Making Sense Of Recent AgTech Acquisitions With Shane Thomas Agtech

#Food #Tech #Sarah Nolet #Arts #Agriculture #Business #Industries #Climate #Sustainability #Agrifoodtech #Agritech #Agtech

17:27

Why do so many of us get nervous when public speaking? Communication expert Lawrence Bernstein says the key to dealing with the pressure is as simple as having a casual chat. He introduces the "coffee shop test" as a way to help you overcome nerves, connect with your audience and deliver a message that truly resonates. After the talk, Modupe explains a similar approach in academia called the "Grandma test," and how public speaking can be as simple as a conversation with grandma. Want to help shape TED’s shows going forward? Fill out our survey ! Become a TED Member today at ted.com/join Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.…

Agtech - So What? »
Making Sense of Recent AgTech Acquisitions with Shane Thomas

6 days ago 35:55

MP3•Episode home

Why do companies conceal this information? And in this moment when everyone has their eyes peeled for some indication of where the market is headed, what can we learn from exits?

Sarah sits down this week with Tenacious Ventures’ Matthew Pryor and Shane Thomas, author of Upstream Ag Insights, to do a deep dive into the latest news and discuss what it all means.

For more information and resources, visit our website.

The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.

190 episodes

Agtech - So What?

Making Sense of Recent AgTech Acquisitions with Shane Thomas

Agtech - So What?

69 subscribers

published 6 days ago

MP3•Episode home

Why do companies conceal this information? And in this moment when everyone has their eyes peeled for some indication of where the market is headed, what can we learn from exits?

Sarah sits down this week with Tenacious Ventures’ Matthew Pryor and Shane Thomas, author of Upstream Ag Insights, to do a deep dive into the latest news and discuss what it all means.

For more information and resources, visit our website.

190 episodes

#Food #Tech #Sarah Nolet #Arts #Agriculture #Business #Industries #Climate #Sustainability #Agrifoodtech #Agritech #Agtech

All episodes

Agtech - So What?

1
Making Sense of Recent AgTech Acquisitions with Shane Thomas 35:55

6 days ago35:55

35:55

Despite a persistent sense of uncertainty in the AgTech market lately, we’re still seeing startups get acquired– even if information about those acquisitions is opaque. Case in point: Syngenta recently purchased Intrinsyx Bio, a biologicals company, for an undisclosed sum. Why do companies conceal this information? And in this moment when everyone has their eyes peeled for some indication of where the market is headed, what can we learn from exits? Sarah sits down this week with Tenacious Ventures’ Matthew Pryor and Shane Thomas , author of Upstream Ag Insights , to do a deep dive into the latest news and discuss what it all means. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
How GLP-1 Drugs are Reshaping the Food and Ag Landscape with Mary Shelman 37:34

20 days ago37:34

37:34

Over the last few decades, a lot of products and technologies have promised to disrupt the diets and food buying habits of the world’s consumers. But nothing has made true on that promise quite like the emergence of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. These (as of now) injectables are changing the way people– and their households– eat and shop, and CPG companies, quick serve food brands, and others are already seeing a marked decline in purchasing in the months since these drugs have gone mainstream. Given the speed with which people are adopting these treatments, and how fast the therapy affects their diets and choices, many in the food and ag sectors have been caught flat footed by a dramatic change in preferences among 10% (and growing) of consumers. Who will be the winners and losers? To tell us more about what the future might hold for ag and food alike, we’re joined this week by Mary Shelman , Founder at the Shelman Group . For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
Beyond VC: Redeemable Equity in AgTech with Connie Bowen 34:36

5 weeks ago34:36

34:36

Big news from Tenacious– WE’RE HIRING! Do you share our mission of unlocking impact at scale in agri-food systems? Check out our open roles here . ... Is agtech a good fit for venture capital, and vice versa? This question - existential for some - is flying around in the ether right now. We’ve been thinking about both the bearish and bullish answers a lot lately. And we’ve been intrigued by the possibility of shifting the question away from black and white answers , into nuance. Namely, we’ve been asking: if venture capital is not a perfect fit for agtech, but there are big opportunities for technology in agriculture, how else might agtech companies get funded? To help us take on this larger inquiry, we called on friend of the podcast Connie Bowen , Founder of Farmhand Ventures . Connie has been both thinking about deploying alternative funding models in agtech. She brings the insight she’s gained from utilizing (and passing) on some of these alternatives, including redeemable equity, to the podcast this week. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
Merging AgTech Startups to Multiply Value and Impact with Ron Hannam 33:27

