The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) leads initiatives in food, agriculture, natural resources, and rural development. It aims to expand markets for agricultural products globally, foster alternative markets domestically, improve rural infrastructure, enhance food safety, promote nutrition education, and manage public lands collaboratively.

Founded in 1995, SOSV is a global venture capital firm headquartered in New Jersey. It focuses on seed-to-growth stage investments in deep tech innovations, primarily in bio-tech/life sciences and hardware/robotics sectors, with a commitment to human and planetary health.

MassChallenge is a global startup accelerator supporting early-stage entrepreneurs across various industries. Founded in 2009, it provides mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities through its programs worldwide.

Founded in New York in 2010 by Craig Shapiro, Collaborative Fund is an investment firm focused on creative fields within technology and media. It invests based on the growth of the creative class and collaborative consumption.

Taylor Farms is a leading provider of fresh-cut packaged produce, specializing in high-quality salads and vegetables. The company partners with over 100 family growers across the United States, many of whom have cultivated the land in the Salinas Valley since the early 1920s. Committed to sustainability, these growers employ environmentally friendly farming practices to ensure the preservation of their land for future generations. Taylor Farms offers a diverse range of products, including chopped salad kits, classic and organic bag salads, power greens, and vegetable snack trays, all designed to provide customers with healthy and nutrient-rich options.

Founded in 2013, AgFunder is a venture capital firm based in San Francisco, California. It invests globally in agritech and food tech startups that are solving problems in the food system through automation, digitization of supply chain, food waste reduction, alternative proteins, and nutrition. The firm manages multiple funds and has invested in over 50 companies, aiming to deliver meaningful environmental and social impact across the food system.

Established in 2024 and headquartered in Gandhinagar, India, Next Bharat Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage Indian startups. It operates as the corporate venture capital arm of Suzuki Motor.

Advantage Capital Partners is a United States‑based venture capital firm that provides growth equity, debt, and mezzanine financing to small and mid‑market companies, with a focus on underserved communities and state and local economic development. The firm invests across sectors including manufacturing, technology, business services, life sciences, and energy, and also supports real estate development projects with equity and debt. It typically makes initial investments ranging roughly from half a million to ten million in companies with modest sales, and may participate in larger follow‑on rounds or co‑invest with other firms. It uses senior debt, mezzanine debt, subordinated loans, and government‑guaranteed lending, and often pursues equity positions through preferred shares or convertible notes. Advantage Capital operates nationwide in the United States, with roots in New Orleans and offices in multiple states, and has backed thousands of jobs and housing projects as part of its mission to expand inclusive economic growth.

S2G Ventures is a Chicago-based, multi-stage investment firm focused on fostering innovation across food and agriculture, oceans, and energy. Founded in 2014, it targets late-stage venture and growth investments and maintains a portfolio spanning seed, venture, and growth rounds. The firm backs entrepreneurs delivering market-driven solutions that transform food systems and related sectors, including ingredients, infrastructure and logistics, food safety technology, retail and consumer brands, as well as opportunities in ocean and energy domains. Its objective is to catalyze healthier, sustainable, and locally sourced food systems through investments that cover agricultural products, logistics, and consumer offerings.

InvestEco Capital is a Toronto-based private equity and venture capital firm founded in 2002 that targets investments in the food and agriculture sector across North America. While the firm historically backed companies in sustainability-focused areas such as renewable energy, water technologies, resource productivity and efficient transportation, its current emphasis centers on health and sustainability within food and agriculture. The firm seeks to fund leading food and agriculture brands across North America, leveraging expertise in the sector to support growth and sustainable practices.

Gather Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm based in New York that concentrates on the plant-based food ecosystem. It pursues a selective, hands-on approach, providing relatively large checks to a small number of early-stage plant-based companies each year. The firm seeks ventures that expand healthy plant-based food consumption and aims to support growth and innovation in the plant-based products and services sector through targeted guidance and operational assistance.

