All
172
Funding
40
Deep Tech
13
CEA / Vertical Farming
7
Sustainability
20
Biologicals
34
AgTech AI
16
Precision Ag
13
Policy
12
Robotics
17
Featured Stories
Funding
5 min read
8 Oct 2026
Edonia raises €15m for spirulina whole-food protein, with €30m of pre-orders already signed
SWEN Blue Ocean 2, Asterion Ventures and EIT Food back the French company, which says it holds €30 million of pre-orders across about twenty contracts before its dedicated plant is running.
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Deep Tech
7 Oct 2026
Verley takes precision-fermented whey protein to 200,000-litre tanks, with commercial sales set for 2027
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CEA / Vertical Farming
6 Oct 2026
hexafarms raises €4.8m seed to sell greenhouse sensing and scouting robots by subscription
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Funding
2 Oct 2026
Corteva completes the Vylor spin-off: seed and crop protection are now two listed companies
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Latest Updates172
Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
1 Oct 2026
2 min
Danone and Michelin open a shared €20m fermentation scale-up site in Clermont-Ferrand
Biotech Open Platform started operating on 29 September with fermentation capacity of up to 15 m³ and food-grade downstream processing, and sells that capacity to outside companies rather than keeping it for its founders.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
1 Oct 2026
2 min
Cotierra raises $3m to take decentralised biochar from field pilots to commercial scale
PINC, the venture arm of Finnish food group Paulig, and Carbon Removal Partners co-lead the round for the Zurich company that puts its reactors next to the coffee residue they consume.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
30 Sept 2026
2 min
ArkeaBio raises $15m Series A2 for its livestock methane vaccine and cuts headcount by a third
AgriZeroNZ leads, with support from Breakthrough Energy. The Boston company has narrowed to one market, one product and a 10-15 per cent methane reduction target.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
30 Sept 2026
2 min
Reverion raises $175m Series B to build a fuel-cell megafactory in Germany
Kembara leads the round for the TU Munich spin-off whose first customers were biogas plants. Manufacturing capacity is to rise tenfold to 250 megawatts a year.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Sept 2026
2 min
Brazil clears Phytalix, the first ascaroside-based crop protection product registered anywhere
MAPA has registered the small-molecule biofungicide for soybeans and corn. It is Ascribe Bioscience's first commercial registration, and the first for an ascaroside anywhere in the world.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Sept 2026
2 min
Meatly moves into a 20,000-litre London plant to settle cultivated meat's unit economics
The fit-out costs £3-4 million and the UK company gives itself about two years to show cultivated chicken can be produced for under £10 per kilogram.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
28 Sept 2026
2 min
Tesco anchors Henry Dimbleby's £100m Bramble fund with £20m
The retailer takes the cornerstone position in Bramble Partners' first fund, which writes £1-5 million cheques into UK and European food companies from Series A to growth.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
27 Sept 2026
2 min
Fortum takes an LP position in Norrsken Evolve's €62m pre-seed fund
The Finnish energy group is investing through its Innovation & Venturing arm in a fund that writes first cheques of up to €500,000. The commitment size was not disclosed.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
25 Sept 2026
2 min
Basecamp Research raises $140m Series C with Nvidia and Anthropic backing
S32 leads the round for the London company that builds its own biodiversity sequencing dataset instead of training on public sequence databases.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
24 Sept 2026
2 min
SPRIND and NADI put €40m behind AI-designed chips, with applications open until 30 November
Germany's breakthrough innovation agency and its new Dutch counterpart will fund seven teams with up to €2.6m each, then three of them with up to €7m each. The money is non-dilutive.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
23 Sept 2026
2 min
Syngenta puts plant microRNAs into a sprayable biological and claims a new mode of action
The Basel-headquartered company says EXORT lifted yields 5 to 10 per cent across 240 trials since 2022, with a first launch planned for Latin America in 2027.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
22 Sept 2026
2 min
Biographica and Hudson River Biotechnology team up to take crop traits from AI gene discovery to edited plants
The London AI crop-design startup and the Dutch genome-editing specialist start with tomato and are asking breeders for the traits conventional breeding has not solved.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
20 Sept 2026
2 min
Arcos raises €5.5m seed to build and operate civil security infrastructure in Europe
High-Tech Gründerfonds leads the round for the Munich company that pairs sensor signal processing with the control room that acts on it.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
19 Sept 2026
2 min
MicroLub raises $10m to cut fat in processed food by up to 75 per cent
Northern Gritstone leads a follow-on round for the University of Leeds spinout whose protein-and-water ingredient reproduces what fat does in the mouth.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Sept 2026
2 min
Leaps by Bayer leads Robigo's Series A for engineered microbial biopesticides
The Cambridge, Massachusetts company puts an engineered microbe on the seed and lets it make the active ingredient all season. Round size undisclosed; first product targeted for 2028.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
17 Sept 2026
2 min
iGii raises £22.7m to scale its carbon nanomaterial, with half the package non-dilutive
The Stirling company pairs an £11.7m Series B led by the Scottish National Investment Bank with an £11m Scottish Enterprise grant, a structure worth studying for any European hard-tech founder.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
16 Sept 2026
2 min
xFarm buys Brazil's Sibium Analytics, pushing its farm data platform into sugarcane and biofuels
The Swiss digital farming company's sixth acquisition takes it into sugar and ethanol supply chains. Financial terms were not disclosed.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
