Agtech VC trends in Q3 2025: AI spurs interest in robotics, biologicals slump
The flight to quality continues in agtech, as interest in robotics picks up fueled by general interest in AI and automation
Funding, mergers & acquisitions
Irish firm gets ESA backing to bring satellite-powered fertiliser tool to grassland farmers
Proveye wins European Space Agency funding to deploy ProvVari – a precision fertiliser platform designed to cut costs, boost yields, and curb emissions across Europe’s pasture-based dairy and beef systems
Rhizocore’s £4.5m funding fuels expansion of fungal tech for tree growth
Scottish biotech Rhizocore Technologies is using tailored fungal networks to boost tree survival and growth. With fresh funding, the company plans to scale production and expand into North America’s vast forestry market
COP30
Gates Foundation invests $1.4bn in farmers impacted by extreme weather
The Gates Foundation was one of many organizations making large commitments to support farmers and the agrifood system at COP30
‘We want a progressive relaunch’: How Naïo Technologies plots its comeback
After a tumultuous 12 months, French ag robotics pioneer Naïo Technologies is charting a gradual reintroduction to the market as it adapts to the ongoing crisis in wine production
Ginkgo and Bayer double down on microbial nitrogen fixation in renewed alliance
Ginkgo Bioworks and Bayer have extended their multi-year partnership to develop microbial nitrogen fixation technology that could reduce reliance on synthetic fertilisers
Source.ag secures $17.5M to scale applied AI for growers in CEA
Backed by strategic investors including Enza Zaden and Harvest House, Netherlands-based Source.ag’s latest funding round highlights demand for AI tools that deliver measurable, daily value to greenhouse operators
‘Challenges don’t exist in silos’: New Alternate Futures Innovation Centre champions collective innovation to drive real impact
Newly announced Alternate Futures Innovation Centre aims to connect ideas and technologies to address complex challenges that are too often tackled in isolation.
Arevo raises €7.3M to scale bio-based fertiliser that boosts soy yields and slashes nitrogen emissions
Swedish start-up Arevo hopes to launch in Brazil in 2027 thanks to a €7.3 million funding round to expand its arginine-powered fertiliser and launch into global markets
$14M boost to unlock credit for Africa’s smallholders
New financing model aims to catalyze $200M in private sector lending across five African nations
AI automation company Agtonomy eyes global, market expansion with closure of $18m Series B round
Agtonomy is expanding into new markets and geographies with the support of a Series B round and a disciplined capital approach
Ambition to action: APAC agtech investment landscape more ‘focused and pragmatic’
Asia Pacific’s agrifood sector is at a critical juncture as investors streamline priorities to focus on food security, supply chain stability, climate resilience, and adaptation
BASF to partially divest agricultural solutions division via IPO in 2027
€10bn unit to gain autonomy as BASF reshapes its agribusiness strategy under “Winning Ways”
The Reservoir launches evergreen VC fund to support start-ups in AI, robotics, precision ag
The Reservoir continues its venture capital (VC) discipline with a new fund targeted at early-stage agtech start-ups
Biofungicide start-up Ascribe Bio closes $12m Series A round to support global rollout
Ascribe Bio is nearing regulatory approval for its biofungicide in Brazil and the U.S. and will use funds from a Series A round to support the launches
Ecorobotix secures $150M to supercharge AI-powered crop protection
Precision sprayer Ecorobotix has raised $150 million across Series C and D rounds to accelerate its expansion into new markets, deepen product development, and advance its proprietary AI technology
Phagos secures approval to market personalized phage-based veterinary drugs in EU
French biotech raises €25m to scale AI-powered phage therapy
Italy’s Maia Ventures launches €55M fund to back agri-food start-ups that need ‘polishing, not reinvention’
New Italy-based VC says it’s part of a more disciplined wave of investors focused on scalable, science-driven solutions to real food system challenges
What future for Indoor Ag? Join our FREE digital broadcast series to find out
Amid a challenging investment landscape and fluctuating market forces, we are shining the spotlight on indoor ag to gauge its future prospects and opportunities for growth.
BASF reviews next steps for feed enzymes business
Focus on strategic partnerships to unlock full potential
Is venture capital failing agri-food innovation? Experts call for a rethink
At the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London, leading investors debated whether the traditional venture capital model is fit for purpose in agri-food
De Heus set to acquire CJ Feed & Care, accelerating Asian growth strategy
Acquisition includes 17 feed mills
World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit London 2025
Helios AI’s agentic feature is like working with ‘a team of Bloomberg analysts’
Virginia-based Helios AI is using multiple agents to help procurers purchase commodities at the right time for the right price, as volatility continues to ripple across the supply chain
ADM, Alltech unite feed assets across US and Canada
Joint venture will be majority-owned by Alltech
Nofence celebrates largest funding round of the year
Virtual fencing company Nofence has raised over £26 million following the successful close of its Series B funding round. The company says the investment will be used to accelerate its international expansion and enhance its product offering to better...
