Dave Haynes

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the Beanstalk AgTech Drought Venture Studio close this Friday July 12th. Since launching the venture studio the team have been engaging with researchers and AgriTech innovators, scouting for technologies that can be validated and commercialised. For those still considering the opportunity, here are a few details: - The Drought Venture Studio is specifically designed to support technology development and commercialisation at the earliest stage, including pre business incorporation. - Technologies can target drought resilience across a broad range of crop types and applications in the field and the back office. Examples include, water and soil management, pest and weed control, financial resilience and supply chain management systems. - Up to $250k in funding will be available for projects once validated, to support development as well as salary funding for co-founders in the early stages. - Need a co-founder? The venture studio will facilitate the process of bringing a co-founder or CEO into validated businesses. This recent webinar provides a great overview of the venture studio, the team and the process. All the EOI details can be found here 👇 - Applications: https://lnkd.in/gyqYB4ww - Webinar video: https://lnkd.in/g8RqXm9n Marcus Agnew, Jeremy Chan-Youker, Cal Archibald #agritech #sustainability #drought #BeanstalkVentureStudio #FutureDroughtFund

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Indoor farming has attracted over $6 billion in investments since 2019: It's a year-round method of crop production that optimizes space through its use of vertically stacked layers. It’s projected to grow (10% by 2032, reaching $96 billion*), yet many are struggling to deliver returns. Notably, AppHarvest recently filed for bankruptcy after reporting a net loss of $177 million, highlighting the challenges in achieving profitability in this sector. ⬆️On the up - Plenty® is one to watch - they are flush with funding from SoftBank and have formed a JV with Abu Dhabi-based Mawarid Holding Investment .They are building a network of indoor farms, likely starting with an indoor strawberry farm in Abu Dhabi. If successful, it would help elevate indoor farming as a more marketable proposition - particularly in locations that are too dry for traditional farms. Indoor farming has appeal for sure..but they an infrastructure-heavy, pricey endeavor that has proven incompatible with venture exit time frames. This begs the question around the sustainability of funding models in industries focused on longer-term growth. #VentureCapital #IndoorFarming #Investment #Sustainability #Agriculture *Statista

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Excellent blog post on the realities of Climate & VC. While these are "tough times for the transition," there are also many opportunities. Significant capital will continue to flow, with Corporate VCs playing a larger role in financing this transition. Through this process, they will strengthen their LP positions in funds tackling climate challenges. I receive weekly calls from large Holding & Corporate VCs seeking introductions to Climate / Energy / Infra VC Funds. When I ask about their target sub-verticals within Climate / Energy, they often mention that they default to focusing on specific regions due to limited resources and coverage. In other words, rather than evaluating whether a DACH VC is better positioned for solar or grid-tech compared to a Nordic or US VC, they simply pursue whichever regions they can access—a haphazard approach at best. I always advise LPs to evaluate VCs within their operating market context. Since sourcing is crucial in venture capital, Holding Cos. and Family Offices should carefully assess a VC's location, regulatory context, and market environment before investing and building a portfolio of Funds. I've heard "I wish I had discovered this VC / region sooner" far too many times... * At ComposeVC's Built World Fund, we do not invest in Climatetech or Energytech directly, only as it relates to our Built World thesis.

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This is a good and important read on #FOAK projects and the ClimateTech Valley of Death, with good insight from some very sharp investors. One often overlooks aspect of this challenge is WHO will build these early commercial projects that are smaller and don't often appeal to top tier EPCs. Developing and building these projects will be a critical, often binary factor in the outcomes. https://lnkd.in/gbedmkmt

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Calling all impact investors... If you haven't already responded to Calvert Impact 's annual impact investing survey, now's your chance! Closes later next week. Takes <5 min and results will be shared. https://lnkd.in/gQ7BJWax

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Mobility and EV are synonymous conversations in the investing world these days. While #Sustainability, #innovation #SDG are central to this discussion, Wider Consumer adoption will come from #scale. My conversation with EV Mechanica is around #automation in manufacturing, role of #semiconductor and #AI in achieving efficiency and scale. Swapp Design Docker Vision Redwing Genrobotics MIHIR MISHRA https://lnkd.in/guxN47_g seafund Mayuresh Raut MANOJ KUMAR AGARWAL Supratik Swain Agam Gupta Bhagyashree Rana Virat Gandhi Tushir Doshi