15 Sept 2026
2 min
Open Cosmos raises €300m to scale European satellite manufacturing and Earth-observation data
Lightrock leads the round for the Oxford-headquartered operator, which runs four European factories and sells the imagery layer most precision-ag products are built on.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
14 Sept 2026
2 min
ESA signs €760m ALADDIN cargo contract with The Exploration Company
The agency funds 60 per cent of a demonstration mission to the ISS and the startup carries the rest. Two days earlier it had closed a €387 million Series C.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
12 Sept 2026
2 min
Gravity Gardens raises €2.6m for dry, chemical-free seed activation
The Nijmegen company has completed seven external trials of a process that adds no water, no chemicals and no coating to the seed, and is targeting market readiness during 2027.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Sept 2026
2 min
Biorsaf raises €5.2m led by P101 and buys Cooki in the same move
The Tuscan food-safety compliance platform adds an agrifoodtech fund and a national technology transfer hub to its cap table, and a product database it would have taken years to build.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
10 Sept 2026
2 min
EIF commits up to €30m to Nordic Foodtech VC's €80m Fund II
Public money from InvestEU, the EU fisheries and aquaculture fund and EIB risk capital anchors the Helsinki firm's second fund. The plan is around 30 pre-seed and seed cheques of up to €2 million across Northern Europe.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
10 Sept 2026
2 min
CloudNC raises $20m to put AI into CNC programming and quoting
Nimble Ventures leads the Series B extension for the London company, with Lockheed Martin's venture arm among the backers.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
9 Sept 2026
2 min
Tellia raises €4.3m pre-seed to let farm teams record data by talking
Revent leads the round for the voice AI company founded in 2024, with Grey Silo Ventures, Jeriko and Fund F participating. The product turns spoken field updates into structured records inside other people's software.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
8 Sept 2026
2 min
Molten Ventures reaches £175m first close on a £350m growth fund
The British Business Bank is cornerstone investor with £75 million and Molten commits £100 million from its own balance sheet. The fund targets Series B and later rounds in UK and European technology companies.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
7 Sept 2026
2 min
Jaipur Robotics raises €4.3m seed to put computer vision inside waste-to-energy plants
EquityPitcher Ventures and High-Tech Gründerfonds co-lead the round for the Swiss company whose cameras read the waste bunker before the material reaches the furnace.
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Deep Tech
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
3 Sept 2026
2 min
Uplift Ventures launches €100m deep-tech fund for Europe's Series A gap
Christian Noske's firm will write late-seed and Series A cheques into up to 20 physical-AI, energy, enterprise-AI and logistics companies, anchored by intralogistics group Jungheinrich.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
25 Aug 2026
2 min
TerraBlaster raises $12.5m seed to map soil nutrients in real time
Ulu Ventures leads a $12.5 million seed round for the Mars-derived laser soil sensor that replaces lab cores with 0.15-acre prescription maps.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
17 Aug 2026
2 min
BASF invests €15m in Limburgerhof Climate Center for crop-protection research
BASF is building a new €15 million Climate Center at its Agricultural Solutions headquarters to support global crop-protection registrations.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
14 Aug 2026
2 min
Solar Foods passes €100m total funding as Factory 02 enters final design
The Finnish precision-fermentation company has topped €100 million in total funding while its second commercial-scale plant enters final design.
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CEA / Vertical Farming
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
14 Aug 2026
2 min
atNorth to heat Danish greenhouse complex with surplus data-centre warmth
atNorth and Selected Group will redirect surplus data-centre heat into a large-scale Danish greenhouse for year-round produce.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
13 Aug 2026
2 min
Ranchbot closes over US$15m Series B and sets up US holding company
The livestock-water monitoring company raised a Series B above US$15 million and formed a US holding company to accelerate global growth.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
13 Aug 2026
2 min
Italian startup Aflabox closes €1.35m seed for 90-second aflatoxin scanner
Sassuolo-based Aflabox raised €1.35 million to scale its portable scanner that detects aflatoxin in grain within 90 seconds.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
13 Aug 2026
2 min
China launches essentially derived variety system covering its first ten crops
China's agriculture ministry published an EDV implementation framework covering ten crops, building on 2025 Seed Law amendments.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
13 Aug 2026
2 min
Dutch herb grower says AI-guided Ullmanna hoe will pay for itself within years
A Dutch herb farm reports strong weeding results and roughly €65,000 in labour savings from an AI-powered intra-row hoe.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
12 Aug 2026
2 min
InsectBiotech raises €7.2m to build black soldier fly plant in Andalusia
The Spanish insect-protein producer secured €7.2 million from Arcano Partners and international investors to scale up its Andalusian facility.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
12 Aug 2026
2 min
Silvec deploys RNA virus-vector therapy against citrus greening in Florida groves
Maryland-based Silvec uses a modified virus to trigger antimicrobial defences in citrus trees, with commercial availability planned for 2028.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Aug 2026
2 min
Hamburg's AquaNab secures Nordic Foodtech VC backing for nanoantibody sea-lice therapy
The German biotech raised undisclosed funding from Nordic Foodtech VC to advance alpaca-derived nanoantibodies delivered through fish feed against sea lice.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Aug 2026
2 min
BioHarvest signs 20-tonne plant-cell fragrance supply deal worth $20-30m
