges with Zeal Creamery, SCiFi Foods shuts down, and Aleph Farms cuts staff.

Also LaunchVic·Forbes Australia

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: eFishery snaps up $30m, impact VC Pollination launches $150m fund

Roundup of the week's agrifoodtech news: an Indonesian aquaculture startup's US$30m debt raise, a Queensland-backed climate fund close, several smaller raises, a micro-fulfillment firm's bankruptcy filing and an ag-analytics platform shutting down.

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: Hysata snags $111m for green hydrogen, Ocean 14 launches $200m+ fund

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: Hysata's green-hydrogen Series B, Rize's Series A, other raises, Ocean 14 and Peakbridge fund closes, Uber buying Delivery Hero's Taiwan unit, executive hires, and an accelerator's cohort selection.

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Peakbridge closes $187m Growth Fund II, homes in on disruptive potential of AI

PeakBridge has finished raising its second growth vehicle at $187m with Edmond de Rothschild as partner. Its founding GP discusses AI's role in food investing and names holdings such as Vow and Tastewise.

Red seaweed was billed as a gamechanger for livestock methane reduction… so when will it deliver?

Q&A with FutureFeed's chief executive on Asparagopsis seaweed as a livestock methane-cutting feed additive: its licensing business, backers, licensees' progress, regulation, research and scaling hurdles.

Data snapshot: From ‘lightning in a box’ to microbial carbon capture, agrifoodtech investment moves upstream in Australia as investors focus on climate mitigation

A data review of 2023's ten largest Australian agrifoodtech raises, topped by Loam Bio's US$73.2 million Series B, showing funding down 33% as capital concentrated in upstream climate-mitigation startups.

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Vow becomes third company to launch cultivated meat, but it isn’t starting with chicken nuggets…

Vow launches a quail-derived cultivated meat product through Singapore's upscale restaurants; its CEO explains the premium-first strategy, unit economics and its $56m backing, with Australian regulatory approval expected late 2024.

Cauldron raises $6.25m series A to scale continuous fermentation tech

An Australian precision fermentation maker has banked a Horizons Ventures-led series A to grow its continuous fermentation capacity, with SOSV, In-Q-Tel and Main Sequence also backing the round.

Also SmartCompany·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·SmartCompany·Startup Daily·Startup Daily·SmartCompany·AgFunderNews

The Week in AgriFoodTech: Agrotoken closes Series A, John Deere & SpaceX team up, MaxAB merges with Wasoko

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup covering Agrotoken's Series A, raises by Mediterranean Food Lab, Better Juice, Burro, SeeTree and farm-ng, the MaxAB–Wasoko merger, v2food's brand acquisition, a Flashfood CEO change, and Drizly's shutdown.

Data snapshot: From insect ag and vertical farming to aquaculture… the top 20 deals in Novel Farming Systems in 2023

AgFunderNews reviews 2023's largest Novel Farming Systems funding rounds, showing sector investment fell to $680 million from $2.8 billion, and notes bankruptcies including Lemnature AquaFarms.

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The top 20 agtech deals of 2023

A year-end countdown of 2023's twenty largest agtech funding rounds, from biofuels and carbon marketplaces to farm robotics, with EcoCeres' $400 million raise at the top.

Also AgFunderNews

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: Ag marketplace Vegrow lands $46m, Yara acquires fertilizer business, Chipotle invests in ag robotics

Weekly agrifoodtech digest: Vegrow's Series C headlines several raises, alongside two acquisitions, a Swiggy board appointment, Chipotle's accelerator investment and cultivated meat developments.

Cultivated meat: UMAMI Bioworks, Cell AgriTech announce plant in Malaysia; SCiFi Foods opens pilot plant; Vow gets initial nod from regulators

News roundup covering a planned Malaysian cultivated-meat plant from UMAMI Bioworks and Cell AgriTech, SCiFi Foods' new California pilot facility, and Vow's cultivated quail passing an initial food-safety assessment, plus its earlier series A.

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Lightning in a box? Rainstick harnesses electrical fields to grow crops 'bigger, faster, and more sustainably'

Australian agtech startup Rainstick treats seeds and microbes with targeted electrical fields to lift germination and crop yields; cofounder Mic Black describes early trial results, university validation work, and the company's funding position.

🎥Cauldron on precision fermentation: 'A continuous process will unlock cost of goods for low-value, high-volume products'

AgFunderNews interview with the founder of Australian fermentation startup Cauldron, who argues continuous processing can make microbial protein affordable for commodity ingredients and outlines plans for a contract manufacturing network.

Provectus Algae seeks to disrupt livestock methane reduction space with tech delivering 'a step-change in the cost of goods'

Queensland algae startup Provectus Algae launches a seaweed-based livestock methane additive, touting cheaper production; founder Nusqe Spanton recently took strategic backing from Korea's CJ Bio.

Data snapshot: Ag Biotechnology investment surges in Asia-Pacific as funding swims upstream

AgFunder's Asia-Pacific investment analysis finds agriculture-focused biotech surged in 2022, with China and India ahead, while Australian soil-carbon firm Loam Bio landed a sizable round in 2023.

Also AgFunderNews

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The Week in AgriFoodTech: URB-E pivots to last-mile delivery, GoodBytz bags $12m, a new fund for regen ag

Weekly agrifoodtech roundup: raises for Overstory, FarmInsect, GoodBytz and others; Ever.Ag buys Austin Data Labs; grants for Wadhwani AI and Notpla; SLM and Impact Ag roll out a carbon fund; URB-E rebrands.

Also AgFunderNews