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The annual Thrive Global Impact Summit is one of my favorite AgTech events, and the 2024 Summit on November 6th and 7th did not disappoint. John Hartnett, Helen Hartnett and SVG Ventures | THRIVE team always do a fantastic job of bringing together key stakeholders throughout the food & agriculture ecosystem, especially farmers, to discuss real-world challenges and actionable solutions. The main strength of the Summit is the significant number of corporations on stage and in attendance, which is not surprising as SVG Ventures | THRIVE, the group organizing the event, has developed an incredible network of agriculture and food corporations, with whom it works closely to support the next generation of AgTech and FoodTech innovators. Corporations are essential to drive product adoption on the farm and likely key technology acquirors that will provide valuable exits for entrepreneurs and investors. Many of the corporate speakers provided valuable advice to entrepreneurs and start-up companies about the best ways to approach established corporates to develop joint ventures, strategic partnerships and other relationships that can be mutually beneficial, especially helping with product distribution and market traction, often the major challenges faced by start-ups. As most AgTech and FoodTech exits will be through M&A transactions rather than IPOs, start-up companies should not wait too long to establish relationships with corporates.      I participated on the “Value Chain Transformation” panel, moderated by Danny O'Brien, SVG Ventures | THRIVE, along with panelists Bryon McGregor, Alto Ingredients, Inc.; Lisa Kissick, UFA; and Trevor Mecham, Valmont Industries, Inc.; where we explored the profound impact of digital transformation across every stage of the value chain. Although the agriculture sector remains one of the least digitized sectors, progress is being made, and all the panelists believe that technology adoption (AI, automation, data analytics, machine learning, robotics) will gather speed, even if it takes longer than other industries, given that many farmers are more risk adverse than technology purchasers in other sectors.  In addition to my panel, I greatly enjoying watching the other panels: “AI's Transformative Potential in Agriculture” “The Future of Agrifood Tech Investments” “Driving Agri-Food Innovation through Global Collaboration” “Dairy's Vital Role in Methane Mitigation” “Soil Health” Another advantage of the Summit is the opportunity to hear about the latest technology innovations, with pitches from a variety of companies competing to be chosen as the best in class in the following categories: Food Security & Waste Reduction; Nutrition & Health; Reducing GHG Emissions; Soil Health; and Water & Energy with EF Polymer Global being the overall winner. 2024/#:~:text=We%E2%80%99ll%20gather%20in%20the%20vibrant%20hub%20of%20Silicon EcoTech Capital Cy Obert #agtech; #foodtech; #agriculture; #food; #sustanableag

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BIG ANNOUNCEMENT from the #Dirt #King Cliff Fetner. Extremely proud of my father for his continued devotion and dedication to helping aspiring entrepreneurs in the #ConstructionTech ecosystem. I especially agree with his thesis regarding a HUGE gap in the market for #international #ConTech startups seeking GTM advice and networks to successfully launch in the US. Check out Cliff's medium post and tag #founders & #CEOs who you think would benefit from engaging with him. #ConTech #Founders #GTM

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A big part of making AI usable is enabling testing to provide the necessary assurance that outputs make sense. Distributional is leading this capability.

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We are so excited to announce our investment in Raechel Lambert, Bernard Kobos, and Ryan Lambert and their company, River Platform Company. River is a platform that empowers brands and influencers to build large-scale, in-person communities. To date, the platform has hosted over 2,000 events with 3,000 crowdsourced hosts and 55,000 attendees across more than 15 cities worldwide. We like to think of it as the operating system for community management. If the Catholic Church were founded today, it would use River to coordinate its global activities. No kidding. Jason Calacanis, the American internet entrepreneur and investor known for his All-In podcast with Chamath Palihapitiya, David O. Sacks, and David Friedberg, saw their potential early on. So did Balaji Srinivasan, Bryan Johnson, Tim Ferriss, and many others. We met the River team six months ago and have been incredibly impressed by their big-picture thinking, relentless hustle to connect with the right people and flawless execution. And as if that wasn’t enough, working with them is an absolute pleasure. These guys are a source of renewable energy. We’re proud to be part of this journey alongside wonderful co-investors like Blue Wire Capital, Blockwall, Solana Foundation, very early Ventures, and LAUNCH. Congratulations to the entire River team on this exciting milestone! We know firsthand that when things seem effortless, it’s because a tremendous amount of hard work went into making it happen. Want to join or host an IRL community event? Head over to getriver.io. #getriver #community #blockchainfounderscapital #startup #venturecapital #creatoreconomy

