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Daniel here: I just had a great conversation with Marina Schmidt for her podcast Scaling Nerds about one of my favorite startup topics: Investor updates (something I’ve written about a lot). We discussed e.g. why investor updates are one of the most underused growth tools, the ideal investor update structure, common mistakes, and more. Listen to the episode here, or just type ‘Scaling Nerds’ into your podcast app of choice.

And a little reminder — you can find all three of us behind FoodTech Weekly — Daniel, Alex, and Ilkka — on LinkedIn. You’re always welcome to connect and reach out to us!

This week's rundown:

💰AgZen harvests $10M for smart spraying system that can cut chemical inputs by up to 50% while maintaining crop yields
💶 Neoh bags “several million euros” for plant-based sugar replacement solution
🥴 The best foods for a hangover, scientifically

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🇺🇸 AgZen, $10M Series B, AI-powered smart spraying systems using real-time feedback to reduce chemical inputs by 30–50% while maintaining crop yields. Investors: DCVC Bio, Material Impact, and Astanor.

🇩🇪 eternal.ag, €8M ($9.2M), automated greenhouse harvesting via robots. Investors: Simon Capital, Oyster Bay Venture Capital, EquityPitcher Ventures, and Backbone Ventures.

🇬🇧 Cytotrait, $4M seed, crop genetic traits developer using proprietary MOSS technology for high-level localised gene expression. Investors: Northern Gritstone, Northern Universities Venture Fund, and UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S).

🇦🇹 Neoh, “several million euros”, sugar replacement solution using plant-based functional fibers. Investors: Rewe Group, Zintinus, and Teseo Capital.

🇦🇺 All G, A$1.1M grant / $0.8M, precision-fermentation startup scaling production of human beta-casein protein for infant formula. Investors: New South Wales government's Biosciences Fund.

🇳🇴 Driva Aquaculture, $1.1M, land-based aquaculture firm. Investors: undisclosed.

🇮🇩 Birufinery, undisclosed, seaweed-microbe biostimulants claiming 30–50% fertiliser reduction in tropical plantation crops. Investors: undisclosed.

In this episode, Mathias Brink Lorenz, CEO of the €80M evergreen fund Delphinus Venture Capital, discusses why the traditional "10+2" VC model often creates perverse incentives and how his fund’s evergreen structure aligns better with long-term startup health. Focusing on the Danish research ecosystem, Mathias outlines a "picks and shovels" strategy for AgriFoodTech, prioritizing B2B enabling technologies over capital-intensive commodity plays. He specifically breaks down his "low inclusion, high margin" thesis, explaining how critical ingredients like enzymes and savory flavors can command massive margins because they represent only a tiny fraction of an end-product's total cost. 🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

🧅 What on Earth are Smile Balls? “It looks like an onion. It smells like an onion. Yet the curiously named Smile Ball sitting on my chopping board is the result of 20 years of cutting-edge research, research that has led us to the very boundaries of human endeavour. Nasa, you can keep your rockets; Cern, no one cares about your hadron collider; for here, finally, is an onion that won’t make you cry when you chop it. Don’t tell me that’s not what science was invented for.” [The Times]

📱 Customer reviews are becoming a key battleground as AI revolutionizes product discovery: “Now, to better pop up in AI search results, brands are placing greater emphasis on getting more customers to leave reviews. In recent months, for instance, dog food brand Pawco started offering customers $20 off if they left a review after their third order. Meanwhile, Fireclay Tile has become “more deliberate” about soliciting reviews, Edelson said. The company sends customers personalized notes asking for reviews, and it holds contests among employees to see who can drum up the most reviews.” [Modern Retail]

🌐 Fertilizers are among the commodity groups most exposed to current geopolitical tensions. Concentrated Middle Eastern export flows, combined with the ongoing conflict in and around Iran, present material risks to global supply chain continuity. Eye-opening and scary graphs here by Sohbet Karbuz.

🪦 Doors closing: Galaxy Biosolutions, a Sweden-based developer of sustainable sweeteners through yeast strain genome editing, is being liquidated, while the Danish Agrointelli has filed for bankruptcy.

💡 99 × 99: Ungoogleable advice for startups and investors.

🤩 HackSummit returns to Lausanne, Switzerland on April 22-23, 2026 for its 5th anniversary. Over two days, founders, investors, and operators will explore how industrial capacity and food sovereignty are becoming foundational systems in a climate-constrained world. Day 2 dives into Food Sovereignty by scaling stable, regenerative, and secure food systems amid climate volatility and supply risk. Use the code FTW20 for 20% off a 1 or 2 day pass.

🧑🏼‍🌾🧑‍🔬 If you have a food product that could help improve sustainability, apply before April 19 to Axfoundation’s Innovation support and get expert help from Axfoundation as well as access to their test kitchen and lab at Torsåker Farm outside Stockholm, Sweden. The support is practical and non-financial. You retain full ownership of your innovation and all results developed during your time at Torsåker Farm. More info here.

💶 Applications open now to Carbon13’s European Venture Accelerator: 12 months 1:1 support with €150-250K funding opportunity. Designed for startups looking to raise €1M-3M in the next 12-18 months. Applications close March 27.

🎤 Future Fit Asia, formerly Future Food Asia, expands the conversation from food systems to the intersection of food, human health, environment and biotechnology. As chronic disease and rapid ageing reshape global challenges, the platform explores how integrated systems support healthy lives on a changing planet. Future Fit Asia brings together innovators, scientists, and investors to design the next generation of resilient food-health-environment systems. May 12-13 2026 in Singapore. More info here.

🚀 The ProVeg Incubator has officially welcomed 12 new startups into its Fast-track To Impact programme. Representing eight different countries, this cohort is tackling the food system’s biggest challenges through scalable, sustainable tech. The highlights: (1) Next-Gen Ingredients: Microalgae emulsifiers and alfalfa-based proteins, (2) Sustainable Staples: Low-carbon pet food and artisanal cheese alternatives (3) Clean Label focus: Upcycled ingredients and scalable, biotech solutions. Explore all 12 startups transforming the food system here.

🗳️ Next Impact Europe is a new initiative spotlighting the next generation of diverse-led impact startups emerging across the European ecosystem. Nominations are open until April 30, with the 2026 cohort set to be revealed at VivaTech in June. Investors, founders, and ecosystem leaders are invited to nominate early-stage companies building solutions to global challenges. Nominate a startup here.

🥴 What are the best foods for a hangover, scientifically? (Scientific American)

💡Google is using old news reports and AI to predict flash floods (TechCrunch)

🍷 Can a plant-based fungicide help save France’s wine industry?

👃 Scientists are recreating the smell of history — such as the scent of an old library.

👏 We don’t want to fact-check this story too much because it sounds too good to be true, but: An Australian tech entrepreneur used AI tools such as ChatGPT and AlphaFold to help develop the world's first personalized mRNA cancer vaccine for his beloved dog Rosie – and it worked, shrinking most of her tumors.

🌱 The 19th century invention that allowed plants to survive long sea voyages, enabling quicker globalization of agriculture.

We love you.
Daniel, Ilkka, and Alex

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🎵 This issue was produced while Daniel was listening to La responsabilité des rêves (Instrumental) by Fred Nevché and French79. Ilkka was listening to Graveyard Witchery by Deathchain.

By Daniel Skavén Ruben, Ilkka Taponen, and Alex Shandrovsky.
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