GGV Capital is a global venture capital firm that invests in technology companies across various stages and sectors. Established in 2000, the firm has offices in Silicon Valley, Singapore, and Beijing, providing expansion capital ranging from $5 to $25 million for initial investments. GGV Capital focuses on companies operating in the U.S., China, India, Southeast Asia, Japan, Australia, Europe, and Israel.

BEENEXT is a Singapore-based venture capital firm that backs early-stage technology startups with global reach. Founded in 2015, it leverages its network and operational experience to help founders scale, investing primarily in seed and Series A rounds across the United States, Southeast Asia, Japan, and India. The firm focuses on information technology, software-as-a-service, fintech, artificial intelligence, and other tech-enabled sectors, supporting companies at the intersection of digital platforms and data networks. Its aim is to build a global founder-led platform by connecting entrepreneurs across regions and providing capital and strategic guidance to accelerate growth.

Incofin Investment Management is an Antwerp-based impact investment firm focused on financial inclusion in developing countries. The company supports rural and agricultural sectors by investing in microfinance institutions and related financial services through debt, equity and guarantees, often taking minority positions and participating on MFIs' boards to guide growth. It also funds microfinance-focused investment funds and private equity vehicles, aiming to reach the rural poor, smallholder farmers, and other actors along agricultural value chains. The firm operates globally, with activity in Africa, Asia, Latin America and beyond, and emphasizes sustainable returns alongside social impact.

FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, is a financial institution based in The Hague, Netherlands, founded in 1970 through a collaboration between the Dutch government and various financial entities. It focuses on supporting the private sector in developing countries and emerging markets across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Central and Eastern Europe. FMO provides a diverse range of financial products, including long-term project financing, private equity, loans, guarantees, and mezzanine financing. Its investment portfolio is primarily allocated to financial institutions, energy, agribusiness, food and water, and private equity. By offering capital, expertise, and networks, FMO aims to foster sustainable economic development and empower local businesses and projects.

Founded in 2019, Big Idea Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments in alternative protein companies. It focuses on plant-based food products and ingredients, as well as cell-based meats. The firm invests primarily in Asia and North America.

Rockstart is an early-stage accelerator and impact investor based in Amsterdam with international reach, founded in 2011. It supports purpose-driven founders building in energy, health, agrifood, and emerging technologies by providing capital, hands-on mentorship, and access to a global network of co-investors, mentors, partners, and corporates. The firm operates across Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Bogota, and maintains a team of professionals who help startups scale, connect to markets, and navigate funding rounds. Rockstart has backed more than 350 startups, with a focus on generating positive social or environmental impact while achieving growth.

Mucci Farms is a greenhouse vegetable grower based in Kingsville, Canada. Founded in 1963, the company operates as a second-generation family grower that grows, packs, and markets a range of greenhouse vegetables. Its product line includes tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, and mushrooms, all produced in hydroponic greenhouses where soil is replaced with a growing medium to deliver nutrients. The business emphasizes sustainable agricultural practices and chemical-free, healthy produce offered at a fair price.

DSG Consumer Partners is a venture capital firm based in Singapore that focuses on identifying, investing in, and growing consumer brands in India and Southeast Asia. It primarily takes minority equity stakes in unlisted companies but may pursue control deals with the right management. The firm provides growth capital and liquidity to founders and shareholders, including secondary transactions, and pursues a long-term investment approach. The founders have backed leading consumer brands since 2004, such as Sula Wines, Saffronart, Cleartrip, Redmart, Mocha, and Veeba Food Services.

Founded in 1994, Seacoast Capital is a Danvers-based firm that invests mezzanine and equity capital in small, growing companies led by strong management teams. They focus on high-quality U.S. businesses in sectors such as manufacturing, distribution, business services, consumer-oriented industries, and industrial technologies. Target companies typically have revenues exceeding $10 million and EBITDA above $2 million. Seacoast Capital partners with managers who have proven track records and significant equity stakes.

Founded in 1999, Enhanced Capital Partners is a New York-based investment firm managing over $400 million. It specializes in equity and debt investments for small to mid-sized companies across various sectors, with a focus on healthcare technology systems and TMT industries.

