A few notable agrifoodtech funding rounds were announced this week, despite the general scarcity of investment in the sector. Green Coffee Company raised $25 million and will expand across Colombia, while Turkish food waste management start-up Fazla also secured funding. Additionally, ChatGPT is designing new robotic harvesters for tomatoes, and Zume Pizza has shut down after pivoting towards sustainable packaging.
In the Netherlands, Pieter Schoen, owner of Shoe Investments, has invested €1 million ($1 million) in prepared foods brand Mama’s Meals. The investment has led to an exclusive partnership with XXL Nutrition. Meanwhile, Gathar has secured nearly AUD $800,000 ($539,000) via crowdfunding platform Microwd. The private chef platform now operates in 30 markets locally and 35 globally.
MLB Hall of Fame member Derek Jeter has invested in alt-protein start-up Meati and will also join the company as an advisor. Cascadia Seaweed has secured $1.5 million from the British Columbia Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy to fast-track commercialisation of its large-scale agrifeed and biostimulant products.
BioLumic and Gro Alliance have teamed up to scale UV light seed treatment technology to the global row-crop seed industry. In Europe, precision monitoring company Hiphen recently acquired drone phenotyping SlantRange. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Elsewhere, Blue Ocean Technology’s Terraforming LIFE project has received a €6.3 million ($6.8 million) EU grant. The project recycles fish waste to create energy, fertiliser, and biochar of high quality. Lastly, Shaka Harry is expanding its international presence with the launch of 15 new plant-based products for retailers and foodservice providers in Singapore.
The week in agrifoodtech brought several exciting announcements, with notable funding rounds and partnerships across the sector.
