Asian investment platform Further will host a new summit in Singapore to unlock capital in the region’s agrifood tech sector, in partnership with VC firm AgFunder.
Asia-Pacific produces half of the world’s food, but only attracts a quarter of global agrifood investment, creating a funding gap that plagues the sector’s growth amid climate challenges.
To bridge that gap, early- and growth-stage companies, investors, and corporate stakeholders will convene at a new summit at the Guoco Midtown Network Hub in Singapore next month (November 3).
The event, set to be a curtain-raiser to the Singapore International Agri Week, is being launched by Further, a Singaporean platform accelerating investment into agrifood tech, in partnership with VC firm AgFunder.
“Across Asia, a wave of dynamic entrepreneurs are driving bold solutions for food and climate. The Further Summit is built for them,” said Further co-founder Jennifer Yuen.
Agrifood summit to focus on three investment verticals
According to research published by AgFunder last November, agrifood tech funding in Asia-Pacific recovered from two underperforming years in 2024, having raised $4.2B until the end of October, a 38% increase over 2023. In contrast, global investments in the sector fell by 4% in the same period.
However, as the firm’s updated report showed earlier this year, much of Asia-Pacific’s funding wins can be attributed to one country: India. Agrifood tech startups in the world’s most populous country alone secured $2.5B in 2024, a fourfold rise from the year before.
In stark contrast, funding in all other markets in Asia-Pacific suffered a decline. Deal totals fell by 40% to $1.2B in East Asia, by 23% to $361M in Southeast Asia, and by 30% to $190M in Australia and New Zealand.
The production-funding gap poses a challenge to what Further calls a “multi-trillion-dollar business opportunity” to build climate-resilient, tech-forward, and scalable food systems in Asia-Pacific.
This is what propelled the firm to launch the Further Food & Ag Investment Summit. Here, it will focus on three investment frontiers. The first reckons with using AI to build faster, smarter and more resilient systems, and digitalisation to drive productivity and growth in the agrifood value chain.
The second centres on regenerative farming, sustainable aquaculture, and nature-positive approaches that restore soil, ocean, and ecosystem health. And the final frontier spotlights next-gen proteins and bio-based ingredients, including plant-based, precision-fermented, and cell-cultured foods.
‘Capital and collaboration’ crucial for Asia-Pacific’s food system shift
The Further Food & Ag Investment Summit will bring together more than 100 investors, corporate leaders, and companies in a curated, invite-only format to unlock capital and customers and drive solutions to the region’s agrifood challenges.
It will feature pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings to accelerate partnerships, interactive panels on the funding landscape and the three frontiers, and various networking opportunities.
“We’re passionate about building a community where founders can connect directly with investors and partners to turn ambition into traction, driving real change in how we feed and sustain the planet,” said Yuen.
Aside from AgFunder, some of the investors and corporations participating in the summit include Clay Capital, Better Bite Ventures, ING, Mirova, The Radical Fund, Terratai and Toyo Seikan. Meanwhile, Living Roots, Zentide, Eclipse Ingredients, OlsAro, Yindii, and Teraxxy are among the startups confirmed to attend.
“Transforming our food system requires both capital and collaboration, none more so than in Asia-Pacific,” said John Friedman, Asia director at AgFunder. “That’s why AgFunder has partnered with the Further Summit to spotlight leading innovators and work with investors to build a stronger capital stack for the region and sector as a whole.”
He added: “We believe this kind of collaborative platform is essential to scaling solutions that will redefine the future of Asia’s agrifood industry.”
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