Melitas Ventures is a New York-based venture capital firm, founded in 2017, that invests in early-stage food and beverage companies across the value chain, with a focus on better-for-you products.

The EIC Accelerator is a Horizon Europe funding program that provides assistance to start-ups and SMEs that have an innovative, game-changing product, service, or business model that has the potential to create new markets or disrupt existing ones, and have the ambition and commitment to scale up, are seeking substantial funding, but the risks involved are too high for private investors to invest alone

Established in Singapore in 1974, Temasek Holdings is a lender that specializes in debt financing. It focuses on driving economic transformation by increasing middle-income populations, developing comparative advantages, and fostering emerging champions across various industries such as financial services, transportation, industrial, consumer goods, real estate, telecommunications, media, technology, and life sciences.

ProVeg Incubator is a global leader in supporting plant-based and cultured food startups. It offers bi-annual programs, accepting around 10-13 startups per cohort, fostering innovation in sustainable food systems.

Established in 2019, IAN Fund is a venture capital firm based in New Delhi, India. It focuses on seed and early-stage investments across various sectors such as healthcare, software, fintech, big data, artificial intelligence, hardware, and more. The fund aims to provide not only financial backing but also mentoring, strategic inputs, and access to extensive networks.

Brand Capital is a Mumbai-based private equity investment firm and brand-building partner focused on creating and scaling indigenous brands. Over more than a decade it has helped build over 850 indigenous brands, reflecting its role in formulating brand strategy and media plans that optimize value. The firm emphasizes intellectual capital as a core asset, augmenting traditional investments with innovative advertising concepts and a media-driven approach across multiple channels, including print and digital properties linked to The Times Group. Brand Capital has investments across a wide range of sectors such as Retail, FMCG, Consumer Durables, Realty, Digital and Mobile, E-Retail, Health & Wellness, Financial Services, and Consumer Services and related assets. It began in 2005 and pursues opportunities that build brand value beyond conventional private equity, leveraging media assets to accelerate growth and enterprise value for portfolio brands.

Conagra Brands is a packaged foods company that develops, manufactures, and markets a broad portfolio of frozen meals, snacks, and shelf-stable groceries in the United States. Its frozen offerings include brands such as Marie Callender’s, Healthy Choice, Banquet, and Birds Eye, while it also sells snacks and refrigerated or shelf-stable items through brands like Duncan Hines, Hunt’s, Slim Jim, Vlasic, Orville Redenbacher’s, Reddi-wip, Wish-Bone, and Chef Boyardee. The company primarily serves the U.S. retail channel, with limited exposure to international markets and foodservice. Conagra emphasizes a diversified mix across meals, snacks, and pantry staples, built on well-known consumer brands and broad nationwide distribution. The business model centers on large-scale production, extensive retail partnerships, and a focus on accessible, convenient products for households and food retailers.

Wheatsheaf Group operates in the food and agriculture sectors, focusing on developing and investing in businesses that address the challenges posed by changing global food consumption patterns and increasing population demands. With the world's population projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, global agricultural production must rise by approximately 70% to meet this demand. Wheatsheaf Group recognizes the need for a holistic approach to enhance yields, improve soil and nutrient efficiency, and minimize waste throughout the food production cycle. Employing over 2,500 people across 34 countries, the group leverages innovative technologies to provide sustainable, efficient solutions for producing healthy and nutritious food. Their objectives include delivering lasting commercial and social benefits through rigorous financial discipline and a commitment to making a positive impact on society, particularly in addressing the critical challenge of food provision in a way that promotes health and well-being while respecting natural resources.

Nomad Foods is a packaged foods company that manufactures, markets, and distributes branded frozen foods in Western Europe. It sells to supermarkets and food retailers under brands such as Birds Eye, Iglo, Findus, Aunt Bessie's, and Goodfella's. The product range includes fish, vegetables, poultry, and ready meals, as well as soups, pizzas, and bakery items. The company serves major markets across the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Sweden, France, Norway, Austria, Spain, and other parts of Europe. Headquartered in Feltham, United Kingdom, Nomad Foods operates with a focus on its Frozen segment, delivering convenient, high-quality frozen foods through large retailers.