7 weeks ago33:27

33:27

Between COVID-19, Avian Influenza, and African Swine Fever, ordinary consumers are more aware than ever of the risks of infectious diseases on animal and human health, and to society at large. Ag technology that helps farmers better prevent the spread of diseases is more relevant than ever, and that was a big part of the motivation for today’s guest, Rob Hannam , CEO of Farm Health Guardian . But Farm Health Guardian was far from the only livestock biosecurity agtech company in the space, and at some point, when the team came in contact with a competitor with a complementary suite of technologies, they did something unusual. The two companies merged. Given the current state of agtech funding and global financial markets, we thought the time was right to invite Rob on to talk about how he and his team first started exploring the idea of a merger, how they thought about the decision, and how it helped them unlock new opportunities and a more complete product. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
Paying for Ag R&D When Consumers Won’t with Brooke Sauer of Boolah 36:40

9 weeks ago36:40

36:40

For commercial farming operations, determining whether or not new tools, technology, and practices work can be a big undertaking. From install and setup costs to helping the team involved climb the learning curve for effective use, even when technologies lead to big benefits, it can be tough to get the ball rolling. One farm that we’ve learned about recently decided to turn these challenges into a product. The insight is simple– that on the other side of all these tech adoption challenges, there are technologists and companies eager to learn how to overcome them, and to gain third-party information about how their product works in commercial settings. So Boolah, an Australian malt barley grower that manages 70,000 hectares across their network of connected farms, has built a testing and trial business that helps them neutralize the costs of trying out and implementing new tech and tools, while also providing high value data and research to their partners. To tell us more about what’s going on at the farm, we’re joined this week by Brooke Sauer, Head of R&D at Boolah . For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
A Business Model for Novel Ingredients with Jake Berber At Prefer 35:56

11 weeks ago35:56

35:56

For years the food tech space has been rife with companies eager to replace familiar standbys– from protein to sweeteners to colorings– with cheaper, more healthful, or more climate friendly alternatives. There have certainly been a few successes, but there have also been some big and spectacular failures. Whether we’re emerging from the dust of the most recent bust or have a ways to go still, we’re actively watching the space to see what founders and investors alike are learning from the frothy boom cycle with its incredible stats and promises, and from what came after. To understand a bit more about how this food tech ingredient space is changing, from products and go-to market to business models and financing, we’re joined this week by Jake Berber , Co-Founder and CEO of Prefer . For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
Solving for Adoption and Channel in AgTech… So what? with Shane Thomas 36:10

13 weeks ago36:10

36:10

There are a few topics in agtech (and in the tech startup world more broadly) that are truly perennial– problems that must be solved again and again in new and innovative ways as markets, customers, and businesses evolve. Adoption is one of those challenges, and go-to-market strategies are another. We’ve been thinking about the challenge of adoption a lot recently, and also what changes in the marketplace will mean for the retail channel and product distribution for agtech in particular. Today, Sarah sits down with Tenacious Ventures’ Matthew Pryor and Shane Thomas , author of Upstream Ag Insights , to do a deep dive on these topics. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
From Demo Farms to Adoption with Wine Australia 38:31

15 weeks ago38:31

38:31

When your organization is tasked with the job of getting growers to adopt new technology, there are a few tried, and frankly, not-so-true options to choose from. The world is lightly littered with various flavors of demonstration farms– properties where technologies can be piloted, field days can be hosted, and farmers can be converted from tech skeptics to believers. But in our experience, the problem with demo farms is just that they don’t usually do that much to actually drive adoption. The innovation team at Wine Australia, however, have managed to buck the trend. Their approach to demo farms, and agtech adoption more broadly, is unusual in many ways, and the features that set them apart have led to dramatically improved experiences for farmers and tech companies, ultimately leading to better adoption rates and outcomes for their industry. To learn more about their work, and their lessons along the way, we’re sitting down with Paul Smith , General Manager of Research and Innovation, and Dave Gerner , Regional Innovation Program Manager, at Wine Australia to discuss the custom program they built for their industry, which has led to meaningful success in increasing agtech adoption among Australian wine grape growers. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
Killing Weeds Without Poison with Liam Hescock at Azaneo 36:27

17 weeks ago36:27

36:27

Controlling weeds on farms is a sticky, two part challenge. First, you’ve got to identify the weeds, as distinct from the plants you want to grow. Then, you’ve got to destroy the undesirables and keep the rest. For today’s farmers, these two tasks can seem straightforward, but to do them at the scale required in modern agriculture– not so much. Identifying weeds, especially with computer vision, is a topic we discussed on the podcast last year, and now we’re circling back to talk about the available solutions on the destruction side. Herbicides have been the unchallenged behemoth in this space for decades, but as issues with efficacy and environmental impact mount, farmers are increasingly looking to other options. In the last few years we’ve seen many novel solutions– from mechanical tools to microwaves to flamethrowers. This week, we’re sitting down with Liam Hescock , Founder and CEO of Azaneo , one of our portfolio companies, to talk about their solution– which harnesses the power of electricity. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe the information is correct, we provide no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

