Have we hit the tipping point for autonomy in ag? With Shane Thomas and Matthew Pryor
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past few years, the conversation about autonomy in agtech has moved from “but, does it wo...
The Business Case for Electrifying Agriculture, with Cherry Grower Mike Casey
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the race to decarbonize agriculture, the spotlight often falls on carbon sequestration, genetics,...
The realities of winding up an agtech app, with Nikki Davey
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when an agtech startup with market pull, a clear mission, and global momentum still doe...
Agtech trends: bundling, unbundling, LLMs and more with Shane Thomas and Matthew Pryor
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
‘Bundling’ is a well-known business strategy, especially in tech, where it’s not only used to ...
Putting cotton farmers at the forefront of the cotton industry, with Marzia Lanfranchi
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The biggest issue facing the cotton industry isn't fast fashion or water consumption. It's that the ...
Will China’s cheaper tractors disrupt ag equipment? With Lachlan Monsbourgh
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the world’s largest agricultural economy, when China makes a move, the world pays attention. Ch...
From agtech adoption problems to high performance farming teams, with Kevin Boyle, EFI
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When the agtech is not working in the field, we can be quick to search for answers in the product it...
Can robotics solve farm labor challenges? with Sophie Thorel and Connie Bowen
20 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ask any farmer what their biggest challenge is right now and most will say ‘labor’. But what if,...
Are agtech startups just digital agribusinesses? Mark Kahn, Omnivore
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The term ‘agtech’ now encompasses so many different types of businesses and innovations, that fr...
How “Food is Medicine” Could Change Food and Farm Economics with Brad McNamara
23 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“Food is Medicine” is extremely popular right now, and a few facts suggest it might be more than...
How Policy Hamstrings AgTech in California with Walt Duflock
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to the production of high-value food crops, California is, without question, a global ...
Is AI the Secret to Next Gen Soil Sampling? with Jack Oslan and Nate Storey
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Finding the right solution often starts with finding many, many wrong solutions. When it comes to so...
Disrupting the AgTech Ecosystem with Ron Adner
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Longtime listeners have heard Sarah and Matthew talk about ideas like “ecosystem disruption” and...
Making Sense of Recent AgTech Acquisitions with Shane Thomas
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Despite a persistent sense of uncertainty in the AgTech market lately, we’re still seeing startups...
How GLP-1 Drugs are Reshaping the Food and Ag Landscape with Mary Shelman
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the last few decades, a lot of products and technologies have promised to disrupt the diets and...
Beyond VC: Redeemable Equity in AgTech with Connie Bowen
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Big news from Tenacious– WE’RE HIRING! Do you share our mission of unlocking impact at scale in ...
Merging AgTech Startups to Multiply Value and Impact with Ron Hannam
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Between COVID-19, Avian Influenza, and African Swine Fever, ordinary consumers are more aware than e...
Paying for Ag R&D When Consumers Won’t with Brooke Sauer of Boolah
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For commercial farming operations, determining whether or not new tools, technology, and practices w...
A Business Model for Novel Ingredients with Jake Berber At Prefer
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For years the food tech space has been rife with companies eager to replace familiar standbys– fro...
Solving for Adoption and Channel in AgTech… So what? with Shane Thomas
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are a few topics in agtech (and in the tech startup world more broadly) that are truly perenni...
From Demo Farms to Adoption with Wine Australia
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When your organization is tasked with the job of getting growers to adopt new technology, there are ...
Killing Weeds Without Poison with Liam Hescock at Azaneo
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Controlling weeds on farms is a sticky, two part challenge. First, you’ve got to identify the weed...
2025 in AgTech… So what? with Shane Thomas
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the new year gets underway, we’ve been thinking about the likely ups and downs ahead for the ag...
How Business Model Innovation Changed AgTech in 2024
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There’s nothing like the end of another year to have us reflecting on the recent successes in the ...
Shortening the Long Game in Livestock Breeding with Gerard Davis from Nbryo
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The history of agriculture is a history of selective breeding. Whether it’s plants or animals, hum...