The Shoko Chukin Bank is a commercial bank based in Tokyo, Japan, established in 1936. It specializes in offering banking services primarily to small and medium enterprises, catering to their financial needs and contributing to their growth. In addition to its focus on business banking, the bank also provides personal banking services to individual customers. Through its commitment to supporting local businesses, Shoko Chukin Bank plays a crucial role in the Japanese financial landscape.

Google for Startups is an initiative supporting global startups. It offers access to Google's products, connections, and best practices through a network of partners in over 135 countries. The program aims to help determined startups succeed.

AccelFoods is a New York-based company founded in 2013 that focuses on partnering with high-growth early-stage food and beverage companies. It provides driven founders with access to industry expertise and infrastructure necessary to develop unique products and effective go-to-market strategies. By connecting emerging companies with valuable resources, AccelFoods aims to foster the creation of the next generation of enduring brands within the food and beverage ecosystem.

Founded in 2017, Alteria Capital is a Mumbai-based independent firm that provides venture debt to early and growth-stage consumer technology companies across India. These companies typically have significant backing from venture capital firms.

Founded in 1886, Fresh Del Monte Produce is a global company that produces, markets, and distributes fresh fruits and vegetables. Its extensive product range includes pineapples, melons, grapes, apples, citrus, berries, tomatoes, avocados, and other produce, sold under the DEL MONTE brand among others. The company serves retail stores, club stores, wholesalers, distributors, and foodservice operators worldwide.

Five Seasons Ventures, established in 2016, is a Paris-based venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology companies operating in the food and agriculture sectors. The firm focuses on Europe, with a particular interest in Italy and France, and considers investments outside the region. It typically allocates between €2 million to €10 million per investment, taking significant minority stakes and board seats, often as part of a syndicate. Five Seasons Ventures supports innovative companies that cater to evolving consumer preferences, such as healthier food, convenience, cleaner labels, and sustainability, by providing capital, technology expertise, industry connections, and operational support.

Sequoia Capital Israel is a venture capital firm that backs startups and growth companies across seed to late-stage rounds, with a focus on Israel. It invests across sectors including fintech, financial services, internet, mobile, technology, and healthcare, spanning banking, payments, advertising, ecommerce, data, security, software, and related enabling tech. Typical commitments range from 100,000 to 1 million in seed, 1 to 10 million in early venture, and 10 to 100 million in growth rounds. The firm is based in Tel Aviv and operates as part of Sequoia Capital's global network.

Founded in 2014, Aliment Capital is a growth capital investor based in Santa Monica, California. It invests globally in innovative businesses that enhance agricultural productivity, nutrition, health, sustainability, and supply chain efficiency within the food and agriculture technology sectors.

Founded in 2015, FJ Labs is a New York-based venture capital firm focusing on stage-agnostic investments in marketplaces and consumer-facing startups. Their investment range varies from $50,000 to $5,000,000, typically at seed or series A stages.

La Belle Vie is an online grocery store based in Paris, France, specializing in the delivery of a wide range of supermarket goods directly to consumers' doorsteps within a few hours. The company offers a diverse selection of products, including fresh, organic, and artisan items, as well as basic groceries such as meat, fish, and vegetables. By developing its tools in-house, including an enterprise resource planning system, a warehouse management service, and a delivery management service, La Belle Vie ensures efficient operations and reliable service. This approach enables customers to conveniently access their daily grocery needs at an affordable cost.

Fyffes plc is a global distributor of tropical produce, primarily focusing on bananas, pineapples, and melons. The company operates across Europe, the United States, and Central and South America, engaging in various activities including production, procurement, shipping, ripening, distribution, and marketing. Fyffes is committed to corporate responsibility, which is a fundamental aspect of its brand identity. Through its extensive supply chain, Fyffes aims to serve customers worldwide with high-quality tropical fruits.