Agrifood VC funding sharply down in H1 2025, PE fares better
The agrifood funding landscape was dealt another blow in the first half of 2025, with new fund size dropping drastically from several years ago, but emerging private equity (PE) firms are finding opportunities, according to PitchBook
Hyperspectral imagery: UK start-up Messium lands £3.3m to seed growth
UK-based Messium, which uses hyperspectral satellites and AI-driven crop growth models to measure crop nitrogen from space, is eyeing expansion after securing a £3.3 million seed investment
Acclym acquisition a ‘major step’ says CropX
Crop supply intelligence company Acclym ‘speaks the corporate sustainability language’, says CropX CEO Tomer Tzach, and brings significant customers like AB InBev, Nestle, General Mills, and McCain Foods to CropX’s agronomic farm management platform
The Yield Lab hits 100-company milestone
A decade from the formation of its first fund in St. Louis, Missouri in the US, global early-stage venture capital firm The Yield Lab celebrates investing in 100+ agri-food tech companies
Animal health and nutrition industry heats up with strategic deals
Kemin and Balmoral Funds finalize animal health and nutrition transactions, while CVC Capital Partners is reportedly the leading contender for dsm-firmenich’s ANH business
Start-up profile
From cow herder to unicorn… What’s behind Halter’s hefty market value?
Virtual fencing start-up Halter became one of New Zealand’s rare unicorns when it raised $100m in June this year from a sweep of Silicon Valley tech investors at a $1bn valuation. Its president Andrew Fraser explains its allure
Are farms the next big asset class? What Proterra buying AcreTrader means for ag investing
Digitizing financial services and opening up investment opportunities in farmland can help both growers and investors
Feed monitoring company BinSentry raises $50 million Series C round to fuel expansion
BinSentry is fueling its mission of digitizing the animal feed supply chain with a fresh round of venture capital funding, as the agtech company looks to Brazil for growth
‘The benefits are clear’: Saga Robotics on why it’s the chasing the American dream
The Norwegian company behind the Thorvald autonomous robot – which zaps powdery mildew with high-intensity UV-C light – has raised £8.4m to scale operations both in the UK and US
Pairwise licenses gene-editing platform to Mars to bolster cacao R&D
Cocoa market volatility is making major food producers like Mars rethink their supply chain with the help of agtech
Private equity ‘uniquely placed’ to unlock value from biologicals boom, says Ambienta
Venture capital alone can’t scale and commercialise innovation in the biocontrol sector, says the asset manager after its acquisition of Spanish biological crop solutions platform Agronova
Cargill deepens investment in Brazil’s booming feed sector
US agribusiness giant is set to acquire 100% of the operations of a Brazilian animal nutrition company
Soil health analytics start-up TerraBlaster closes oversubscribed $4m pre-seed round
TerraBlaster digs into soil health metrics with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy
Ambienta’s Agronova deal bears out biosolutions boom as climate pressures threaten Europe’s crop yields
One of Europe’s largest asset managers entirely focused on environmental sustainability has entered the sustainable agriculture sector with acquisition of Spanish biological crop solutions platform Agronova
British biofertiliser start-up NZN eyes Asia after raising $6.6mn
UK-based NetZeroNitrogen hopes to launch a bioinoculant for rice farming next year after a $6.6 million seed round
Ag fintech company Growers Edge continues M&A spree, scoops up FarmTest
Growers Edge is bolstering its financial services and digital platform with a robust merger and acquisition (M&A) strategy, including the purchase of FarmTest and Aquaoso Technologies
VC agtech deal count reaches lowest level in several years amid ‘flight to quality,’ PitchBook reports
A great agtech funding realignment is underway, as money moves from biotech to precision ag companies
Can Ÿnsect reinvent itself? French protein player faces crucial test
Once hailed as a global pioneer in insect-based protein production, Ÿnsect continues its fight for survival
Winning the mushroom-growing game: 4AG Robotics raises $40m CAD to scale harvesting robots
4AG Robotics is deploying Series B funding to bolster its ability to make mushroom-harvesting robots, which are digging into the root challenges facing mushroom growers today
Biostimulants start-up Agrobiomics eyes market launch after EIC funding
The “snake oil” days of biostimulants are well and truly over says Danish bio-ag firm Agrobiomics after sealing up to €7.5 million in blended finance from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator programme
Spanish vertical farmer Néboda repels ‘tough market’ with €1.84m raise
Tackling the sector’s “biggest challenge” of cost competitiveness was key to closing a funding round to consolidate its pre-industrial vertical farming model, the start-up says
BiomEdit nets over $18m in Series B to commercialize engineered probiotic biologic
Participation from AgriZeroNZ set to accelerate US firm’s methane emissions reduction technology
Solynta secures €20m EIB loan to speed its potato tech
Dutch company Solynta has grabbed a €20 million venture debt financing agreement from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to accelerate roll-out of its true potato seeds
New €1 billion EU-wide funding for agtech sustainability
The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed partnerships with Rabobank and DLL to provide €1 billion in loans targeting SMEs and mid-caps focused on sustainability and agriculture
Doktar eyes growth after €7.5m fundraise
Dutch-based precision ag company Doktar is primed for expansion after securing €7.5 million in funds, it tells us