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Fresh investments, M&A, algae innovation, and more

Fresh investments, M&A, algae innovation, and more

This week’s must-read news for Food & Ag leaders in Asia-Pacific

September 05, 2025

This week’s must-read news for Food & Ag leaders in Asia-Pacific highlights three strong signals we've been following:

Algae innovation is booming, with Algenie joining Arborea as our most recent examples of next-gen photobioreactors pushing algae-based platforms that could replace oil-derived materials at scale across sectors.
Alt protein consolidation is accelerating, confirmed by the acquisition of Daring Foods, and industry insiders tipping some startups in the space may be up for grabs, remnants of the early market hype.
Funding may be down this year, but Prefer, Anmasa, and Singrow show there's still capital for teams focused on fundamentals and market fit.

What else is inside this week:

🧫 Algae platform targets crude oil cost parity
💰 Fresh capital raises in APAC
🌱 India opens stem-cell bank for cultivated meat
🌏 Vietnam & Indonesia set $18B agri trade target
🎥 A vertical farm... inside a supermarket!

And last, but not least - the Further Food & Ag Investment Summit is just 2 months away! If your company is looking to fundraise, to invest or to finance Food & Ag companies, don’t miss the opportunity to access pre-arranged, strategic 1-to-1 meetings to compress months of deal flow into one high-performance day.

Have a great read and hope to see you in Singapore in November!

Renato

💡Featured Stories

Vietnam and Indonesia set $18B trade goal with focus on food security

Bilateral plan includes agri cooperation, halal exports, and supply chain alignment by 2028

Asia News Network | Vietnam | Indonesia | Food Security

Prefer raises $4.2M in oversubscribed round to scale bean-free coffee & cocoa extenders

Startup taps fermentation to stretch supply, cut costs and emissions

Prefer Coffee | Prefer Coffee | Cocoa | Funding

Why the algae industry is thriving again (and what changed)

Innovative photobioreactor slashes costs 50x, unlocking path to $1/kg algae - as cheap as crude oil

From Carbon to Value | Algenie | Algae

India opens animal stem-cell biobank to power cultivated protein R&D

New facility will support cultivated meat and regenerative medicine research through preserved cell lines

Green Queen | Stem-Cell | Biobank | Regenerative

Video: In-store farms grow greens with 0 food miles

Indoor system cuts water use by 99% and harvests crops straight off the supermarket shelf

Climate Insider | Swegreen | Indoor Farming

⏰ Other News

Hyundai backs grain-based leather alternative in new Uncaged collab

Partnership aims to scale bio-based interior materials with lower emissions and no animal inputs

Taiwan’s Sun Fresh to pioneer smart cold chain with prevention agriculture

Company to integrate logistics, crop monitoring, and early risk alerts to cut losses and boost quality

AgroSpectrum Asia | Taiwan | Cold Chain | Logistics | Prevention Agriculture

India’s D2C grocery startup Anmasa raises $1.1M pre-seed round

Startup sells regional staples with full traceability and plans to expand across southern India

The Economic Times | Anmasa | India | Grocery | Funding

Singrow eyes global expansion after new funding round

Singapore startup to scale vertical farming and AI-driven seed breeding beyond Asia

Daring Foods acquired by one of Australia’s largest plant-based meat producers

Deals from Ajinomoto and existing backers signal ongoing appetite for alt protein consolidation

Fooddive | Daring | v2food | Ajinomoto | Alt Protein

Nestlé pilots pruning technique to boost cocoa yields and sustainability

New method nearly doubles yield while improving farmer income and long-term tree health

FoodBev | Nestlé | Cocoa | Sustainability | Yields

Bayer Foundation backs food-systems fund for smallholders in LMIC

New $4.5M facility channels catalytic finance to agri-innovators in emerging marketsa

EFA News | Bayer | Smallholders | Funding

Thai universities help farmers cut carbon and join carbon markets

Pilot supports bio-fertilizers, low-emission rice, and training to link smallholders to carbon finance

Bangkok Post | Thailand | Carbon | Smallholders | Universities

Study shows drones outperform humans in monitoring corn health

U.S. researchers find drones are faster, cheaper, and more accurate for large-scale crop diagnostics

AgDaily | Drones | Corn | Monitoring | US

Flood maps, drought crops, and DIY climate fixes in rural China

Grassroots efforts show how small communities could adapt faster than top-down systems

Eco-Business | China | Climate | Adaptation | Rural

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