Agrobiomics’ Post

Why do MBA grads spin out hard tech companies? Because its been normalized as a career path in their training. Early stages (pre-seed & seed) of a startup are for de-risking technology and finding PMF. IMO the PhD trains you really well to do this!! But PhDs are only taught that they can spin out their own work, not a technology they didn't work on. Its too bad... I had many charismatic peers in grad school who would be great at all of the things (fundraising, negotiation, etc.) that make up the CEO role. I rant about this and more while sitting down with Nucleate's Lindsey Florek (thanks for the feature!!). PhD scientists: find a problem that moves you, find a tech and inventor you groove with, and come spin out in NYC's blossoming syn bio or blazing climate tech scene.

NYC Founder’s Spotlight: Climate-Saving Microbes Discover the revolutionary eco-tech companies transforming the NYC biotech scene! In our latest article, part of the Hidden Layers series on Nucleate's Signal media platform, Lindsey Florek and Lauren Dierdorff dive into the innovative solutions by Quorum Bio and Envirobe Inc., two startups harnessing the power of microbes to tackle climate-related challenges. 🔬 Quorum Bio: Led by CEO Sudharsan Dwaraknath, this SynBio, ag-tech company is pioneering sustainable agriculture by engineering microbes to enhance phosphorus uptake in crops, reducing fertilizer use and boosting farmer profits. 🌿 Envirobe Inc.: Founded by Samuel J. Magaziner, this ecotech startup is developing microbes that break down plastic waste, creating a self-sustaining recycling process that could revolutionize waste management. Both founders share their journeys, insights, and advice for aspiring biotech entrepreneurs. Learn how they're making a real impact on the climate crisis and driving the growth of NYC's biotech ecosystem. Read the full article on Signal to get inspired by these climate-saving innovators! https://lnkd.in/gmEytY2N #Biotech #EcoTech #ClimateAction #NYCStartups

While I wasn't able to get across to AgriFutures evokeAG this year, it was great to catch up with some of the amazing agtech people at the SA AgriTech Meetup group (headed by Oli, Michael and Emma) on friday... There was a clear message on the debrief of an evolving event and AgriFutures Australia Non Exec Director Danny Le Feuvre addressed this point. Originally the event focussed on the connection between startups, gov, researchers and the investment community. However, it is becoming clear that there is a growing demand and need from the startups to look for new ways to connect with producers, collectives, and people who can trial, demonstrate, provide feedback, share challenges, and ultimately become customers. From personal experience, getting producers to events is a huge challenge. SA Events like AdvanceAg where it was free, WineTech and others get some producers, but not the majority. Enticing producers out of their region or even just off their farm to a local demo day can be a challenge. So AgriFutures will certainly have a task on their hands if they expect to meet this need. Having said that, 10% of attendees were producers. A producer at the event also commented that the Startup community need to be going out to farmers to understand their core challenges. She felt that there is still too much of a push for agtech rather than a pull... An opportunity for every regional group, association and collective to be thinking about is creating pathways and connection for tech companies to solve the wicked problems in their community. We know that Australia predominantly exports a large portion of our agriculture production and therefore, I am firm believer that to remain globally competitive against other countries and regions who have much lower costs of production due to cheaper labour, energy and access to markets that are much closer than us, we need to be leveraging technology better. I've seen strategy after strategy written about agtech adoption. Many state the obvious need for ROI demonstration, hearing results from peers rather than suppliers, being local to provide confidence, the demographics and technical skills of producers being a barrier, the desire not to have one hundred apps to run a property etc. We're still a long road away, but there needs to be better solutions that deal with the heart of issues and that requires more conversations between tech and producers... Not about the tech they have to offer, well less of that, but about the tech producers need and more importantly WANT! What do you think? If your business would like to connect with more producers, talk about the challenges, gain feedback on your solutions, then book a call with me as I have an extensive network and work with innovative companies especially those looking to gain trials, first customers or to start building a sales process, pipeline, team and skills in their business. #agtech #technology #agritech #innovation #agriculture

