๐ŸŒฟ Duckweed-extracted protein raises $30M

Catch up on this week's funding news in AgriFood

๐Ÿ“ Vertical farming company Oishii closed its Series B round with $150 million, with new investors Resilience Reserve and Miyako Capital joining existing backers, as it prepares for its first international expansion with a new centre in Tokyo.

๐Ÿ German snacking brand KoRo, known for its range of products made from natural foods, from nut butters and dried fruits to clean-label snacks and functional foods, raised โ‚ฌ35 million in an oversubscribed Series C round to support its growth across Europe.

๐ŸŒฟ San Diego-based Plantible Foods secured $30 million Series B funding to expand manufacturing and meet the "insatiable" demand for its versatile plant-based protein, which it extracts from duckweed. 

๐Ÿ’ฐ Keychain, a manufacturing platform for the packaged goods industry raised $15 million in new funding. The round was led by BoxGroup, with support from major food companies General Mills and Schreiber, and existing investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners and SV Angel.

๐Ÿค– Four Growers raised $9 million in a Series A funding round led by Basset Capital to develop autonomous robots that address greenhouse labour shortages by automating tasks like harvesting and pruning.

๐Ÿณ Shenzhen-based Botinkit, which is behind the Omni automated cooking system, raised $21 million in a Series A extension to expand its kitchen robot that can stir-fry, stew, and cook with minimal human intervention, aiming to halve labour requirements in commercial kitchens.

๐Ÿฅƒ Belfast-based Drinksology Kirker Greer Group, which specialises in spirits and hospitality design, secured โ‚ฌ7.7 million to drive its global growth and sustainability efforts, with all its brands recently achieving B Corp certification.

๐ŸŒพ BiocSol raised โ‚ฌ5.2 million in a seed funding round led by Agri Investment Fund and VIVES IUF. It specialises in microbial-based biopesticides for sustainable crop protection, and is developing reliable and cost-effective solutions for challenges like mildew.

๐ŸŒญ Dutch cultivated meat company Meatable secured a strategic investment from Betagro Ventures, the venture capital arm of Thailand-based agri-industrial giant Betagro, to accelerate its growth and market presence in Asia and explore co-development projects and strategic partnerships across the region.