BioHarvest Sciences signed an exclusive manufacturing and supply agreement for cell-cultured fragrance material with a UAE-based customer, anticipating $20-30 million in revenue.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Aug 2026
2 min
EFSA declares BASF's GM RF3 Brassica juncea canola safe for import
EFSA's GMO Panel found BASF's RF3 canola-quality Brassica juncea as safe and nutritionally equivalent as conventional varieties, clearing it for import and processing in the EU.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Aug 2026
2 min
Heineken UK pays farmers premiums to shift malting barley to regenerative systems
Heineken UK launched a regenerative malting barley programme with partners across England and Scotland, targeting nearly half of its 2027 barley supply.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Aug 2026
2 min
AquaSpy rebrands as UnderGround Weather and launches AI soil-intelligence engine
The company unveiled the UnderGround Weather Reporter, billed as the world's first AI soil-intelligence reporting engine, alongside its new name.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
10 Aug 2026
2 min
Novonesis moves to acquire remaining stake in Australian yeast specialist MicroBioGen
Copenhagen-based Novonesis agreed to buy out the remaining shares of Australian yeast biotech MicroBioGen to strengthen its yeast R&D capabilities.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
6 Aug 2026
2 min
Mitti Labs raises $9.5m Series A led by Aramco Ventures for climate-smart rice
The Indian agtech's GeoAI platform now supports alternate wetting and drying across 100,000 smallholder rice farmers as total funding reaches $12.5 million.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
6 Aug 2026
2 min
BioScout raises A$6.75m for AI early-warning system against airborne fungal spores
The Sydney startup will use the funding to expand into Europe and grow its sensor fleet fourfold by 2029.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
6 Aug 2026
2 min
Plantible raises $35m in debt and equity to quintuple RuBisCO protein output
The Texas company plans to raise annual RuBisCO protein capacity fivefold to over 1,000 metric tons after a new lemna strain lifted yields by over 40%.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
6 Aug 2026
2 min
AgXeed launches retrofit control units that make existing tractors autonomous
The Dutch company's new Vehicle and Tool Control Units let existing tractors and implements run autonomously via ISOBUS TIM and its TraXwise platform.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
5 Aug 2026
2 min
Ambrook lands $30m Series B for AI financial software serving US farms
Denver-based Ambrook raised a $30 million Series B led by Lachy Groom to expand its AI-native financial management platform for American farms and independent businesses.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
4 Aug 2026
2 min
Limagrain licenses Qi Biodesign genome-editing technologies worldwide for crop breeding
Limagrain signed a worldwide licensing agreement with Beijing-based Qi Biodesign for CRISPR nuclease technology and future genome-editing tools for field and vegetable crop breeding.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
4 Aug 2026
2 min
KAUST team inserts large DNA sequences into plant genomes without creating breaks
Researchers at KAUST reported a genome-engineering method that inserts large DNA sequences at targeted plant genome sites without cutting the DNA, demonstrated in rice and tobacco.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
4 Aug 2026
2 min
UK opens £20m farm robotics competition under the Farming Innovation Programme
Defra and Innovate UK launched a £20 million competition for robotic and automated farming technologies, now extended to livestock, forestry and ornamental horticulture.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
3 Aug 2026
2 min
Belgian firm Hands On Tech brings Chinese CyanForce laser weeder to the Benelux
Tubize-based Hands On Tech will assemble and sell the CyanForce laser weeder, which uses 150-watt CO2 lasers and AI detection, across the Benelux from late 2026 or early 2027.
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CEA / Vertical Farming
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
3 Aug 2026
2 min
Vertical farming pioneer 80 Acres Farms winds down after failing to raise capital
80 Acres Farms is shutting down its indoor vegetable operations after CEO Mike Zelkind said the company could not secure the capital needed to continue.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jul 2026
2 min
Quercus Biosolutions raises $5M for AI-designed crop-protection proteins
The US biologicals startup closed an oversubscribed $5 million seed round led by Serra Ventures to advance generative-AI-designed mini-proteins for crop protection.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
28 Jul 2026
2 min
Upstream Biotechnology closes seed round for on-demand crop defence
The North Carolina plant-biotechnology company raised an undisclosed seed financing led by LeVert Ventures to advance its SwitchBlade platform.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
28 Jul 2026
2 min
Wild Bioscience acquires F1 Seed to create integrated UK wheat-breeding business
The Oxford University spinout has bought independent wheat breeder F1 Seed, combining AI-led trait discovery with an established UK breeding pipeline. Terms were not disclosed.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
28 Jul 2026
2 min
Octopusbot raises more than $1M and expands its partnership with Elders
The Sydney-based crop-forecasting startup secured its first external round from Folklore Ventures and No Brand, and is building new decision-support products with Elders.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
23 Jul 2026
2 min
Phytokana closes $25M offering for Alberta pulse-protein facility
Phytokana Ingredients completed a $25 million unit offering that provides the equity needed to move towards a final investment decision on its Strathmore plant.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
23 Jul 2026
2 min
Moa Technology raises £22.2M Series C for new herbicide modes of action
The Oxford University spinout closed a £22.2 million Series C co-led by Oxford Science Enterprises and Supernova Invest to advance its three most mature herbicide programmes.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
23 Jul 2026
2 min
BugBiome wins £500K to develop bioinsecticide for oilseed rape