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DestinE is out! This is significant in itself, but also on a Meta Level: The AI Genie is out of the bottle, and I strongly believe there is no technical solition (anymore) to contain its dangers. The answer is governance, and Purpose! As every technology, AI is a tool, and its risks and benefits depend on what it is used for. Much as a blade can be a sword or a scalpel, AI has great risks and even greater opportunity to benefit humanity and the planet. What we use it for thus depends on our purpose: money, power, or public good? In that light, DestinE can be seen as a step towards a use of AI for the public good, beyond the wet dreams of Plutocrats and Autocrats alike, one that benefits humanity and the Planet, and is subject to some sort of collective democratic governance. Onwards!!

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After the first deep dive discussion w/ founders I often hear a comment "I wish I had heard about this alternative [to all-in must-become-a-unicorn] way to build a startup earlier as I have wasted years in pursuing the wrong thing". Our mission is that no founder would ever need to say that again as it is such a waste. Us preaching the gospel 1:1 just doesn't scale, hence we use mass media to multiply our efforts - that's how Gorillacast came to be. The 1st episode is out, featuring yours truly. "How can you know what food you like unless you taste everything" said a chef. How can founders make informed choices about the best strategy for them to follow unless they know of all alternatives? This might not be of interest to you but pls spread the word so that the founders who should hear it can find it. I have a dream!

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On-point piece in Kiplinger explaining that impact investing goes beyond checkbook charity by focusing on measurable social and environmental impact, as well as a financial return. I'm particularly struck by the closing point that contends being an impact investor means tracking progress and making sure that your goals are being met. That is absolutely the case. #ImpactInvesting

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🌍💡 Embracing Interoperability: The Evolution of Carbon Markets 💡🌍 The landscape of carbon markets is rapidly evolving, with a significant shift towards fungibility and interoperability. What does this mean? We (at the SoHo Global Climate Fund) spoke with leading climate fund manager, Charles Bedford of Carbon Growth Partners, to shed light on this important trend in the carbon markets. It's about creating seamless connections between compliance and voluntary markets, allowing for the exchange and recognition of carbon credits across borders and sectors. This trend marks a pivotal moment in our collective efforts towards combating climate change. By enabling carbon credits to be fungible and interoperable, we're fostering a more efficient and scalable approach to carbon pricing and emissions reduction strategies. Companies and organizations now have greater flexibility to participate in markets that align with their goals. #CarbonMarkets #ClimateAction #Fungibility #Interoperability #Sustainability #Innovation #GlobalImpact

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Landing back from #nyc and a great week at the Global AgInvesting conference, it’s clear that the weather has changed since last week and the presence of the winters #flooding has started to subside. When we ran a farming academy in Northumberland with the Understanding Ag, LLC - Experts in Regenerative Ag in October 2022, one of the profound comments was around the suitability for #agriculture and #regenerativeagriculture in the UK’s climate. Yesterday WIRED published an article on ‘the rise of the carbon farmer’ which provides a positive lens on the potential impact of agriculture to sequester carbon. If soil health beneficial practices are used to generate regenerative outcomes. Quoting UK #organic farmer Patrick Holden. “My farm’s been farmed organically for 51 years,” says Patrick Holden “I’ve built up soil carbon, my operation is now carbon-negative—if I was to switch to intensive methods then theoretically I could burn up that carbon stock. But if I was paid to be a carbon steward, I’m not going to do that.” Having experienced one of the wettest winters on record, let’s not forget the value of slowing down and filtering water with #healthysoils. Ryan Cameron Nicholas Burlington Addy Windsor-Clive Paul Benjamin Alvaro Aguirre Taimur Malik Jeremy Stroud Ananya Manna Jackson Baris Matt Jordon Regenerate Asset Management Regenerate Outcomes Rodale Institute https://lnkd.in/e8cP6AAu

