Welcome back, listeners! In today's episode, we'll dive into the latest strides in AgTech, featuring new funding for microbial nitrogen and AI platforms, gene editing licenses for climate-resilient rice, and the contrasting realities of CEA expansion and market exits. Let's get started!
Here’s a Quick Snapshot of What’s Making Headlines:
Plant Science: New funding rounds for Kula Bio, Ginkgo Bioworks partnership extension with Bayer, Pairwise licensing platform to IRRI, Arevo scaling bio-based fertilizer, and Nufarm EPA registrations
CEA & Market Dynamics: Source.ag raises $17.5M while Growy Singapore and CleanGreens Solutions face closures
Innovation & Investment: Ceres AI expands agricultural intelligence platform, Farm to Feed combats food loss, regenerative agriculture initiatives gain momentum
Workforce Development: AgSTEP transforms California agricultural education through competency-based learning.
Welcome to another episode of AgTech Digest, your go-to source for the latest in agricultural technology. In today's episode, we're diving into the latest developments shaping the future of agriculture. We'll explore new funding rounds and strategic partnerships in plant science, examine the contrasting realities of growth and closure in controlled environment agriculture, and look at innovative platforms advancing agricultural intelligence and food loss prevention. We'll also cover workforce development initiatives and regenerative agriculture investments. There's a lot to cover, so let's get started.
Anna:
In today's snapshot, we're examining the wave of bankruptcies that has swept through the AgTech and Controlled Environment Agriculture sectors throughout 2025. We'll explore how financial pressures have led to closures across vertical farming, greenhouse technology, and ag-biotech firms, and analyze what this means for the industry's future. There's important context to cover, so let's dive in.
Anna:
Bankruptcies in the AgTech and Controlled Environment Agriculture sectors have accelerated throughout 2025, with notable shutdowns spanning vertical farming, greenhouse technology, and ag-biotech firms. The dataset shows 15 recorded cases of bankruptcy or liquidation between April and November 2025, including companies such as CleanGreens Solutions, Growy Singapore, Eden Green Technology, and Guardian Agriculture. The United States and Europe represent the most affected regions, reflecting the financial strain caused by high operating costs, slow profitability, and tightening capital markets. Several vertical farming companies including Jones Food Company, Hexagro, Freight Farms, and Vertical Future either ceased operations or entered administration, indicating sustained structural challenges in scaling production efficiency and maintaining investor confidence amid rising energy and real estate costs. This wave of bankruptcies stands in sharp contrast to the significant funding rebound observed in 2025 across the broader AgTech landscape, particularly in biologicals, precision agriculture, and plant science.
Anna:
While investors have renewed their appetite for scalable and data-driven solutions, many CEA and hardware-focused startups have struggled to translate investment into sustainable unit economics. The inclusion of sectors beyond indoor farming such as biotechnology with Oerth Bio and carbon markets with Direct Carbon signals a broader recalibration of priorities. Overall, the data points to a maturing AgTech market where capital is increasingly concentrated in companies demonstrating clear profitability paths, leaving capital-intensive models exposed to heightened risk and consolidation pressures.
Anna:
In closing, we've examined how the AgTech sector is experiencing a significant market correction, with 15 bankruptcies recorded between April and November 2025, primarily affecting CEA and hardware-focused companies in the United States and Europe. From vertical farming closures to the struggle with sustainable unit economics amid rising operating costs, it's clear that the industry is undergoing a fundamental shift toward profitability-focused investments. As capital concentrates in scalable, data-driven solutions, the future of AgTech will likely favor companies with proven paths to profitability over capital-intensive models.
Anna:
Jumping into the main feature of today's program, plant science. Kula Bio secured Series A-1 funding to accelerate commercial expansion and further innovation in the company's microbial nitrogen platform, while announcing executive leadership transitions with Harrison Yoon appointed as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding founding CEO Bill Brady who becomes Executive Chairman, Frederic Kendirgi promoted to Chief Technology Officer, and Geraldo Mattioli, former President of Yara North America, joining as Chief Commercial Officer. Moving forward, Ginkgo Bioworks and Bayer extended their strategic partnership to advance agricultural biologicals, building on a successful collaboration launched in 2017 with Bayer retaining commercialization rights as Ginkgo's agricultural biologicals platform continues to expand with research efforts centered in West Sacramento. Additionally, Pairwise licensed its Fulcrum gene editing platform to the International Rice Research Institute to support the development of high-yield, climate-resilient, and nutrient-enhanced rice varieties, with IRRI gaining nonexclusive rights to use Fulcrum technologies including the SHARC enzyme system for research and commercial applications.