Rethinking Who Pays in Irrigation AgTech with Jairo Trad
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Despite its importance to both agricultural and environmental outcomes, irrigation has not been a te...
The Two Faces of Global ESG in Ag with Catherine Marriott
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Depending on where you sit, the supremacy of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) action seem...
Fractal Ag Pitch Breakdown with Ben Gordon and Shane Thomas
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Farmland has long been a popular asset among investors for its steady appreciation and resistance to...
Investing in Regenerative Agriculture Supply Chains with Calla Rose Ostrander
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to leveraging capital to fund climate action in agriculture, few ideas get as much pla...
When Kansas Drys up… in 2050 with Dan Northrup
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are many parts of the US that are at risk for severe drought and heat in the next 30 years due...
Unconventional Farmer-led Finance Strategies with Quint Pottinger
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Despite challenging conditions in financial markets the world over, ambitious entrepreneurs find a w...
Ag’s Scifi (and Non-Fiction) Future: Horizon Scanning… so what? with Shane Thomas
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve been thinking (and talking, and writing) a lot lately about the forces that are shaping the ...
Citrus Moves North with Farmer and Orangepreneur Lindy Savelle
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When people talk about the impacts of climate change on agriculture, they usually use the future ten...
How Syngenta is thinking about AI with Feroz Sheikh
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Not too long ago, we co-published a paper on the future of AI called “Yield Maps Killed AgTech Sof...
AgTech News …So What? July 2024 with Shane Thomas
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re breaking down the freshest announcements from the agribusiness, agtech, and broad...
Evaluating Biologicals Businesses with Joel Lipsitch
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For better or worse, the biologicals space is still in the process of repairing a reputation that wa...
Rebooting AgTech Software with AI, with Rhishi Pethe
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We are certainly not alone in our interest in how artificial intelligence will shape agriculture in ...
How green is sustainable aviation fuel? With Cris Handel
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the US works to hammer out requirements for sustainable aviation fuel tax credits, the potential ...
AgTech News …So What? May 2024 with Shane Thomas
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re breaking down the freshest announcements from the agribusiness, agtech, and broad...
The Many Faces of Farm Security with John Hill
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At the intersection of ubiquitous and affordable cameras and internet connections, growing farm size...
Landfill to Farm-fill: Rethinking Waste with Sam Coulton
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The modern fashion industry creates a ton of waste. From the field to the cutting line, to the suppl...
Biosecurity Meets AgTech: Preparing for a hotter sicker world with Sarah Britton
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the world continues to get more crowded and less climatically predictable, the risk of biosecurit...
AgTech News …So What? March 2024 with Shane Thomas
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re breaking down the freshest announcements from the agribusiness, agtech, and globa...
Generics, Biologicals, and the Volatile Farm Inputs Market with Sam Taylor, Rabobank
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The global ag sector has recently passed a turning point, with prices and future outlooks for key co...
Getting into the Weeds: AI, Computer Vision, and the Future of Non-Chemical Weeding
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Weeds are a very expensive problem. According to one 2016 study, if weeds were left to grow unchecke...
How Small Growers Think about AgTech, with Sam Godwin, Washington Apple Grower
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are few areas of the ag sector that are more in need of tech solutions than tree fruits. All a...
AgTech News …So What? January 2024 with Shane Thomas
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, in a new experimental format, we’re breaking down the freshest announcements from leade...
AgTech 2023… So What? A Wrap-up
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Somehow it’s December again, and another year has come and nearly gone. We've spent a lot of time ...
Reflecting on Nowadays, a Tenacious Portfolio Company Wind Down
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hearing the stats about startup failure rates (70 - 90%), and how one - only one- investment drives ...
How Can Agtech Startups and Corporates Do More Together?
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There's a persistent myth in the startup space, and in agtech especially, that the most important wa...
What do LPs Look for In AgTech Funds?
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
2023 has been a year of both investing and fundraising for us here at Tenacious Ventures. And sittin...
