Ohh yeah,
we are geeks like that.

In the past five years, early-stage investors have pumped more than $1 billion into African startups innovating for the food and agriculture industry, achieving a record-breaking $482 million in 2021 alone. That was a 250% jump year-over-year, but still represents less than 1% of global agrifoodtech investment.

Some $9.2 billion dollars was invested in agrifoodtech ventures in Europe in 2021.

Similar to the global agrifoodtech scene, investors mostly backed online grocery ventures and other asset-light downstream technologies. European e-Grocery startups raised $4.2 billion, representing 43% of Europe’s total agrifoodtech investment capital and a 1,300% year-over-year jump. 

Where did the rest go?

Venture capital investors pumped $51.7 billion into agrifood technologies in 2021; an 85% increase over 2020. The theme of the year: doubling-down (and tripling, and quadrupling-down.) Agrifoodtech sectors that took off in response to the Covid-19 pandemic not only remained the most popular investment categories; they exploded with new deals.

Covid-19 had already reached India by the start of the 2020-2021 fiscal year, with the country soon going into a nationwide lockdown. Consumption dipped, supply chains broke down, and the economy slowed. Despite this, India's agrifood startup sector experienced an investment boom, with a 100% year-on-year jump in total venture funding.

Our news site AFN conducted a series of interviews with the corporate venture capital arms of six of the world's leading agribusinesses to form the backbone of a deep dive into their activity, areas of focus and levels of investment over a five year period. This report compiles those interviews and offers a data snapshot of CVC investment in agriculture.

European agrifoodtech ventures raised $3.3 billion in 2020, a 15% drop from 2019. But we expect the total investment tally to reach $3.8 billion as new 2020 deals come to light. At that level, Europe’s 2020 funding would only represent a 2.6% decrease from 2019, mostly on the back of a drop in late stage activity, as early stage investment activity increased.

2020 was a year which turned even optimists into skeptics. Yet those working in China's agrifoodtech ecosystem have a lot to feel positive about.

While general private equity and VC investment levels sank 50% in China compared to 2019, agrifood startup investing increased 66.1% year-on-year, next to a 34.5% rise globally.

What a year. It would be an understatement to say it’s been tough for most but for agrifoodtech, it was a blow-out year. Startups raised $26.1 billion in 2020, a 15.5% year-over-year increase, which we expect to increase to more than $30 billion as new 2020 deals come to light. This would represent 34.5% growth over 2019.

We're just over halfway through 2020, and already it has been a year like no other in living memory. Given the economic implications of the global Covid-19 pandemic, we've put together a mid-year review to take stock of the agrifoodtech investment landscape during these unprecedented times. Amazingly, the sector has held up well, raising $8.8 billion in total across 798 deals, according to currently available data.

FY2020 was a difficult financial year in India, with a slowdown in consumption growth, deteriorating public finances, and overall economic malaise. And that's before Covid-19 arrived on the scene. Total investments in Indian agrifood startups for FY2020 stood at $1.1 billion, down 56% from FY2019. Deal volume saw marginal growth with 133 deals in FY2020 compared to 125 deals in the previous year.

In our inaugural ASEAN agrifoodtech startup investment report we reveal the categories and investors driving this region's nascent industry. A total of $423 million was invested in startups innovating across Southeast Asia's food and agriculture segments in 2019. While that may seem low compared to more matrue markets like the US and Europe, it represents a 400% increase since 2014. And this year is set to surpass that with investment already estimated at around $350 million in the first half of 2020.

It was another record-breaking year for European Agri-FoodTech as investment reached $3.4bn in 2019, a 70% jump on 2018. That growth was consistent across upstream and downstream innovation investment as investors became more comfortable with the industry overall.

Europe also increased it's slice of the global agri-foodtech pie accounting for 17% of the global total, up from under 10% in 2018. Key categories featured in this special collaboration with F&A Next include Novel Farming Systems, eGrocery,  robotics on the farm and in the supply chain, and Innovative Food, including alternative protein.

Farm Tech startup investment has grown 370% since 2013, reaching $4.7bn in 2019 across 695 deals. That consistent growth bucks global venture capital investment trends across sectors where funding dropped year-over-year in 2019. It also bucks the trend for investment in agri-foodtech -- innovation across the food supply chain -- where investment levels have been more volatile over the years.