The UK agri-biotech startup secured a £500,000 Innovate UK grant for a 24-month project targeting cabbage stem flea beetle.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
21 Jul 2026
2 min
FireHawk Bioherbicide raises $5.6M for US and Australian expansion
Contact BioSolutions completed a $5.6 million capital raise through the conversion of options, with more than 98% participation.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
21 Jul 2026
2 min
Q2 AgTech investment reaches $2.0B as M&A exits accelerate
CropLife's Q2 2026 review counted 158 startups raising roughly $2.0 billion, capital up 6% quarter-on-quarter despite a 3% fall in deal volume.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
16 Jul 2026
2 min
Rize raises $31M to scale low-emission rice farming in Southeast Asia
The Singapore-based company closed a $31 million Series B of $20 million equity and $11 million debt, with BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts leading the equity.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
16 Jul 2026
2 min
Mandrake Bio raises ₹16 crore for AI-designed gene-editing enzymes
The Bengaluru-based startup closed a round co-led by Activate and Antler India to apply generative AI to programmable gene-editing enzymes.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
15 Jul 2026
2 min
Nanovel secures €2.5M EIC grant for autonomous citrus harvesting
The Israeli AgTech company received a €2.5 million non-dilutive EIC Accelerator grant and was selected as a candidate for up to €4.3 million in EIC equity.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
14 Jul 2026
2 min
Syngenta and Groundwork BioAg partner on biologicals and soil-carbon credits
The strategic partnership covers mycorrhiza-based crop products and agricultural soil-carbon programmes, initially in Latin America and Europe.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
9 Jul 2026
2 min
Optiflux raises €2.5M for AI-powered fruit-quality management
The KU Leuven spinout raised €2.5 million from Agri Investment Fund, LAVA, LRM and the Gemma Frisius Fund.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
8 Jul 2026
2 min
Dogtooth Technologies secures more than £14M for robotic fruit harvesting
The UK robotics company assembled a package of equity, Innovate UK grants and a venture-leasing facility to expand deployment of its harvesting robots.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
8 Jul 2026
2 min
Aardaia raises €5M to develop new crops from wild plants
The Wageningen-based startup closed a €5 million seed round led by Point Nine to domesticate wild plant species, starting with the aardaker tuber.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
6 Jul 2026
2 min
Amazon invests in Brazil's GranBio to scale waste-to-jet-fuel technology
Amazon backed Brazilian biotech GranBio, which converts forestry residue and construction debris into sustainable aviation fuel, as part of its Climate Pledge.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
2 Jul 2026
2 min
The Protein Brewery raises $20.5M Series B extension despite FDA GRAS setback
Dutch precision-fermentation protein maker The Protein Brewery closed a $20.5M Series B extension, saying a recent FDA GRAS setback for its Fermotein ingredient won't derail its US plans.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
1 Jul 2026
2 min
Resurrect Bio and Bejo target spinach downy mildew in new crop-immunity push
UK biotech Resurrect Bio signed a joint development deal with vegetable breeder Bejo, applying its AI-driven trait-discovery platform to spinach downy mildew.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
1 Jul 2026
2 min
Y Combinator's Summer 2026 batch backs 21 agriculture startups
YC's latest cohort includes GrazeMate, whose autonomous drones herd cattle on command, and Molagri, developing precision biopesticides that spare pollinators.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
1 Jul 2026
2 min
Bayer consolidates its US glyphosate business into new entity Ruveon
Bayer is spinning its US glyphosate crop-protection business into a standalone unit operating as Ruveon, based in St. Louis.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
1 Jul 2026
2 min
White House executive order expands regenerative agriculture and precision-farming support
President Trump signed an executive order directing USDA to significantly boost funding for regenerative agriculture practices, research and its Regenerative Pilot Program.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
1 Jul 2026
2 min
Stenon raises €18M Series B to fight fertilizer price shocks with real-time soil data
Potsdam-based Stenon closed an €18M (~$20.5M) Series B led by impact investor Pymwymic to scale its portable soil-analysis sensor.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
30 Jun 2026
2 min
Sabanto and Verdant Robotics integrate for fully autonomous precision spraying
Sabanto's autonomy retrofit system now communicates directly with Verdant Robotics' SharpShooter via CAN bus, letting cab-free tractors identify and spray individual plants and weeds.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
InvestEco closes its largest fund yet: C$106M for sustainable food
Canadian impact investor InvestEco held a final close of its Sustainable Food Fund IV at C$106M, backed by Farm Credit Canada, Export Development Canada and BDC.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
SilvaBio and Foray Bioscience team up to restore the American chestnut
The pair will pair SilvaBio's blight-tolerant chestnut genetics: built on the Darling 54 line: with Foray's fabricated-seed technology.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
Halter raises $220M Series E for virtual cattle fencing
New Zealand's Halter closed a $220M Series E led by Founders Fund at a valuation of just over $2 billion, the largest agtech round of 2026 so far.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
Tropic Biosciences raises $105M Series C for gene-edited crops
UK gene-editing company Tropic Biosciences raised a $105M Series C co-led by Forbion Capital Partners and Corteva Catalyst to advance gene-edited crops.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
Tomorrow.io closes $175M Series F for weather intelligence
Boston weather-technology company Tomorrow.io closed a $175M Series F at a $1 billion valuation, co-led by Stonecourt Capital and HarbourVest Partners.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
Hydrosat raises $60M for thermal-satellite crop intelligence
Hydrosat raised approximately $60M through a combination of Series B venture funding and debt to scale its thermal-satellite irrigation and crop-management platform.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