How Outside Forces are Shaping the Food System with Ian Proudfoot, KPMG
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We've spent a lot of time this year talking about the future of specific sub-spaces of the food syst...
Methane and the Climate Commitments that Matter Most Today
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As 2030 looms and the climate commitments made in the last decade come into clear (and often disappo...
Bringing Systems Thinking to the Global Fertilizer Industry with Alzbeta Klein
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Without a doubt, the global fertilizer sector sits at the center of a complex web of international i...
Marc Arnusch on how farmers are using ChatGPT
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have been making waves across the global economy, but it’s not al...
Cultivating Agility at a Multi-Generational Food Company with Standard Meat
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Innovation in the protein space has most recently seen a lot of hype around “alternative” protei...
“Who’s investing in agribusiness?” from EvokeAg 2023
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A few months ago, Matthew got the chance to represent Tenacious on a panel at the Evoke Ag Conferenc...
Is Vertical Farming Dead? With Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin from Phyllome
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years, the vertical farming startup space has been characterized by ecstatic highs and dis...
Electrifying the Farm with David Meyers of GridTractor
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the surface, the opportunity to transition on-farm energy to electricity seems limited at best. F...
Transforming the Future of Australian Ag Retail with Rob Dawes
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When we think about the effects of climate change on the ag sector, we tend to focus on the impacts ...
Race to Define the Future of Ag Retail with Shane Thomas of Upstream Ag Insights
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the ag business sector, the retail channel is sacred. Ag retailers are home to the people who act...
On-Farm Food Loss and Beyond with Sarah Hulick and Olympia Yarger
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the final installment in our three-part food waste series, we’re climbing all the way up to th...
How to Create Incentives for Circularity in Food System Waste
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We’re digging back into waste in the food system this week, but to narrow the focus, we’re zoomi...
Challenges with Investing in Food Waste Tech with Closed Loop Partners and Olympia Yarger of Goterra
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Waste in the food system is an incredibly big challenge. Whether the aim is to reduce food loss, to ...
Collaborating at the Intersection of Dairy and Alt-Dairy, with Michael Hampson from Norco Cooperative
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There’s a common misconception in the alternative protein space that continues to hold back innova...
How to Invest in Deep Tech in Agri-food, Tenaciously
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Deep tech– or the world of technology companies beyond those that make software– is often seen a...
Unlocking Phosphorus for the Future of Fertility with Hunter Swisher of Phospholutions
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to phosphorus-- the second most prominent fertilizer component– a big problem today ...
Can Molecular Farming Replace Cows with Crops? with Amos Palfreyman of Miruku
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The question of how to make commodity crops more valuable is a perennial one in agriculture, and ove...
Transforming Animal Waste into Renewable Fertilizer with Jordan Phasey from Phinite
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When people in ag think about fertilizer, nitrogen -- or N -- is usually the first thing that comes ...
Future of Fertilizer... So What? with Tim Hammerich from Future of Agrculture
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Global geopolitical disruptions first put fertilizer center stage as farmers around the world strugg...
AgTech Headlines… So What? - Mineral Launch, Planet Labs Insurance, Deere Right-to-Repair
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Breaking news in the agtech world abounds here at the beginning of 2023, and as we've tracked the la...
Building a Food Business Ecosystem from the Farm Up, with Michael Bosworth of Next Generation Foods
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Agtech has long had an interest in shortening the supply chain between farms and consumers. And yet ...
2022: The Year of Risk at AgTech… So What?
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
2022 was a wild year– both in the world of agtech broadly, and for us here at Tenacious Ventures. ...
Shifting from Climate Measurement to Risk Mitigation, with Cullen Gunn from Kilter Rural
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There is a lot of momentum in agtech right now around investing at the intersection of ag and climat...
Why is autonomy in ag so hard? With Ray Russell and Connie Bowen
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve talked and thought a lot about autonomy this year, and despite what we think are some promis...
From Buyer Beware to Seller Beware in Agtech
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve been thinking a lot recently about how much the world of agtech has changed over the last tw...