Foodtech and agtech startups raised $19.8bn in venture funding across 1858 deals. Following on from a record-breaking 2018, that's a 4.8% decline year-over-year in dollar terms and 15% by number of deals. But there were some clear bright spots with a 1.3% increase in funding to startups operating upstream -- on the farm and in the supply chain -- as they raised $7.6bn, posting the highest levels of record during any H2 on record.

In this report released by Idea2Scale and AgFunder, 50 Food & AgTech investors across the globe were surveyed on the categories and geographies they’re most excited about, as well as the key challenges of investing in the space internationally and at home.

Money Where Our Mouths Are (MWOMA) is the first-ever investigation into the funding disparities between female and male founders in the Agri-FoodTech industry. This report raises important questions, highlights the gaps through data and testimonials, and establishes a framework for next steps.

In this inaugural European food tech and agtech startup report in collaboration with F&A Next, we detail the $1.6bn of funding across 421 deals. While this was on par with the total in 2017, there was 23% growth in the number of deals and the majority of activity took place at the earliest stages.

With our partner Start-Up Nation Central, we released the first-ever Israel AgriFood Tech Investing Report, with a review of the last five years of investment in tech startups innovating for the food & agriculture industries. The report details nearly $800m of investment across 278 deals. Israel has produced some of the industry’s most mature and innovative startups, particularly upstream closer to the farmer, although its food technology industry is growing rapidly.

AgriFood Tech startups, those innovating all the way from farm-to-fork, raised $16.9 billion in 2018, a 43% year-over-year increase, in-line with the overall VC market globally. In contrast to all VC industries there was an 11% increase in deal activity, particularly at the seed stage where levels have contracted in other industries. While the US still dominates the sector, China, India and Brazil contributed some of the year’s largest deals.

India AgriFood Startups raised $1.66 billion between 2013 and 2017 with investment from a mix of major global venture capital investors, multinational tech corporations, impact investors and dedicated agrifood funds. The demands of a growing middle class and a broken supply chain drove much of the innovation and investment during the period, while upstream, farm tech startups, picked up steam in the latter years.

The Netherlands is a modern world agri-food vision, 185th the size of Australia but producing 810 times more export earnings per hectare and nearly three times more agri-food export earnings. This report delves into ways Australia’s agrifood sector can learn from the Dutch.

AgriFood Tech startups, innovating from farm-to-fork, raised $10.1 billion in 2017, a 29% year-over-year increase. Mirroring the global VC markets, there was a considerable decline in deal flow (-17%) mostly due to a large contraction in seed stage funding. Agrifood tech is maturing, but a loss of activity at the seed stage doesn’t bode well for years to come.

AgriFood Tech startups, innovating from farm-to-fork, raised $4.4 billion in H1-2017, a 6% year-over-year increase. Mirroring the global VC markets, a few ‘mega deals’ drove the funding increase, as well as some maturation in the sector. But the number of deals declined 27% to 369 during the same period.

Agribusinesses are unsure how to approach agriculture technology investment and are at risk of being left behind if they don’t make it a core part of their strategy, revealed research conducted by BCG Consulting and AgFunder.

The report, which presents findings from a survey of C-Suite agribusiness executives and agritech venture capitalists, joins a group of commentators in the sector that are pointing to a new paradigm for the industry, where technological innovation stands to disrupt the food and agriculture industry’s status quo leaving some agribusinesses unsure about their future.

Agtech funding figures dipped to $3.2 billion in 2016 from $4.6 billion in 2015. This reflected the broader pullback in global venture markets, though deal activity in agtech was the strongest to date with 580 deals closed.

Agtech funding reached $1.75 billion during the first half of 2016 with 307 deals. The top-line investment level represents a 20% year-over-year decline from H1-2015, while the numbers of deals increased 7% from H1-2015. This pullback in agtech largely mirrored the broader venture capital market, which declined over two consecutive halves.

Agtech funding figures surpassed expectations to reach $4.6 billion in 2015. This was nearly double the $2.36 billion total invested in 2014 as agtech’s place as a key area of focus for many in the venture capital community was confirmed.

Midway through 2015, agtech investment hit $2.06 billion, just shy of the $2.36 billion invested in all of 2014. Momentum continues with roughly $1 billion invested per quarter in 2015.