Agri-food

The Brussels-based investor believes the agri-food technology and bioeconomy sectors are still attractive funding destinations, despite fluctuating market conditions. 

Ahead of this month’s World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London, investors in the sector discuss what startups can do to attract more investors and keep their own finances under control, as borrowing costs soar. 

The funding will allow Ethiopia’s Dashen Bank to provide dollar-denominated loans to farmers and other agricultural businesses seeking to import machinery.  

Dutch microalgae producer Phycom has secured €9m in investments from investors including Invest-NL to scale up production.

One-third of food is wasted across the value chain every year, enough to feed two billion people. Impact Investor caught up with three investment specialists to understand the challenge and the potential investment solutions.

Ocean 14 Capital and Norselab have invested in the Norwegian company which has developed an alternative, non-invasive harvesting technique for bottom-dwelling seafood.

The Organic Development Finance Fund will focus on supporting organic producers in developing countries and facilitating their access to global markets.

Aphea Bio has raised €70m to accelerate its R&D and market expansion of sustainable agrobiological products for corn and wheat farming.

The investment is the latest from the Swiss investor’s second Sustainable Food-Asia fund and supports a company that has established itself as a key player in Indonesia’s  aquaculture sector in less than a decade.     

The private debt strategy, which provides long-term expansion debt and technical assistance to support growing agri-businesses, has drawn investment from public and private investors.