Agtech - So What?

Making underwater forestry scalable and sustainable, with Andrew Morgan of Hydrowood

10 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today's episode is a tangible example of a company in the "natural capital" space. While not traditional agtech, the Hydrowood journey hits familiar t...

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 work?” to “how can I get started?” This is a s...

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, and alternative proteins. But have we overlooked ...

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 doesn’t make it?Nikki Davey is the founder of Grown...

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 increase sales and move slow-selling products, but...

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 people growing cotton have been rendered invisible...

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. China has just unveiled an ambitious plan to acceler...

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 itself. But sometimes, the solution is not there. Th...

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, instead of trying to get more farm workers, we fo...

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 from an investment perspective, it can look overly c...

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 just a trend. The U.S. alone spends something lik...

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 leader. Plus, much of the state’s thousands of a...

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 some of agtech's most beguiling challenges, like rea...

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 “adoption chain risk” and “value architectu...

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 get acquired– even if information about those a...

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 food buying habits of the world’s consumers. Bu...

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 agri-food systems? Check out our open roles here. ...

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 ever of the risks of infectious diseases on animal ...

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 work can be a big undertaking. From install and set...

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– from protein to sweeteners to colorings– with cheap...

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 perennial– problems that must be solved again and again...

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 a few tried, and frankly, not-so-true options to c...

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 weeds, as distinct from the plants you want to grow. T...

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 agtech world. We’ve been searching for insights in...

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 world of agtech, and the many challenges still lef...

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, humans have been choosing desirable traits and making...

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 terribly successful subsection of agtech. We have ou...

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 seems inevitable. Corporates are talking about. Invest...

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 economic downturns. At the same time, farmland is...

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 play as regenerative agriculture. The idea of product...

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 to climate change. But then there’s Kansas, whe...

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 way. There are few sectors where that is more true ...

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 future of agriculture. There are the more obvious ...

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 tense. The reality, though, is that climate change al...

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 Software, Can AI Save It?” and got a ton of great r...

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 broader policy and tech worlds to share insights and as...

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 was marred by years of over-promising and under-deli...

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 the coming years. We’ve been learning out loud a...

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 for the airline industry to open a huge new market...

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 broader policy and tech worlds to share insights and as...

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 sizes, and increasing environmental and social vulnera...

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 supply chain and consumers' closets, today’s ultra-ch...

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 biosecurity issues– from pest and disease invasions to foo...

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 global ag policy worlds to share insights and ask “so...

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 commodities taking a decidedly pessimistic turn. Tho...

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 unchecked in agricultural fields across just the US and Ca...

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 around the world, factors like labor shortages, an ...

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 leaders in the agribusiness, agtech, and ag production ...

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 the highs and lows of a particularly...

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 returns for most VC funds, is one thing. Actually ...

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 way that corporates can support startups is through ...

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 sitting on both sides of the table has highlighted to us...

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 system– fertilizer, vertical farming, alternative pr...

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 disappointing) focus, one important lesson we’ve learne...

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 industries. From energy to mining and food to agric...

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 always clear how these language creating tools can m...

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” proteins, from high tech microbe engineering to propriet...

“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 Conference in Adelaide, Australia. The conversation was cal...

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 disappointing lows. More than a billion dollars worth...

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. Farm jobs and farm equipment are big, and often req...

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 to the farm– particularly those events will have...

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 actually shake hands with farmers, know their kids by...

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 the top of the supply chain to gain a deeper underst...

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 zooming in on Australia. Australia is a country that ha...

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 curb packaging that ends up in landfills, or even ...

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 innovation: the idea that conventional and alternative p...

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 as a bridge too far for the world of venture capita...

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 is that it is simultaneously too rare on earth ove...

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 over the years there have been a lot of good-- and ba...

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 to mind, whether thinking about yields, costs, or ...

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 struggled with price and supply swings. But that was jus...

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 latest announcements, we've been thinking a lot abou...

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 after years of effort, relatively little progress ...

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. We’ve covered a lot of ground, spanning everythi...

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 climate– and inevitably, many conversations start with...

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 promising developments, overall, we continue to be struc...

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 two decades, and how companies, and more importantly...

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 of business models and strategies. We chat with t...

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 in NPK.Russia’s war in Ukraine has collided with...

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 - from droughts to soaring temperatures - there’s an...

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 sitting in banking think about their role as partners ...

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 of the agrifood value chain. But the status quo st...

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. Over the course of the series, we heard from one ...

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 for manual tools over the latest technology, organic...

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 future. For farmers, adjustments by legislators at ...

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”. The conversation centered around the legitimacy of ...

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 from an incumbent or deployment of venture capital in...

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 science and the commercial realities of drawing do...

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 insurance.Our journey started with learning the ins and ou...

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 insurance.While it remains something of a black box for ma...

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 the world. This increased risk should be a driver fo...

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 farm. And not just any farm – we visited Jigsaw 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 inside view into how a farmer plans for the future of...

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 usually make up an episode, we decided to hit record on ...

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 emerging autonomous equipment providers and established...

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 system. Whether it’s the cost per hectare of a bi...

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 crucial ingredient that unlocksthe tastes, textures, an...

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 record flows of capital into agrifood, driven in part b...

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 in science, changes in markets, and the urgent pre...

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 used to be in boardrooms and at farm-gates, it’s ...