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2025 in AgTech… So what? with Shane Thomas 33:33

19 weeks ago33:33

33:33

As the new year gets underway, we’ve been thinking about the likely ups and downs ahead for the agtech world. We’ve been searching for insights in the recent announcement that FMC’s corporate venture capital division is shutting its doors, and thinking about what a trend in CVC pullbacks might mean for the lay of the land in agtech. We’ve also been taking time to think about the agtech companies that currently stand out in today’s tough market conditions, and what it is that sets them apart from the pack. Today, Sarah sits down with Tenacious Ventures Managing Partner Matthew Pryor and Shane Thomas , author of Upstream Ag Insights , to discuss the news and expectations for agtech in 2025. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
How Business Model Innovation Changed AgTech in 2024 34:14

25 weeks ago34:14

34:14

There’s nothing like the end of another year to have us reflecting on the recent successes in the world of agtech, and the many challenges still left to overcome. One thing that has continued to stand out to us in 2024 is the vital need for more business model innovation. There’s so much amazing technology that already exists, but for one reason or another, it is not getting adopted or utilized; it’s not delivering on the promised impact or commercial potential. Over the last twelve months we’ve talked to countless entrepreneurs and innovators who are finding novel and fascinating ways to overcome business model barriers, even when they aren’t using those words to describe their efforts. So this week, Sarah is sitting down with Tenacious Ventures Managing Partner Matthew Pryor to connect the dots on business model innovation that we’ve discussed in different podcast episodes all year long. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
Shortening the Long Game in Livestock Breeding with Gerard Davis from Nbryo 38:41

27 weeks ago38:41

38:41

The history of agriculture is a history of selective breeding. Whether it’s plants or animals, humans have been choosing desirable traits and making sure those traits make it to the next generation for tens of thousands of years. The challenge of this work is, of course, the timeline. Groundbreaking and world-changing advances are possible, but we are limited by seasonality, gestation periods, and even by the level of expertise required to effectively perform the high-tech work. This is the challenge that Tenacious portfolio company Nbryo is tackling– shortening the timeline for genetic advancements in livestock. This week, we’re sitting down with Gerard Davis , CEO of Nbyro , to discuss his unconventional journey to the startup, the work the company is doing, and why he thinks genetic interventions are critical climate work. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
Rethinking Who Pays in Irrigation AgTech with Jairo Trad 37:58

29 weeks ago37:58

37:58

Despite its importance to both agricultural and environmental outcomes, irrigation has not been a terribly successful subsection of agtech. We have our theories about why that is (we wrote a whole report about it, The agtech adoption dilemma: Irrigation ), and many others have also spotted the challenges in this space. But when Jairo Trad and his team dug in, they saw an opportunity for business model innovation. Their path, via Argentinian agtech company Kilimo , has been far from smooth, but where they’ve ended up seems to be a unique unlock for adoption and value capture. This week, we’re sitting down with Jairo , CEO and Cofounder at Kilimo , who’s spent the last 14 years expanding the boundaries of the ag-water system to find the right answer to the question “who pays for water efficiency improvements.” For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
The Two Faces of Global ESG in Ag with Catherine Marriott 33:53

31 weeks ago33:53

33:53

Depending on where you sit, the supremacy of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) action seems inevitable. Corporates are talking about. Investors are talking about it. Governments, regulators, and even farmers are talking about it. And yet for many of us, the questions of what exactly ESG is, what pursuing these goals means, and how soon acting on them will be mandatory remain unanswered. Then just when it feels like we start to get a handle on a definition or a timeline, you leave one geography and enter another, and it seems like all the rules have changed! This level of ambiguity has piqued our interest to learn more about trends in ESG, global variations in ESG practices, and what the future might hold. So this week, we’re sitting down with Catherine Marriott , recent Nuffield Australia Awardee , who has spent the last year traveling around the world to learn about the current and future state of ESG in agriculture. For more information and resources, visit our website . The information in this post is not investment advice or a recommendation to invest. It is general information only and does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision you should read the information memorandum and seek financial advice from a professional financial adviser. Whilst we believe Information is correct, no warranty of accuracy, reliability or completeness.…

Agtech - So What?

1
Fractal Ag Pitch Breakdown with Ben Gordon and Shane Thomas 41:04

33 weeks ago41:04