Congratulations to Micropep Technologies on the second close of its Series B financing round. Micropep is a global leader in micropeptide technology, which is a new category of crop protection active ingredients that are more efficient and environmentally friendly. This transaction is one of the few capital raises in the Ag Biotech sector to be completed in 2024, and includes new investor Corteva, a corporate strategic that provides a diverse mix of seed, crop protection, and digital products and services to farmers around the world. As I discussed in a recent LinkedIn post about an article by ICL PLANET Startup Hub on “The Rise of Corporate Venture Investments in Food-Tech and Agri-Tech”, the AgTech & FoodTech sector looks less likely to attract traditional tech and generalist venture capital investors, due to the sector’s capital intensity, seasonality, long sales cycle, and time horizon to achieve profitability. Therefore, it is more important than ever to attract longer-term investors, particularly corporate strategics. In the same way that energy & industrials CVCs emerged during the difficult CleanTech financing market a decade ago, agriculture and food CVCs are poised to play an outsized role in supporting the growth and development of AgTech & FoodTech companies. This investor class has already demonstrated its strength, having collectively made more than 90 investments in over 65 companies, according to ICL Planet. Despite the challenging financing market in 2024, I am confident that those AgTech& FoodTech companies that survive will likely have benefitted from the assistance of CVCs, who have the industry knowledge, distribution, marketing and financial resources to help companies achieve success. https://lnkd.in/gNAnV5VP https://lnkd.in/gZEFARpd Thomas LAURENT Mikael Courbot Anouk Veber Brook Cunningham Clay Mitchell Eric O'Brien Guillaume Baxter Jean Michel Petit Joško Bobanović Juliana Green Lionel Artusio-Payot Mary McCarthy Mark S. Brooks Ricardo Brás Scott Day PAg. Tom Greene Yanniv Dorone #agtech #foodtech #food #agriculture #foodsecurity #sustainability #agbiotech #climatechange #technology #innovation

🌱 This Week's Development in AgTech! 🚀 🌱 Miraterra Inc.'s Milestone in Soil Health: Miraterra has successfully closed its seed funding round, led by At One Ventures, attracting significant investment from other major players like S2G Ventures and the Cisco Foundation. Focused on transforming soil analysis, Miraterra's Digitizer technology is set to make soil health measurements both affordable and reliable, enhancing environmental sustainability and climate resilience. 🇧🇷 SMARTBREEDER's Strategic Growth: Smartbreeder is celebrating a strategic investment of $2.74M from the EcoEnterprises Fund, recognizing its pioneering AI-driven solutions for sustainable agriculture in Brazil. This investment will fuel Smartbreeder's expansion across various agricultural sectors and support the launch of an innovative MBA program combining AI with agronomic expertise. 💧 CroBio®'s Innovation for Drought Resilience: CroBio has raised $1.55M in seed funding led by The Grantham Foundation to develop microbial technologies enhancing soil's water retention capabilities. This boost will enable CroBio to extend its field trials and expand operations, contributing significantly to global food security and climate change mitigation. 🌾 PowerPollen's Game-Changing Pollination Technology: PowerPollen has secured a substantial investment from the Liechtenstein Group to advance its on-demand pollination technology, which promises to revolutionize crop resilience and yield consistency. This development is a leap forward in sustainable agriculture, particularly in optimizing rice production. In tomorrow's newsletter, we also cover the financial results from AGCO Corporation, CNH Industrial & Syngenta, as well as the latest partnership between CNH & Intelsat. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the email tomorrow morning US time -> https://lnkd.in/eK_mszGa #AgTech #SustainableAgriculture #Innovation #Investment #SoilHealth #ClimateResilience

🌱 Great news from our Alumn Bionomic! They've secured a €350K investment from UNIIQ - Finance for the Future to further their work in biological crop protection. 🚀 Located in Leiden, Bionomic is making significant strides in agriculture with their innovative approach to combating Fusarium oxysporum. This fungus, detrimental to vital crops like tulips, onions, and tomatoes, meets its match in Bionomic’s environmentally friendly solution. Their method not only targets the fungus effectively but does so without disrupting the surrounding biodiversity. 🌻 Thanks to this investment, Bionomic is set to expand field trials and accelerate the rollout of their groundbreaking product to international markets. This development is crucial for areas heavily impacted by Fusarium, enhancing food security and crop health globally. 🌍 Diederik Mud, co-founder of Bionomic, expressed enthusiasm about the investment: “This funding will enable us to bring our sustainable crop protection solutions to market swiftly, helping farmers worldwide mitigate Fusarium's impact.” 📈 We can’t wait to see how their continued progress will shape a more sustainable farming future! #Agritech #Sustainability #Innovation #CropProtection #Startups

With the global demand for fertilizer rising due to growing populations and limited arable land, there's a pressing need to address the environmental impact. Nitricity, an agtech startup, is out to solve that problem by decarbonizing the fertilizer industry. In yesterday's #WomenInClimate meetup, Sarah LaFasto and Emma N. talked about some of the unique challenges they face in doing so. While everything from decarbonizing production and transport to scaling issues with reactor capacity and energy use poses challenges, what caught my attention were the constraints on scaling. As Sarah pointed out, "Whenever you're introducing something new into the market, you need to make sure it works." Farmers won’t risk their livelihoods on unproven products, so getting solid field trial data is crucial. Unlike other startups that can do quick, iterative testing, agriculture has fixed summer and winter growing seasons. Plus, crop growth cycles vary widely - lettuce, spinach, and cilantro grow in a few months, while oranges or almonds take 5-10 years. This makes scaling quickly a real challenge for agtech startups. #ClimateTech #AgTech #Fertilizer