Santander UK provides a range of banking products and services to personal, business, and corporate customers in the United Kingdom. It operates through Retail Banking, Corporate & Commercial Banking, and Corporate & Investment Banking segments, offering current accounts, savings bonds, mortgages, loans, credit cards, insurance, investments, treasury market services, trade finance, and asset finance. The company serves customers through branches, ATMs, telephony, digital channels, and intermediaries.

Export Development Canada is a government-owned export credit agency that supports Canadian companies in expanding internationally. Founded in 1944 and based in Ottawa, it provides financial solutions, insurance, trade knowledge, and connections to help exporters and their international buyers grow with confidence. The organization offers trade financing, export credit insurance, bond products, and secured loans to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as equity and venture capital investments. By offering these capabilities, EDC helps Canadian firms of all sizes pursue global opportunities and manage risks in cross-border trade.

The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency in the United States that funds and supports research and education in science and engineering. It funds fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering and administers non-dilutive funding programs to aid early‑stage technology development, helping translate discoveries into commercially viable products and services. Through grants and fellowships, the NSF supports researchers, educators, and startups, contributing to innovation and U.S. competitiveness. The agency operates with a substantial budget to advance science, engineering, and STEM education nationwide.

Khosla Ventures is a California-based venture capital firm founded in 2004 by Vinod Khosla. It provides capital and strategic guidance to startups across stages, focusing on technology-driven companies in areas such as artificial intelligence, climate and sustainability, enterprise software and services, fintech, digital health, medical technology and diagnostics, therapeutics, consumer products, and frontier technologies. The firm backs bold ventures with the potential to disrupt markets and improve lives, supporting companies from early to growth stages and working closely with entrepreneurs to apply science, technology and innovative business models. While primarily investing in North American technology companies, Khosla Ventures pursues opportunities globally and emphasizes experimentation and impact alongside financial returns. The firm also maintains related impact initiatives that support entrepreneurs addressing socio-economic challenges in emerging markets.

Founded in 2010, Omnivore is a venture capital firm based in Mumbai, India, that invests in entrepreneurs building solutions for the agriculture and food sector. It backs early-stage ventures across areas such as farmer platforms, precision agriculture, and agri-biotech, with a focus on improving productivity and sustainability in farming and food supply chains.

Jüsto operates an online supermarket platform that enables doorstep delivery of groceries and related goods. The service offers a wide range of products, including fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy, beauty items, and household supplies, with a focus on convenient access to fresh, healthy options at affordable prices.

CDH Investments is an international alternative asset fund manager based in Hong Kong, China, with over $27 billion in assets under management. Founded in 2002 by the former private equity group of China International Capital Corporation, the firm has developed into a diversified platform that encompasses private equity, venture capital, growth capital, real assets, mezzanine financing, public equities, and wealth management. CDH Investments focuses on investing in various sectors, including consumer goods, hard technology, new energy, and healthcare. The firm is managed by a seasoned team of private equity professionals who have extensive experience in the Chinese market, enabling CDH to consistently deliver superior returns relative to its industry peers.

The Fresh Factory specializes in plant-based and clean-label food products, focusing on fresh produce and recognizable ingredients. It offers services to scale production, enhance food safety, optimize supply chain costs, and manage packaging.

Sun-Maid has served consumers and customers since 1912 by providing premium quality raisins and dried fruits from the raisin and fruit farms of California to homes and eating establishments around the world. As a cooperative, Sun-Maid Growers of California is owned by family farmers who grow raisin grapes all located within 100 miles of each other in the Great Central Valley of California, midway between Los Angeles to the south and San Francisco to the north. This fertile agricultural valley produces some of the best fruits and vegetables in the world, including a wide assortment of grapes, peaches, plums, apples, figs, apricots, blueberries, strawberries, and melons. When appropriate, Sun-Maid reaches beyond this geographical area to source a complete array of dried fruits.