SVG Ventures

SVG Ventures is an investment and advisory firm based in Silicon Valley, established in 2010. The firm focuses on early-stage technology companies and engages closely with its portfolio to foster their growth and success. In addition, SVG Ventures manages the Thrive Fund, a venture capital fund located in Los Gatos, California, which targets sectors such as software, agriculture, ag tech, and food tech. Founded in 2013, Thrive operates a series of accelerators aimed at supporting sustainable agri-food companies. The firm offers a range of services, including acceleration, mentorship, validation, and venture-building, leveraging its extensive network of technology leaders to drive innovation and global expansion for its partners and portfolio companies.

John Hartnett

CEO and Founder

Past deals in Organic Food

Lucent Biosciences

Seed Round in 2021
Lucent Biosciences specializes in the development of innovative biofertilizers aimed at enhancing agricultural sustainability. The company offers a unique class of micronutrient fertilizers that promote higher crop yields and nutrient levels while being environmentally friendly. Their products are designed to improve soil health and sequester carbon, contributing to climate-positive farming practices. By utilizing sustainable bioactive crop nutrition, Lucent Biosciences enables farmers to cultivate nutrient-dense crops without polluting groundwater, thereby supporting regenerative agriculture and reducing overall costs per hectare.

Foodlocker

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Foodlocker Limited operates a platform for foodstuff and grocery items in Africa. It offers baby food, baking, biscuit, cereals, condiments, drinks, fish, fruits, kitchen items, meat, oil, pasta, poultry, processed food, provisions, snacks, staples, sweets, tubers, and vegetables. The company is based in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Talam Biotech

Series A in 2020
Talam Biotech specializes in developing and manufacturing innovative products and technologies aimed at identifying functional microbes within a four-month timeframe. The company offers a range of tailored solutions, including bioremediation and biostimulant products, targeting various sectors such as oilfield and gas industries, environmental remediation, and agriculture. Their patented EcoPile technology effectively removes organic pollutants from soils and sediments, while the Constructed Function Microbiome platform utilizes natural microbial consortia to enhance crop yield, improve soil quality, and mitigate heavy metal accumulation in crops. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Carlow, Ireland, Talam Biotech is committed to sustainable agricultural practices, focusing on reducing toxins in crops and pollutants in arable soil to promote safe food production.

Agri Marketplace

Venture Round in 2020
Agri Marketplace is a B2B cloud based platform for real transactions of agricultural products. We have built a complete digital solution with different added value services: marketplace to buy & sell, logistics services, quality inspections, secure payments and legal support. We believe our project is grounded on values of transparency and fair trade, and our business model aims to redistribute the value in whole food supply chain, in order to increase returns to those who assume more risks (e.g. farmers) and reduce the amount paid by the agro-industry buyers. We believe the platform’s model we envision is innovative and disruptive.

Boost Biomes

Convertible Note in 2018
Boost Biomes, Inc. specializes in developing microbial products aimed at enhancing food production and shelf-life in agriculture. The company employs a discovery platform that leverages DNA sequencing, selective enrichment, and advanced informatics to swiftly and cost-effectively identify multi-microbial products with significant commercial applications. This innovative approach enables the identification of multi-microbial products, which are often more effective than traditional single microbe solutions, particularly in managing diseases affecting high-value crops. Founded in 2016 and based in South San Francisco, California, Boost Biomes was previously known as Coax Biosystems, Inc. before rebranding in May 2017.

Talam Biotech

Pre Seed Round in 2017
Talam Biotech specializes in developing and manufacturing innovative products and technologies aimed at identifying functional microbes within a four-month timeframe. The company offers a range of tailored solutions, including bioremediation and biostimulant products, targeting various sectors such as oilfield and gas industries, environmental remediation, and agriculture. Their patented EcoPile technology effectively removes organic pollutants from soils and sediments, while the Constructed Function Microbiome platform utilizes natural microbial consortia to enhance crop yield, improve soil quality, and mitigate heavy metal accumulation in crops. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Carlow, Ireland, Talam Biotech is committed to sustainable agricultural practices, focusing on reducing toxins in crops and pollutants in arable soil to promote safe food production.

3Bar Biologics

Series A in 2017
3Bar Biologics Inc. is a bioscience company located in Columbus, Ohio, focused on enhancing agricultural productivity through innovative solutions. Established in 2013, the company specializes in the development of Bio-YIELD, a microbe inoculant system that utilizes naturally occurring microbes tailored to specific crops and soil conditions. This all-natural product aims to increase crop yields and produce healthier plants by employing beneficial microorganisms. Bio-YIELD was first introduced to farmers in the eastern Corn Belt in 2014 and is supported by over 15 years of research conducted by scientists at The Ohio State University. The firm is committed to expanding its reach to global markets as it gathers further data to support its products, promoting sustainable farming practices that protect farmers' investments in their land and seeds.

Farm Dog

Seed Round in 2017
Farm Dog is focused on providing growers with a pest and disease management toolkit that aims to enhance crop protection while promoting environmental sustainability. The software developed by Farm Dog assists farmers in reducing pesticide usage and protecting their yields. It enables users to save time in scouting fields, share observations, and make informed treatment decisions based on comprehensive agricultural data. The toolkit offers valuable insights into yields and resource inputs, allowing farmers to effectively track pests, diseases, and weeds, as well as manage trap counts and geo-reference findings with photographs. Through these features, Farm Dog contributes to more efficient and sustainable agricultural practices.

California Safe Soil

Venture Round in 2014
California Safe Soil is a fresh food recycler that increases the productivity of farms at a low cost. It provides a unique full-cycle process that will assist their supermarket customers to recycle their organics, improve store hygiene, and reduce costs, in addition to helping their agricultural customers save money, increase crop yield, and reduce nitrate runoff. They are committed to producing a safe, low cost, high volume, and high-quality liquid fertilizer product, Harvest-to-Harvest. As a result, they will greatly improve their air, water, and soil environment, while employing safe, efficient, and effective solutions that meet the needs of their customers.