#AgritechGrowth: Kisankonnect's Strategic Leap with INR 31 Crore Funding In a significant move for the agritech sector, KisanKonnect Safe Foods has secured a INR 31 crore (~USD 3.8 Million) investment led by Green Frontier Capital, with notable contributions from Dhanuka Agritech Ltd. and VC Grid. This funding round is not just a financial milestone but a testament to the burgeoning interest in climate-smart agriculture and tech-driven supply chain solutions. Key Insights: 🌱 Climate-Smart Agriculture: Kisankonnect's focus on sustainable farming practices is in line with global trends towards environmental stewardship and consumer health awareness. 🌱 Supply Chain Innovation: The company's temperature-controlled, fully traceable supply chain exemplifies the fusion of technology and traditional agriculture, setting new standards for quality and safety. 🌱 Expansion Blueprint: Plans to scale climate-smart interventions with 5,000 farmers and establish new farm stores in key urban centers indicate Kisankonnect's commitment to growth and consumer engagement. Strategic Significance: 💡 The investment highlights the strategic importance of integrating advanced technologies in agriculture to meet the rising demand for safe and sustainable produce. 💡 Kisankonnect's expansion strategy underscores the potential of D2C models in transforming the consumer experience in the agritech domain. Investment Opportunities: 💼 Investors should consider the agritech sector ripe for investment, particularly in companies like Kisankonnect that are at the forefront of sustainable and technological advancements. 💼 With the industry's shift towards eco-friendly practices and tech-enabled supply chains, there's a clear opportunity for long-term growth and market leadership. Risks & Considerations: ⚠️ Investors must navigate the competitive landscape and innovation imperative to ensure sustained success. ⚠️ Regulatory challenges and market integration remain key factors to watch in this rapidly evolving sector. Kisankonnect's funding success signals a broader industry trend towards sustainable and consumer-centric agricultural solutions. For investors and industry watchers, this marks an opportune moment to engage with a sector on the cusp of transformation. For more insights into the agritech industry and strategic investment analysis, follow Market Unwinded - Your compass in the world of emerging markets. 🔗 Dive deeper into the agritech revolution: https://lnkd.in/gFe_AUwc #Kisankonnect #GreenFrontierCapital #DhanukaAgritech #VCGrid #SustainableFarming #SupplyChainInnovation #MarketUnwinded #InvestmentStrategy #ClimateSmartAgriculture #ExpansionStrategy #DirectToConsumer

“If you’re a farmer and you’re going to transition to regenerative agriculture, the biggest barrier is knowledge and understanding best practices” Excellent to see the Financial Times taking an interest in regenerative agriculture (3rd article I've seen this month), and thanks to Freya Pratty for interviewing so many interesting sources to create this rich article. The short version: 👩🌾 Regen farming is about food, biodiversity, soil health (and community...I added that last bit :) 🏢 Corporates like Nestlé, PepsiCo, Danone and Unilever like it 💳 Carbon markets are set to rocket from $2Bn to @250Bn market in 2050 (ref. Morgan Stanley) 🤖 Tech opportunities are there for gen. AI, data crunch (MRV), green fertiliser, natural crop applications, automation and robotics to name a few. (ref. Leslie Kapin, Astanor Ventures and me, Rockstart) 💰 Simon Haldrup rightly pointing out that tech startups in this space are not an easy fit for VC funding (ref. Agreena) 💸 Better soil doesn't mean better profits, a problem for investors (ref. Ken Giller of Wageningen University & Research) 👨🚀 VCs invested $1.4Bn in regen ag tech from 2021-2023 (+46%, ref. DealRoom) Read the article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ewyTxcK7 #fridayinspiration #vc #regenerativefarming #agritech Rockstart

Danish startup secures €4 million for climate-resilient agriculture solutions Copenhagen-based agricultural technology company Agrobiomics has raised €4 million from NOON Ventures to bring its climate resilience solution, Fortify, to the market. Fortify is designed to help plants withstand environmental stresses like drought and salinity. With earlier financial support of €1.4 million from the BioInnovation Institute, Agrobiomics plans to use this new funding to expand trials across various crops, including soy, corn, and tomatoes, in regions such as Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa. This investment aims to enhance global food security by improving crop yields under challenging climate conditions and reducing CO2 emissions. https://lnkd.in/gzpe6TuG #funding #nordicmade #denmark #startups #agritech #foodtech #Biotech #trending