SwarmFarm Robotics raises A$30M to scale autonomous bots
Australia's SwarmFarm Robotics raised A$30M to scale its lightweight autonomous weed-and-spray robots and enter the North American broadacre market.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
Puna Bio raises $20.3M for extremophile-derived biologicals
Argentina's Puna Bio raised $20.3M, led by Corteva Catalyst with the Gates Foundation participating, to expand its extremophile-derived biologicals internationally.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
Orbem raises $65M to scale AI-powered MRI for agriculture
Munich deep-tech company Orbem closed a $65M Series B to scale its AI-powered MRI platform for non-invasive analysis across food, agriculture and biological systems.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
29 Jun 2026
2 min
Kembara Growth Fund I reaches €750M first close for deep-tech
Kembara Growth Fund I reached a €750M first close toward a €1B target, backing European deep-tech in AI, robotics, clean energy, materials, space and dual-use at Series B and C.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
23 Jun 2026
2 min
Fermentation finds its footing as food-tech funding cools, with deals and approvals accelerating
Fermentation startups making colors, proteins and specialty ingredients are drawing renewed investment, partnerships and regulatory wins even as overall food-tech funding cools, a sign the sector is moving from lab success to commercial proof.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
19 Jun 2026
2 min
Solar Foods wins €77.8M Business Finland backing for 'protein from air' factory
Finnish startup Solar Foods secured a €77.8M (≈$89.2M) grant-and-loan package from Business Finland toward its industrial-scale Factory 02, which makes Solein protein via gas fermentation, though a final investment decision remains pending.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Jun 2026
2 min
EU Parliament gives final approval to landmark New Genomic Techniques regulation
The European Parliament adopted the New Genomic Techniques (NGT) Regulation, creating a two-tier system: NGT-1 plants equivalent to conventionally bred crops get a simplified pathway, while NGT-2 plants stay under existing GMO rules. It applies two years after publication.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Jun 2026
2 min
Terraxy raises $3M to regenerate desert soils and capture carbon in Saudi Arabia
KAUST spinout Terraxy secured $3M in Seed-2 funding led by Aramco's Wa'ed Ventures to scale its Carbosoil soil enhancer, which the company says lifts plant growth up to 70% while storing carbon in arid soils.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Jun 2026
2 min
Why big food companies are turning to regenerative agriculture for resilience
CNN profiles the corporate push into regenerative agriculture, featuring Soil Capital, which pays 1,800 farmers across 500,000 hectares in six countries to build soil carbon and sell verified improvements to companies.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Jun 2026
2 min
Vivici secures €12.5M EIC backing to scale animal-free precision-fermented dairy proteins
Dutch ingredients startup Vivici won €12.5M (≈$14.4M) in blended grant-and-equity financing through the European Innovation Council Accelerator to expand supply and market access for its animal-free whey protein, sold under the Vivitein brand.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Jun 2026
2 min
Vertoro closes €17M Series B to scale plant-waste-to-renewable-oil technology
Netherlands-based Vertoro closed the first tranche of a €17M Series B, led by Climate Tech Partners, Invest-NL and Maersk, to scale its lignin-based technology converting plant waste into renewable oil for low-carbon fuels and chemicals.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Jun 2026
2 min
Döhler acquires UK cocoa-free chocolate innovator Nukoko amid cocoa supply pressures
German ingredients group Döhler acquired Nukoko, a UK startup making cocoa-free chocolate from fava beans, deepening a 2024 partnership and giving Nukoko access to Döhler's global manufacturing, R&D and customer network as cocoa prices stay volatile.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Jun 2026
2 min
Picketa Systems raises CAD$2.1M to bring in-field crop nutrient testing to growers
Canadian agtech Picketa Systems raised CAD$2.1M (≈$1.5M) led by Tall Grass Ventures to expand its AI-powered LENS spectroscopy tool, which estimates 13 key crop nutrients in minutes and is now used by 45 North American ag retailers.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Jun 2026
2 min
Zurich agtech OneSoil secures €1M to expand its AI Agronomist farming assistant
Zurich-based OneSoil raised €1M from existing investors including Melnichek Investments to further develop AI Agronomist, a multimodal AI assistant that turns satellite and field data into daily natural-language recommendations for farmers.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Jun 2026
2 min
Berlin's Seqana raises €3.2M to measure soil health beyond carbon
Berlin digital-MRV startup Seqana closed a €3.2M round led by Pymwymic to extend its satellite-and-AI soil measurement from carbon to broader soil-health indicators, serving clients including Danone and Bayer across millions of hectares.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
16 Jun 2026
2 min
Rainbow Crops raises €9.7M to scale AI-guided multiplex gene editing for crops
Ghent-based VIB spin-off Rainbow Crops closed an oversubscribed €9.7M (≈$11.25M) seed round led by LIFTT, with Corteva Catalyst participating, to scale its Trait Foundry platform combining AI prediction and multiplex genome editing for climate-resilient crops.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
15 Jun 2026
2 min
EVERY and Huvepharma announce 4x capacity expansion for fermented egg protein
The EVERY Company partnered with pharma group Huvepharma to quadruple production of its OvoPro precision-fermented egg protein, tapping Biovet's 9-million-litre Bulgarian fermentation capacity after EVERY's orders surged 550% in the first four months of 2026.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
15 Jun 2026
2 min
Anterra Capital hits $100M first close for AI-focused food and agtech Fund III
Amsterdam-based VC Anterra Capital reached a $100M first close on its third fund, targeting $200M total, to back science-based, AI-driven food and agriculture startups designed to scale through existing industry channels.