Anna:
Furthermore, Arevo raised 7.3 million euros to scale bio-based fertilizer production and expand internationally, with continued investment from Industrifonden, Fort Knox Forvaring AB, Navigare Ventures, and Stora Enso who also backed Arevo's previous 6.8 million euro funding round, as the company produces arginine phosphate, a sustainable fertilizer designed to reduce nitrogen leakage and greenhouse gas emissions while improving soil nutrient retention. Transitioning to regulatory developments, Nufarm received EPA registration for Naxypro and Naxypro Plus insecticides, with both formulations containing chlorantraniliprole, a Nufarm-registered active ingredient offering long-lasting control of key lepidopteran pests, where Naxypro targets chewing and sucking pests in specialty crops while Naxypro Plus is designed for broad-acre crops such as soybeans, corn, cereals, and cotton.
Anna:
Shifting our focus to controlled environment agriculture, Source.ag raised 17.5 million dollars in Series B funding to accelerate AI expansion in controlled environment agriculture, with the funding led by Astanor Ventures and participation from Enza Zaden and Harvest House, bringing total funding to over 60 million dollars since the company's founding in 2020. Conversely, Growy Singapore ceased operations amid restructuring to focus on core farming technology, announcing voluntary liquidation of its Singapore operations effective October 28th, 2025, following challenges in achieving sustainable profitability despite local support and commercial progress, with the company refocusing efforts on its proprietary vertical farming technology developed in Amsterdam. Similarly, CleanGreens Solutions filed for bankruptcy amid market challenges, citing inability to secure sufficient funding despite signing a 5 million Swiss franc investment agreement earlier in 2025, with the decision leading to layoff of all employees and marking the end of operations.
Anna:
Turning our attention to other developments across the agtech landscape, Ceres AI secured 13 million dollars from Remus Capital to advance its agricultural intelligence platform, with plans to expand its AI for AI system leveraging data from 40 crop types and 17 billion plant-level measurements across 32 million acres, as Remus Capital Partner John Tincoff joins the Ceres AI board alongside Arista, the world's first AI board member. Simultaneously, Farm to Feed secured 1.5 million dollars in seed funding to combat food loss and boost farmer incomes, with the round including 1.27 million dollars in equity and 230 thousand dollars in non-dilutive funding from DEG's DeveloPPP Ventures programme, with investors including Delta40 Venture Studio, DRK Foundation, Catalyst Fund, Holocene, Marula Square, 54Co, Levare Ventures, and Mercy Corps Ventures. On the sustainability front, Sustainea Bioglycols launched a regenerative agriculture project in partnership with Primient, supporting 1,000 acres of farmland in Lafayette, Indiana, promoting soil health and carbon sequestration, with the collaboration building on Sustainea's sustainable sourcing strategy for Bio-MEG production.
Anna:
Expanding on regenerative investments, Tikehau Capital's Regenerative Agriculture Strategy closed at 560 million euros, with Tikehau Investment Management finalizing the fund targeting sustainable food systems, soil health, and climate-positive agriculture, contributing to 5.2 billion euros in total fundraising year-to-date according to Tikehau's Q3 2025 results. Meanwhile, BCF Life Sciences secured a second patent for Leafamine technology, which repurposes poultry feathers as a raw material aligning with circular economy principles, with the patented hydrolysate containing 82 percent free amino acids allowing for quicker plant absorption and improved growth. Concluding with partnership expansion, Nuvio Planet and KWS expanded their partnership to scale environmental intelligence across global agri-food systems, with the Nuvio Planet platform reducing analysis time by 50 percent and helping achieve up to 30 percent lower carbon dioxide emissions in livestock systems, as the model is now being scaled across 12 countries covering milk, egg, and meat production systems.
Anna:
That wraps up today's episode of AgTech Digest. We explored the latest developments in agricultural technology. From strategic funding and partnerships in plant science to the challenging landscape of CEA where growth and closures coexist, and innovative solutions in agricultural intelligence and regenerative agriculture, it's clear that the agtech sector is making strides in sustainability and innovation. With significant funding rounds totaling over 90 million dollars and impactful partnerships across biologicals, gene editing, and environmental intelligence, the future of agriculture is shaping up to be smarter and more sustainable than ever before. Thanks for joining me, I'm Anna, signing off. Stay inspired and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible
