Focus on Finance conference highlights investment opportunities in agri-tech
After a record surge in agri-tech funding, recent years have seen a slowdown as global venture markets adjust to higher interest rates, inflationary pressures, and investor caution. But while some capital has shifted away from the sector, Dr Belinda Clarke, Director of Agri-TechE, argues that agri-tech remains a resilient and lucrative sector for investment.
“As we’ve seen in fintech and biotech, sectors go through cycles,” explains Belinda. “Agri-tech is no different. The current reset is a recalibration. For investors willing to take the long view, this presents an opportunity to back category-defining companies at more reasonable valuations.”
Earlier this year, agri-tech was recognised in the UK Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy in the Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan. The 2025 AgFunder AgriFoodTech Investment Report, in which Agri-TechE served as the UK partner, showed that the UK remains a significant global player, ranking fourth globally in 2024 with £458 million of investment across 113 deals. Cambridge firms have secured some high-profile deals within the UK figures.
This summer, Uncommon, a Cambridge biotechnology company that has raised $50m, announced that it had sold its cultured meat platform to Meatable, a Dutch firm specialising in cultivated pork, as it concentrates on non-GMO mRNA reprogramming and saRNA differentiation technologies for therapeutics. Cambridge University spin-off Lambda Agri also recently secured a £1m Innovate UK Investor Partnership Grant to develop its UV coating for commercial glasshouses.
Further afield, SugaROx, based at Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, has secured an additional £1m from its seed round investors to accelerate production capacity for the novel plant biostimulant it has developed.
“Cambridge has a unique combination of strengths: cutting-edge plant science, a track record in biotech, and a critical mass of startups focused on agriculture and food systems,” says Belinda. “While the wider market has slowed, Cambridge continues to attract investors who understand the long-term fundamentals.”
She believes much of the recent growth and opportunity comes from investors and technology developers from outside the industry.
“Agriculture has massive potential for transferable investment and technology from other sectors. That’s not just in terms of financial returns but also environmental impact.
“Institutional investors are under increasing pressure to deliver on ESG commitments. Agri-tech offers rare alignment. The same technologies to increase food production, nature recovery, and climate change mitigation also tend to increase yields and returns for farmers.
“With more than a decade in operation, Agri-TechE has developed the connections and knowledge to help investors and tech developers who might be ‘new to agriculture’ to get to grips with the industry,” says Belinda.
According to Mark Brooks, a North Carolina-based venture capital executive and former head of FMC Ventures, he has noticed a similar trend globally.
“Several new funds are entering, focusing on climate and planetary health, with agriculture as part of their thesis, though not the sole focus. They see agriculture as a big lever that has an impact on greenhouse gas emissions, food security, land use, and many other factors.
“The caveat to these funds is that they lack the same level of agricultural expertise, which means they may not fully understand the nuances of adoption curves and regulatory challenges.
“That’s a watch out as these new funds enter agri-tech, but it might be ok, because what they do have is cross-disciplinary expertise. This helps draw value across the value chain; it’s these collision spaces where the best returns can be driven for a venture capital fund.”
Belinda believes Agri-TechE’s upcoming event, Focus on Finance, can help technology developers and investors better understand agri-tech and its idiosyncrasies. She says: “With 15 high-growth ventures pitching at Focus on Finance, a session chaired by David Buckeridge, NIAB Chairman. This is an opportunity for investors new to agri-tech to discover some of the exciting technologies poised to revolutionise the industry. We also have world-renowned speakers like Louisa Burwood-Taylor, managing editor of AgFunder, delivering the keynote talk.”
Focus on Finance is being held at the Storey’s Field Centre in Cambridge on September 11th. More information can be found on the Agri-TechE website.