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CEA / Vertical Farming
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Jun 2026
2 min
AeroFarms acquired by Palm Ventures affiliate to cut debt and expand microgreens
US indoor vertical-farming and microgreens leader AeroFarms was acquired by an affiliate of Palm Ventures, a deal meant to significantly reduce the company's debt and install a new management team led by former Kraft Heinz executive Gustavo Burger.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Jun 2026
2 min
Leaf Agriculture raises $13M Series B for agricultural data infrastructure
Leaf Agriculture secured a $13 million Series B round to expand its agricultural data infrastructure, strengthening tools that help agribusinesses work with farm data at scale.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Jun 2026
2 min
Compeer and PepsiCo launch RegenLend to finance strip-till adoption
RegenLend is designed to reduce upfront equipment costs for farmers adopting strip-till practices, with PepsiCo covering two annual lease payments in the pilot.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
11 Jun 2026
2 min
Goterra enters voluntary administration as insect farming pressures deepen
Australia's Goterra has entered voluntary administration after a funding shortfall, adding pressure to the commercial insect-farming sector.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
10 Jun 2026
2 min
EU-Startups profiles 10 European precision-agriculture startups founded after 2020
EU-Startups highlighted ten young European precision-ag companies, including PerPlant's AI camera sensors, Agurotech's soil sensors and Pheno-Inspect's drone imagery AI, all using data and sensors to cut inputs and labour.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
10 Jun 2026
2 min
Aphea.Bio and Bayer partner to develop bioinsecticides for sap-sucking pests
Aphea.Bio and Bayer will work together on biological crop-protection products targeting sap-sucking insects in fruit and other crops.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
10 Jun 2026
2 min
SWARM Engineering raises $10M Series A for AI agrifood optimization
SWARM Engineering secured $10 million to expand its domain-trained AI agents for supply-chain and operational optimization in agrifood.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
10 Jun 2026
2 min
UK Big Nature Impact Fund reaches £64.6M first close
Finance Earth's Big Nature Impact Fund reached a £64.6 million first close to back landscape restoration, peatland, woodland, carbon, and biodiversity projects in England.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
9 Jun 2026
2 min
Cordon Technologies raises £1M for precision spraying
UK agritech startup Cordon Technologies raised £1 million to accelerate its Loop precision spraying system for vineyards and other crops.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
9 Jun 2026
2 min
EIF commits €25M to Yield Lab Europe's new agrifood fund
The European Investment Fund committed €25 million to Yield Lab Europe Fund 2, a €100 million vehicle for early-stage agrifood technology companies.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
8 Jun 2026
2 min
Sixteen44 prepares Swiss farm demo for plasma methane abatement
Sixteen44 is preparing a Swiss farm demonstration of its plasma-based system for treating methane emissions from dairy barns.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
8 Jun 2026
2 min
Sensie raises €500K pre-seed for wireless plant intelligence
Belgian startup Sensie raised €500,000 to advance Sensie Omni, a wireless plant-health wearable for greenhouse growers.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
5 Jun 2026
2 min
Innovafeed raises €51M and consolidates insect production in Nesle
French insect-protein leader Innovafeed closed a €51M (≈$59M) round and is consolidating activity at its commercial-scale BSF larvae plant in Nesle, France.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
4 Jun 2026
2 min
Marble Technologies raises $30M Series A for meatpacking automation
Nebraska-based Marble Technologies secured a $30M Series A to build AI-driven robotics for meat-processing plants, one of the largest US food-automation rounds of the quarter.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
4 Jun 2026
2 min
EIC Impact Report 2026: Europe strengthens position as global deep-tech scaling hub
The European Innovation Council published its Impact Report 2026, showing EIC Fund investments across 26 countries and cross-border activity in 80% of deals.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
4 Jun 2026
2 min
Thailand's Enable Earth builds circular model turning farm waste into biochar and carbon credits
Thai startup Enable Earth is converting northern Thailand's biomass waste, mostly animal-feed corn residue, into biochar, carbon credits and green heat, aiming to prove a multi-revenue circular model can work commercially at scale.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
3 Jun 2026
2 min
Nestlé partners with Helaina to advance precision-fermented lactoferrin in infant nutrition
Nestlé began a multi-year collaboration with US biotech Helaina to study bioactive proteins for early-life nutrition, centred on effera, Helaina's human-identical lactoferrin made via precision fermentation of a yeast strain expressing human DNA.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
2 Jun 2026
2 min
Reservoir launches free 'Associate' tier to widen on-farm access for agtech innovators
Reservoir Farms introduced a free Associate membership giving startups, researchers and student teams no-cost access to on-farm testing, a freemium 'Spotify for farming' approach amid a tough agtech funding climate.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
1 Jun 2026
2 min
Reservoir's Danny Bernstein says agriculture is entering a 'golden age of robotics'
Reservoir CEO Danny Bernstein argues farm robots that work across multiple tasks, crops and industries now justify the capital, as the incubator expands and signs a $1.5M, three-year Western Growers partnership.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
1 Jun 2026
2 min
Apeel founder plots second act in post-harvest technology
Apeel Sciences co-founder James Rogers reflects on rebuilding after the company shrank from 450 staff and a $2B+ valuation to ~50 staff following a coordinated misinformation campaign.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
28 May 2026
2 min
Q1 2026 agtech venture capital: $1.89B across 163 startups
Crunchbase data analysed by CropLife shows 163 agtech startups raised $1.89B in Q1 2026, down 9% in capital and 8% in deals versus Q4 2025, with an average round size of $11.6M.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
27 May 2026
2 min
Ex-VW CEO Herbert Diess launches electric tractor company
Former Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess has founded Munich-based DIESS E-Agrartechnik AG to bring a mid-range electric tractor to market in 2027.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
26 May 2026
2 min
Phytolon closes $23.6M Series B to commercialize fermentation-based natural food colors
Israeli startup Phytolon raised $23.6M to scale its precision-fermentation natural pigments, starting with an FDA-approved beetroot-red colorant produced via engineered baker's yeast as an alternative to synthetic dyes like Red 40.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
26 May 2026
2 min
Windfall Bio ceases operations and auctions bioreactor assets
California's Windfall Bio, which turned waste methane from farms and landfills into organic fertilizer and raised $37M from backers including Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, has shut down after a DOE grant was terminated.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
