This week Scimplify, an Indian startup connecting agriculture and pharma with speciality chemicals, raised new funds, as did grain-trading platform Grão Direto and “photosynthesis boosting” pioneer GigaCrop.
Elsewhere, GlobalData acquired AI Palette to strengthen AI-driven consumer insights, xFarm and Checkplant joined forces to grow agritech in Latin America, and Big Idea Ventures closed a new $53 million food fund.
Startup funding
🇮🇳 Scimplify raises $40m to help manufacturers access specialty chemicals TechCrunch
🇧🇷 Brazil’s Grão Direto raises $15m to accelerate digitalisation of global grain trading AgTech Navigator
🇺🇸 GigaCrop raises $4.5M pre-seed funding FinSMEs
🇮🇩 Indonesian agritech firm Elevarm nets $4.25m pre-series A Tech In Asia
🇸🇬 Agros secures $4.25M Series A funding to scale solar-powered irrigation in Southeast Asia iGrow News
🇬🇧 Scottish insect genetics firm Beta Bugs bags £2.1m investment Feed Navigator
🇳🇱 Cano-ela secures €1.6 million to accelerate development of seed-based ingredients EU Startups
🇬🇧 Tiba Tempeh secures £1.1m investment as brand becomes fastest-growing in meat-free The Grocer
🇸🇪 Re:meat secures €1m in oversubscribed funding round The Cell Base
🇺🇸 Quercus Biosolutions emerges from stealth to disrupt crop protection with designer mini proteins AgFunderNews
🇫🇮🇸🇪 Paulig’s venture arm PINC invests in Swedish startup Glenntex to drive more sustainable packaging innovation Paulig
🇮🇳 Varaha raises project investment from UK-based investment manager Conductor Capital The Tribune (India)
🇸🇦🇩🇪 Aramco invests in Ucaneo’s Direct Air Capture technology for CO2 removal Tech.eu
M&A, IPOs & partnerships
🇨🇭🇧🇷 Harvesting innovation: xFarm and Checkplant join forces to grow agritech in Latin America Tech.eu
🇬🇧🇺🇸 GlobalData acquires AI Palette to strengthen AI-driven consumer insights in CPG E27.co [Disclosure: AgFunderNews’ parent company, AgFunder, is an investor in Ai Palette.]
🇺🇸 Ohalo launches the Ohalo strawberry consortium PR Newswire
🇨🇦 Burcon NutraScience partner completes acquisition of protein production facility Market Screener
Funds, grants & accelerators
🇬🇧 BII launches $75m facility to boost climate-smart agriculture in Pakistan Agri Investor
🇺🇸 Big Idea Ventures closes VC food fund on $53m and plans quick follow-up Agri Investor
🇨🇦 Canadian government invests $1m in cellular agriculture research for the prairies Vegconomist
People moves
🇺🇸 Meatable strengthens ties with meat industry making strategic hiring moves and headlining events EIN Presswire
🇺🇸 AgTech innovator Enko Chem announces CEO transition Business Wire
Other news
🇺🇸 Mission Barns secures FDA approval for cultivated fat, gears up for US launch AgFunderNews
🇺🇸 Meati plans “gut-wrenching” mass layoffs amid “bank-induced crisis” AgFunderNews
🇺🇸 General Mills cutting G-Works innovation team, pausing 301 Inc. investments The Minnesota Star Tribune
🇺🇸 RFK, Jr. seeking to eliminate self-affirmed GRAS Nutra Ingredients USA
🇮🇳 Ex-Zomato COO launches aerospace startup LAT Tech in Asia
🇭🇰 Deliveroo shuts Hong Kong business UKTN
🇬🇧 Lab-grown food could be sold in UK within two years BBC News
🇨🇦 CULT Food Science announces debt settlement The Newswire
🇺🇸 Marine Biologics debuts SuperCrudes, the ‘world’s first programmable biomass’ The Spoon
The post The Week in AgriFoodTech: Scimplify raises $40m, Grão Direto nets $15m, Elevarm bags $4.3m appeared first on AgFunderNews.