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We are excited to announce the release of our 2024 Crop Robotics Landscape. This initiative revisits the developments since the publication of Crop Robotics 2022, Beyond The Valley Of Death. Over the past two years, the factors driving opportunities in agricultural robotics have not only persisted but intensified. Challenges such as labor shortages, climate change, rising production costs, and consumer concerns about food health and sustainability continue to drive the industry. In response, crop robotics companies are advancing their product development and accelerating commercialization efforts. This year’s Landscape features over 330 commercial crop robotics developers, with nearly 100 new companies joining the ranks. While investment in the broader agtech sector has slowed from its peak, crop robotics companies with robust products and strong market fit still attract funding. Numerous companies have successfully raised funding rounds, from Seed to Series D over the last two years -deals are getting done. You can explore our comprehensive sector analysis and download a high-resolution version of the graphic at https://lnkd.in/gbqPh2G7 Special thanks to our Partner, Chris Taylor for leading this effort and to Walt Duflock and Western Growers for supporting the project. #agtech Rob Trice #innovation The Mixing Bowl #robotics Better Food Ventures #farming Seana Day #agriculture #Sustainability Jeff Frick #automation

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A great article on the state of food tech investing by PeakBridge. The combination of consumer demand, lower capex strategies and large corporates driving M&A activity make for a great time to be investing in the future of food. #foodtech, #agtech, #venturecapital,

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🚨 🚘 An exciting day here at 8090 Industries as we ‘roll out’ our latest investment in ENSO - 2023 Earthshot Prize Finalist, to revolutionize a stagnant industry undergoing the largest shift since its inception, with no solution in place, an aging workforce, lacking ingenuity and a business model out of touch with the dynamic needs of its customers - TIRES. World, meet Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, the industrialist pioneering a new dawn for the tire industry. But first, a quick history lesson: __________________________ In 1898, Franklin "Frank" Seiberling, jobless, with a wife and three children, borrowed $3,500 for a down payment from his brother-in-law, to purchase an old strawboard factory in Ohio, to open a rubber company. A science and history nut, he named it after Charles Goodyear, the pioneer of vulcanization, the main method of how rubber was produced. Over the next decade, they brought mechanization and technology to the cumbersome and time-consuming process of hand building tires — enabling one man to produce 60 tires in ten hours as opposed to five tires built by hand in a day. His Seiberling State machine revolutionized tire building and led to an explosion in tire production output. By 1907 - it caught the attention of Henry Ford who purchased 1,200 sets of tires for the Model T. And as they say, the rest is history. By 1913 - Over half the tires made in the U.S. were manufactured on Seiberling’s machines. By 1916 - The The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company became the largest tire producer in the world. _____________________ Today much has changed. @Goodyear is no longer the largest tire producer and tire manufacturers no longer own the direct relationship to fleets. That capitalistic, swashbuckling energy and entrepreneurial spirit that built Goodyear and pioneered the tire industry is in short supply, just when it needs it most as a global transition towards EVs compels the greatest growth opportunity for the tire industry in over a century. Led by Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, Enso produces tires perfectly fit for a world increasing run on EVs - that are tailored to endure the heavy weight and torque, last longer, cheaper and increase range by more than 10% today while bringing circularity to the supply chain and data through owning the direct relationship with fleets.  Don’t just take our word for it, some of the largest fleets in the world from Amazon to city cab fleets in Europe are already running on Enso tires and this is just the beginning. 👀 Stay tuned. Much to come! cc Kerem Ozmen Wes Mendenhall Filip Vurdelja Haluk Sabanci Dincer Grant Brown Ishan Meswani Garuth A. Andrew Irwin #climatetech #decarbonization

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I've participated in 100+ conversations with venture fund LPs this year. The most frequently discussed topics include: Team dynamics Sourcing differentiation Decision-making and selection process Portfolio support Sector thesis Track record Model and deployment strategy Network Long-term vision Timing (why now) References Fund infrastructure and reporting

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