26 May 2026
2 min
Perplant raises €1M for edge-AI tractor sensors
Danish startup Perplant closes a €1M round for its plug-and-play edge-AI camera sensor that mounts on standard tractors and switches sprayers on and off plant by plant.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
25 May 2026
2 min
Perplant raises €1M to give tractors AI 'eyes' that cut herbicide use
Copenhagen-based Perplant secured €1M for its plug-and-play RGB and multispectral AI camera sensor that mounts on existing tractors and sprayers, enabling centimetre-precision spot spraying to reduce chemical inputs.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
25 May 2026
2 min
NTT, Kubota and NTT DOCOMO demonstrate remote control of farm robots
A joint trial combines mobile and satellite links with video-control technology to keep continuous video for remote operation of robotic farm machinery in mountainous terrain.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
22 May 2026
2 min
AgTech VC stays in a drier climate: $1.4B raised YTD 2026
Agtech startups had raised about $1.4 billion through 7 May 2026, on track to finish at or slightly below the $4.4B of 2025, with deal count falling faster than dollars.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
22 May 2026
2 min
Top VCs name 8 European agtech startups to watch
TechFundingNews published an investor-sourced list of eight European agtech startups to watch in 2026, set against global agrifoodtech funding holding steady at $16.2B in 2025.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
21 May 2026
2 min
Triple Bio exits stealth with lipid tech to boost milk yields and cut methane
Netherlands-based Triple Bio emerged from stealth with €1.5M for its RumeNRG lipid platform, which enhances methane inhibitors and redirects rumen hydrogen, modelling 5-10% more milk per cow and a 500x dose reduction of a known inhibitor.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
21 May 2026
2 min
URUS to acquire livestock-data platform AgriWebb
URUS Group, one of the world's largest bovine-genetics companies, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Australian livestock-management platform AgriWebb.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
20 May 2026
2 min
NanoStruct raises €2.6M seed for same-day pathogen detection
German deeptech startup NanoStruct raised a €2.6M seed round to bring same-day pathogen detection, based on nanostructured surfaces, to the food industry.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
19 May 2026
2 min
Carbon Robotics named to 2026 CNBC Disruptor 50 after hitting $100M revenue
AI laser-weeding firm Carbon Robotics ranked No. 22 on CNBC's 2026 Disruptor 50, reporting $100M in revenue for its fiscal year ending January 2026 and customers across 15 countries.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
19 May 2026
2 min
Forty global food giants sign joint declaration to scale regenerative agriculture
Forty food and agriculture organisations, including Carlsberg, Diageo, FrieslandCampina and Mondelez, signed a declaration of intent backing SAI Platform's Regenerating Together Programme, with a public launch set for June 2026 in Saskatoon, Canada.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
19 May 2026
2 min
Europe's foodtech resets around fundamentals; agritech holds up
European foodtech raised €3 billion in 2025, down 25% year on year, as the sector cools from the 2021-22 frenzy, but agritech is keeping the lights on.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
15 May 2026
2 min
Resurrect Bio expands Series A to $10.3M for plant-immunity tech
UK startup Resurrect Bio extended its Series A to $10.3M to scale technology that reactivates disabled plant immune receptors, helping crops defend themselves against pathogens without chemical inputs.
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CEA / Vertical Farming
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
15 May 2026
2 min
Oishii closes $150M Series C for vertical strawberry farming
US-Japanese vertical strawberry grower Oishii closed $150M in Series C financing, a notable counter-signal in the otherwise struggling novel-farming-systems category.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
14 May 2026
2 min
Resurrect Bio raises $10.3M Series A to revive crop-resistance genes lost in modern breeding
Norwich-based Resurrect Bio closed a $10.3M Series A led by Corteva Catalyst to deploy CRISPR re-activation of dormant disease-resistance genes in wheat, potato, and tomato, bypassing the regulatory and time penalty of conventional breeding.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
14 May 2026
2 min
S2G Investments raises $1B for food, ag and climate strategies
S2G Investments secured $1B in new capital, one of the largest pools of dedicated agrifood and climate investment capital announced in 2026, while Corteva chose its new crop-protection headquarters.
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CEA / Vertical Farming
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
14 May 2026
2 min
Oishii closes $150M Series C as premium vertical farming defies sector slump
While most vertical-farm peers retrench, Tokyo-rooted Oishii lands a $150M Series C from SPARX Asset Management and Resilience Reserve to double Omakase strawberry output across Japan and the US.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
13 May 2026
2 min
AI in agriculture shifts from predictive to agentic, says Crunchbase analysis
A Crunchbase sector analysis says AI in agriculture is moving from predictive to agentic orchestration, with investor focus rotating from biologicals to precision ag and robotics.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
13 May 2026
2 min
AgTech raises $1.4B through May 7, 2026: larger rounds, far fewer deals
AgTech startups raised about $1.4B through 7 May 2026 over 187 rounds, with Halter and Tropic leading and Indian startups taking three of the eleven largest deals.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
13 May 2026
2 min
Resurrect Bio closes $10.3M Series A for AI-led crop immunity
UK ag-biotech Resurrect Bio, a spinout of The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, has closed an oversubscribed $10.3 million Series A.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
12 May 2026
2 min
Mosaic Co invests £2.5M in SugaROx to scale sugar-signal crop biostimulant
Fertilizer major The Mosaic Company has taken a £2.5M strategic stake in UK biostimulant startup SugaROx, gaining exclusive distribution of its trehalose-6-phosphate signal compound across North America for wheat, corn and soybeans.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
8 May 2026
2 min
Crunchbase: agtech funding at $1.4B year-to-date as AI turns agentic
Crunchbase reports agtech startups raised $1.4B through 7 May 2026, tracking slightly below 2025's $4.4B full-year total, with a clear shift from predictive analytics to agentic AI in agriculture.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
6 May 2026
2 min
TerraClear launches AI weed-mapping service to precision-target giant ragweed
The new drone-based mapping system identifies and geo-tags individual giant ragweed plants, enabling surgical removal and reducing herbicide use by up to 80% for organic farmers.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
5 May 2026
2 min
PepsiCo and TalusAg sign low-carbon ammonia deal to decarbonize fertilizer supply chains
The first-of-its-kind environmental attribute agreement aims to accelerate fertilizer decarbonization across global agricultural supply chains through low-carbon ammonia credits.
