Investment Approach

Privately-owned agrifood companies

With the potential to transform the African agrifood sector

Innovative technology

Dynamic entrepreneurs

Investment Criteria

Our criteria is centred around entrepreneurial innovation and therefore we aim to invest in agrifood companies with the following characteristics:

Customer needs that are well understood and satisfied.

Revenue generating.

Large total addressable market with attractive growth prospects.

Scalable, capital light business model with a moat or moat potential.

Innovative and unique technology that is scalable.

Dynamic entrepreneur(s) with relevant agrifood experience.

Targeted Agrifood Technologies

Online marketplaces

Software

Data science

Artificial intelligence

Agricultural biotechnology

Irrigation technology

Machinary, robotics & drones

Connectivity tech (IoT)

Innovative food technology

Sustainable packaging

Geographic Focus

AgVentures invests in South Africa, Kenya and Israel and actively assists investee companies to expand across Africa.

South Africa

  • Ranked most innovative country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Continental leader in agrifood technologies focused on commercial producers.
  • Gateway into Southern Africa.

Kenya

  • Ranked 2nd most innovative country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Continental leader in agrifood technologies focused on small-scale producers.
  • Gateway into East Africa.
  • Leader in the use of agritech in Africa.

Israel

  • Ranked 10th most innovative country globally.
  • Global leader in agrifood technology.
  • Stable investment environment.

South Africa

  • Ranked most innovative country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Continental leader in agrifood technologies focused on commercial
    producers.
  • Gateway into Southern Africa.

Kenya

  • Ranked 2nd most innovative country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Continental leader in agrifood technologies focused on small-scale
    producers.
  • Gateway into East Africa.
  • Leader in the use of agritech in Africa.

Israel

  • Ranked 10th most innovative country globally.
  • Global leader in agrifood technology.
  • Stable investment environment.

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Biological products: From sidestream to mainstream

Biological product use is increasing drastically, but many unfounded misconceptions still exist regarding this technology. Ask ten farmers or consultants to define conservation-, regenerative-, sustainable- or organic farming,  and you will probably get ten...

Jellyfish eggs with Crispr

The benefits of Crispr technology for agriculture is infinite – from virus-resistant banana cultivars and caffeine-free coffee to drought-resistant maize, and even gluten-free wheat. However, the large-scale adoption of the technology is hampered by regulatory...

AgVentures invests in African software champion

AgVentures, Africa’s leading, dedicated agrifood tech investor, announced an investment in Matrix Software.  Matrix Software is the leading specialist software provider to the meat industry in Southern Africa, with more than 150 clients spanning from abattoirs,...

Bitcoin for farmers – Part III

In the previous two instalments of this series of posts, we looked at the basic principles of blockchain technology, why the large scale adoption and application of it has not realised thus far, and how Hedera Hashgraph can overcome these barriers. The application...

Bitcoin for farmers – Part II

The basic principles of bitcoin and blockchain technology were set out in my previous post. The possible applications of the technology, as well as why it has not yet materialised, are discussed in this post. Blockchain technology at its most basic level makes it...

Bitcoin for farmers – Part I

Bitcoin is currently a point of discussion around many braais. With a price of more than R700 000 per coin and an increase of 380% in value over the past twelve months, this is understandably so. This three-part series takes a deep dive into Bitcoin and distributed...

AgVentures Invests in Online Farmer Marketplace

AgVentures, Africa’s pioneering agrifood tech investor, recently acquired a stake in Skudu.  Consumers are spoiled for choice with online marketplaces but the same cannot be said for the buyers and sellers of agricultural inputs and produce. This market is ripe for...

Jan Greyling joins AgVentures

Jan Greyling is joining AgVentures as analyst in January 2021. Jan holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Stellenbosch University and has published several academic papers and book chapters in agricultural development, policy, and technology. Jan worked as...

The future of fruit yield estimation

For years, the fruit industry have had to rely on conducting crop yield estimations through physical counting and extrapolating it to the entire crop. This method of yield estimation achieves inconsistent results. The ability to accurately estimate crop yields...

AgVentures is hiring!

AgVentures is hiring an analyst to assist us in unlocking Africa's agrifood potential by investing in and nurturing innovative and disruptive technologies.

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