The Future of Fertilizer - Nitrogen: Part 2, with Jupiter Ionics and Kula Bio
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're tackling part two of our future of Nitrogen fertilizer discussion, focusing on the realm...
The Future of Fertilizer - Nitrogen, with Jupiter Ionics and Kula Bio
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first episode in our series on the future of fertilizer, starting with Nitrogen - the N ...
On-Farm Climate Risks and the Future of Ag Finance with Clay Govier
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For a year that has already seen so much downside for US farmers in the form of extreme weather - fr...
Legacy Finance Eyes Agtech, with Wells Fargo
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While early-stage agtech tends to play in the venture world, it pays to check in with how folks sitt...
Systems Thinking and the Legacy of Big Food, with Dr Nigel Hughes, Kellogg
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The decisions by major food companies impact consumers, farmers, and the environment at every stage ...
Changing the Risk Profile of Agriculture: a farmer's perspective on parametric insurance
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We recently launched a three-episode deep dive into the future of risk and insurance in agriculture....
What Commodity Agriculture Can Learn from Organic Farming, with Amy Bruch, Cyclone Farms
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While the term “organic” tends to be associated with small-scale production and a preference fo...
Defining the Future of Ag Advocacy, with Emma Germano, Victorian Farmers Federation
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Agriculture is exposed to a complex tangle of laws, trade agreements, and competing visions of the f...
Bonus Ep: Audience Responses to "The Three Fears of Farm Data"
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Back in May, we published an experimental bonus episode called “The Three Fears of Farm Data”. T...
The Three Categories of Autonomy in Agriculture, with Andrew Bate, SwarmFarm Robotics
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Autonomous farming equipment and robotics in ag is more crowded than ever. Every new acquisition fro...
The Incentives, Barriers, and Willingness to Pay for Carbon Programs in Agriculture, with Emma Fuller, Corteva Agriscience
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to designing carbon programs in agriculture, there is a very real tension between the ...
Ag Insurance...So What?
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're bringing you the final episode in our three-part series on the future of ag insuranc...
The Future of Insurance in Agriculture, with Damon Johnson, Global Ag Risk Solutions
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For a traditionally low innovation industry, things are starting to heat up in agricultural insuranc...
Bonus Ep: Ag Insurance 101
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change will mean more frequent, extreme weather and more risk exposure for farmers around th...
From the Vault: Mark Wootton on Carbon-Neutral Farming at Jigsaw Farms
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Recently the whole team here at Tenacious Ventures had the chance to get out of town and on to the f...
Making Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty, with Hallie Shoffner
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It isn’t surprising that most farmers have to be expert planners and investors. But getting an ins...
Bonus Ep: The Three Fears of Farm Data
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our latest bonus podcast episode is an experiment.Rather than organize the contributions that usuall...
Services and Software for On-Farm Autonomy, with Iftach Birger of FieldIn
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are many different views about the future of autonomous farming. One is that, out of the emerg...
Navigating Economic Development and the Social Fabric of Agriculture, with Elizabeth Brennan, Wide Open Agriculture
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every decision made by founders, farmers, and leaders in agriculture shapes the future of our food s...
Unscrambling Go-to-Market and Brand in Alternative Protein, with Tanja Bogumil, Perfeggt
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s talk about eggs.Hardly anything can match the egg for complete versatility. Eggs are a cruci...
Bonus Ep: The State of Fundraising in Agtech
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Life is moving pretty fast for founders and investors working in agtech.Recent years have seen recor...
Investing Beyond the Farmgate with Ben Barlow, New Edge Microbials
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Biologicals in agriculture have a wildly exciting future. It’s a segment responding to innovation ...
Meeting in the Middle on Sustainable Supply Chains - Jessie Deelo, Vayda
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sustainability in food and agriculture has come a long way. Far from being “the dirty word” it u...
The Authenticity Premium in AgTech Marketing with Camille Grade from Bushel and Travis Martin from Magnetic Ag
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
AgTech companies make promises to investors to grow fast and be quick to iterate or change direction...