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AgTech AI
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
5 May 2026
2 min
GROWMARK embeds AI agent in myFS agronomy app for real-time crop advisory
The first cooperative-built AI agronomy tool combines 50 years of field data with real-time satellite and weather feeds, delivering prescription-grade recommendations directly to growers' phones.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
4 May 2026
2 min
IRRI validates mechanized dry seeding for low-emission rice farming in Vietnam
A high-level workshop in Vietnam confirms that mechanized dry direct seeding combined with deep fertilizer placement can cut rice methane emissions by 45% while maintaining yields.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
28 Apr 2026
2 min
North Dakota awards autonomous agriculture grants to Greenfield Robotics and Grand Farm
State-level funding for autonomous systems signals growing US political support for farm robotics as labor shortages and input costs reshape the economics of row-crop production.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
28 Apr 2026
2 min
UK government launches £5M agri-tech innovation competition to fast-track commercialization
The blended public-private funding program targets high-growth AgTech SMEs with grant-plus-equity packages, opening June 2026.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
28 Apr 2026
2 min
Q1 2026 AgTech VC: 163 startups raise $1.89B, exits down 33%
CropLife's Q1 2026 round-up shows 163 AgTech startups raising $1.89B with $11.6M average rounds, capital down 9% QoQ and exits down 33% to eight strategic acquisitions.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
25 Apr 2026
2 min
EU passes Soil Monitoring Law: every farm must report soil health by 2028
The European Parliament finalised the Soil Monitoring Law this week, opening a €2B+ market for digital soil-health platforms and accelerating MRV (measurement, reporting, verification) startups across the bloc.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
23 Apr 2026
2 min
USDA signs Palantir deal as Afresh raises $34M for AI grocery platform
The USDA entered a data partnership with Palantir while Afresh secured $34M for its AI-driven fresh-food supply-chain platform; Amazon launched a $30M carbon-credit program for rice farming.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
22 Apr 2026
2 min
Kubota deepens autonomous farming bet with strategic investment in Agtonomy
The Japanese machinery giant backs US-based Agtonomy to accelerate commercial deployment of autonomous driving and precision automation for specialty crop operations.
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Policy
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
21 Apr 2026
2 min
EU NGT regulation enters force: 12 gene-edited crops fast-tracked for 2027 launch
Brussels finalised the New Genomic Techniques framework this week, opening a streamlined approval lane for CRISPR-edited crops and unlocking an estimated €4B in stalled European plant-biotech investment.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
15 Apr 2026
2 min
Agriodor raises €15M Series A to scale plant-volatile biopesticides across EU row crops
Rennes-based Agriodor, spun out of INRAE, closed an €15M Series A led by Crédit Mutuel Impact to commercialise pheromone-style 'odour blends' that confuse pest insects without killing them, fitting cleanly inside the EU's tightening synthetic-pesticide phase-out.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
31 Mar 2026
2 min
Halter raises $220M Series E at $2B valuation for virtual fencing
Livestock-tech company Halter raised $220M led by Founders Fund at a $2B valuation, the largest AgTech round of Q1 2026. March 2026.
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Precision Ag
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
31 Mar 2026
2 min
Halter closes $220M Series E for virtual fencing and animal health
New Zealand-founded Halter raised a $220M Series E, the stand-out agtech mega-deal of Q1 2026, almost matching the Animal Health category's entire 2025 funding.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
24 Mar 2026
2 min
UK and Netherlands climb AgFunder country rankings for 2025
AgFunder's Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2026 ranks UK fifth at $685M across 111 deals and Netherlands fourth on a 44% jump, behind the US, India and China.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Mar 2026
2 min
AgFunder: deeptech agrifood earns a 78% seed premium but hits a Series B ceiling
AgFunder finds deeptech agrifood seed rounds close at a 78% premium yet no deeptech raised over $200M in a single 2025 round, vs seven non-deeptech companies that did.
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CEA / Vertical Farming
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Mar 2026
2 min
80 Acres Farms raises $115M, acquires Plantae Biosciences
Ohio indoor-farming operator 80 Acres Farms raised $115M backed by General Atlantic and acquired Israeli breeding-tech startup Plantae Biosciences in a CEA consolidation play.
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Robotics
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Mar 2026
2 min
Reservoir Farms expands living-lab network for agricultural robotics
Nonprofit incubator Reservoir Farms hosts 12 international robotics startups at its Salinas, California site in 2026 and breaks ground on Reservoir Farms Central Valley in Merced this June.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Mar 2026
2 min
AgFunder 2026 report: agrifoodtech funding at $16.2B, deeptech share rises to 32%
AgFunder's Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2026 finds 2025 funding at $16.2B, with deeptech rounds commanding a 78% seed premium and first-time-funded companies at 46%.
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Funding
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
18 Mar 2026
2 min
AgFunder 2026 report: agrifoodtech funding flat, but upstream and climate-tech grow
AgFunder's Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2026 shows upstream startups attracting $9B in 2025 (+7% YoY) and climate-tech in agrifood recovering to $3.9B.
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Biologicals
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
12 Mar 2026
2 min
Tropic Biosciences closes oversubscribed $105M Series C for gene-edited crops
UK gene-editing company Tropic Biosciences closed a $105M Series C co-led by Corteva and Forbion to scale commercial production of gene-edited bananas and rice. March 2026.
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Sustainability
By Dirk Vandenhirtz
3 Mar 2026
2 min
Varaha closes ~$45M Series B led by WestBridge for biochar carbon removal
India's Varaha closed a ~$45M Series B led by WestBridge Capital for biochar and regenerative carbon removal, with offtake deals from Google, Microsoft, Lufthansa, Swiss Re and Capgemini.
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Sources: AgFunderNews, EU-Startups, BusinessWire, ScienceDaily, Tech.eu, FoodNavigator, and leading industry publications. Covering agtech funding news, agricultural robotics news 2026, new genomic techniques EU, precision agriculture news, and global trends in agribusiness innovations. Curated for deep-tech investors and founders.
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