Agriculture
Mitsui, Nomura acquire real assets manager New Forests
Japan’s Mitsui & Co. and Nomura Holdings have agreed to acquire 100% of New Forests, an Australia-headquartered sustainable real assets investment manager focused on forestry, land management, and conservation.
Deal focus: Mekong unconfined to consumer thesis
Having long eschewed industrial business models, consumer-focused Mekong Capital has made an exception in the name of environmental impact with Vietnam agricultural supplier Entobel
Singapore VC closes food tech fund at $34m
Singapore’s Good Startup, a food technology investor focused on alternative protein, has closed its debut VC fund with USD 34m in commitments.
Mekong invests $25m in Vietnam insect feed company
Vietnam private equity firm Mekong Capital has invested USD 25m Entobel, a company that makes insect-based ingredients for the animal feed, pet food, and fertiliser industries.
Sequoia, Tiger, Alpha Wave invest $100m in India agtech player
Indian agriculture technology start-up Absolute Foods has confirmed USD 100m in recent funding from Sequoia Capital India, Tiger Global Management, and Alpha Wave Global at a valuation of USD 500m.
India's Omnivore launches $130m agtech VC fund
India’s Omnivore Partners has launched its third domestic agricultural technology VC fund with a target of USD 130m.
Korea's Envisioning Partners raises $64m climate tech fund
Envisioning Partners, a Korean impact venture capital firm set up last year, has raised KRW 76.8bn (USD 64m) for a climate-focused tech fund, beating a target of USD 60m.
Indonesia fishery app Aruna extends Series A to $65m
Indonesian fishing industry app Aruna has raised USD 30m led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India. It is described as an extension of a Series A round launched in mid-2020.
BRV leads $140m Series C for Korea's Green Labs
BRV Capital Management has led a KRW 170bn (USD 140m) Series C round for Green Labs, a Korea-based agricultural technology start-up seeking to digitalise the food production value chain.
Impact investors commit $60m to India agtech platform
Quona Capital, Lightrock India, and Asia Impact SA have co-led a USD 60m Series C round for Indian agriculture technology platform Arya.
Indonesia's eFishery raises $90m Series C
Temasek Holdings, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Sequoia Capital India have co-led a USD 90m Series C round for Indonesian aquaculture technology start-up eFishery.
Flipkart, Walmart invest $145m in India's Ninjacart
Walmart and Flipkart, its Indian e-commerce platform, have doubled down on local fresh produce delivery company Ninjacart with a 145 million investment.
OTPP joins KKR as investor in Australia's GreenCollar
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) has made an investment of undisclosed size in KKR-backed GreenCollar, an environmental services provider that helped establish Australia’s carbon credit market.
India's AgroStar raises $70m Series D
Indian agriculture industry platform provider AgroStar has raised a $70 million Series D round led by Evolvence Capital, Schroders Capital, Hero Enterprise, and CDC Group.
China's Bits x Bites closes second food tech fund at $100m
Bits x Bites, a Chinese VC firm focused on agriculture and food technology such as alternative protein, has closed its second fund at $100 million, beating a target of $70 million.
East backs Singapore food surplus marketplace
East Ventures and Amasia have jointly led an $11 million Series A round for Singapore’s TreeDots, a company that describes itself as Asia’s first food surplus marketplace.
Korea's IMM leads $64m round for vertical farming company
Korea’s IMM Investment has led a $64.5 million round for Abu Dhabi-based vertical farming company Pure Harvest Smart Farms as part of an Asian expansion
Sofina, Lightrock lead $115m round for India's DeHaat
Sofina and Lightrock India have led a $115 million Series D round for Indian agricultural technology provider DeHaat. It is described as the country's largest-ever agtech round.
Fund focus: Lever leverages spiking food tech appetite
The debut fund from Hong Kong’s Lever VC has tapped an infection point in global demand for food innovation. A mix of motivators for entering this space makes the hype feel less like a bubble
8F reaches $61m first close on SE Asia aquaculture fund
8F Asset Management, a Singapore-based GP dedicated to developing a sustainable salmon business, has hit a first close of $61 million on its second fund, which will build out Southeast Asian operations.
Hong Kong's Lever VC closes food fund at $80m
Hong Kong-based food tech investor Lever VC has reached a final close of $80 million on its debut fund, which launched in August last year with a target of $50 million.
Incofin hits $60m first close on India impact fund
Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management, which focuses on financial inclusion and developing market agri-food segments, has reached a first close of $60 million for an India impact fund.
Deal focus: Fujitsu Ventures updates ancient grains
Fujitsu is bringing blockchain to the rice industry with a ramped up corporate VC agenda. Digital transformation is the goal; food security and sustainable trade are the outcomes
Fujitsu VC unit backs rice trading platform
Fujitsu, one of Japan’s largest IT companies, is backing the world’s first digital global rice trading platform in the debut deal from its latest corporate VC fund.