AgFunder
AgFunder is a privately held venture capital firm founded in 2014 that invests Seed and Series A capital in agrifood, AI, biology, and climate startups, with offices in San Francisco, Singapore, and London, managing $300M+ AUM across 100+ portfolio companies worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What AgFunder does
AgFunder is a privately held, Silicon Valley-headquartered venture capital firm founded in 2014 by Michael Dean and Rob Leclerc, with additional offices in Singapore and London. The firm invests Seed and Series A capital in agrifood, AI, biology, and climate technologies, with a stated thesis of removing structural constraints to progress in food, agriculture, human health, and planetary health. It manages over $300 million in assets under management across multiple fund vintages, including an oversubscribed $100M+ Fund IV and the successor Fund V, and holds investments in 100+ portfolio companies across four continents, with named exits including Bear Flag Robotics (acquired by John Deere), ImpactVision (acquired by Apeel Sciences), Root AI, and Trace Genomics.
The firm operates an integrated platform combining capital deployment with proprietary AI tooling, media, and research. Its core technology asset is GAIA, a proprietary startup knowledge base covering approximately 4 million startups (one source cites ~50 million) and analyzed by 150+ AI models, paired with an internal AI-powered startup search engine used for deal sourcing. This is supported by an in-house engineering team led by ex-Microsoft AI/ML leadership. The media and intelligence layer centers on AgFunderNews (agfundernews.com), which has published over 6,000 articles and reaches 2.5 million readers annually, alongside a research publications franchise (45+ reports) that includes the flagship Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report and regional deep-dives for Asia-Pacific, Africa, India, Latin America, Europe, and developing markets. These publications are cited by major outlets including the WSJ, FT, NYT, CNBC, Bloomberg, Reuters, and TechCrunch.
AgFunder's revenue model follows standard VC economics: management fees on committed LP capital and carried interest from portfolio company exits. Limited Partners (institutional investors, family offices, qualified investors) commit capital to the firm's fund vehicles. The firm also operates specialized vehicles such as the AgFunder Alternative Protein Fund I and the AgFunder SIJ Impact Fund, and has produced co-developed research with strategic partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ISF Advisors, BASF, SP Ventures, and Omnivore. Every portfolio investment is positioned as advancing at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal.
AgFunder firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AgFunder
- Legal name
- AgFunder
- Website
- http://agfunder.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AgFunder is a privately held venture capital firm founded in 2014 that invests Seed and Series A capital in agrifood, AI, biology, and climate startups, with offices in San Francisco, Singapore, and London, managing $300M+ AUM across 100+ portfolio companies worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AgFunder industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agrifoodtech Venture Capital
- akta.pro primary industry
- Agriculture & Food / AgTech Growth Equity (FSANACAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)
Keywords
Where AgFunder is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
AgFunder business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: AgFunder generates returns through traditional VC mechanisms including management fees on funds under management and carried interest from portfolio company exits. The firm has over $300 million in assets under management and historically outperformed top-quartile VC benchmarks.
- Limited Partner Investments: Revenue generated from Limited Partners who invest in AgFunder's venture funds (Fund IV, Fund V), with the firm providing investment management services and portfolio company support.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
AgFunder product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AgFunder is a venture capital firm that invests Seed and Series A equity into early-stage startups in agrifood, AI, biology, and climate technologies through its fund vehicles (Fund IV at $100M+ oversubscribed, Fund V, and thematic sub-funds). The firm complements its capital deployment with a proprietary AI-powered deal sourcing platform (GAIA knowledge base with 4 million+ startups analyzed by 150+ AI models), the AgFunderNews media platform, and widely cited Global and Regional AgriFoodTech Investment Reports.
Product overview
AgFunder is a global venture capital firm rooted in agrifood, AI, biology, and climate, operating as a new kind of VC with substantial media, research, and engineering arms. The firm offers investment management through its Fund IV and Fund V vehicles, which back Seed and Series A startups in frontier technologies. The company's intelligence platform centers on GAIA, a proprietary knowledge base of approximately 50 million startups analyzed by 150+ AI models, paired with an AI-powered startup search engine for deal sourcing. Complementing the investment platform is AgFunderNews, an industry media outlet with over 6,000 published articles, and a suite of periodic research publications including the flagship Global AgriFoodTech Investment Reports and regional reports covering Asia-Pacific, Africa, India, Latin America, Europe, and developing markets. This integrated approach combines capital deployment with content, research, and AI-driven intelligence to support portfolio companies and Limited Partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- AgFunderNews Industry news and intelligence platform covering agrifoodtech, publishing 6,000+ articles for founders, investors, corporates, and other agrifoodtech stakeholders.
- AgFunder Global AgriFoodTech Investment Report Annual flagship research publication tracking venture capital investment trends in food and agriculture technology globally, covering developed and developing markets.
- Regional AgriFoodTech Investment Reports Region-specific research reports covering agrifoodtech investment activity in Asia-Pacific, Africa, India, Latin America, Europe, and developing markets.
- Fund IV Oversubscribed $100M+ vintage venture fund primarily backing Seed and Series A startups in agrifood, AI, biology, and climate technologies.
- Fund V Next-generation fund investing in frontier technologies that redefine industries, enhance human health, and create lasting global impact in agrifood, AI, biology, and climate.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over $300 million in assets under management
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use AgFunder
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AgFunder technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
AgFunder partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ISF AdvisorscoreCollaborative partner on the Climate Capital: Financing Adaptation Pathways for Smallholder Farmers report, with support from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. First-of-its-kind report on private investment in climate adaptation for smallholder farmers.
- Bill & Melinda Gates FoundationcoreSupporter of the Climate Capital report on financing adaptation pathways for smallholder farmers in emerging markets agriculture sectors.
- SP VenturescoreLatin American investment firm collaboration on the Latin America AgriFoodTech Investment Report, alongside Alianza Team, BASF, and Cibersons.
- BASFcoreCorporate partner for Latin America AgriFoodTech Investment Report collaboration.
- OmnivorecoreIndia-focused agrifoodtech investor collaboration on India AgriFoodTech Investment reports (2021 and 2022 editions).
- Start-Up Nation CentralminorPartner for Israel AgriFood Tech Investing Report 2014-2018, detailing nearly $800M investment across 278 deals.
- F&A NextminorCollaborative partner on European agrifoodtech investment reports.
- AgroHubminorUkrainian farm management systems research partner, supported by AgFunder and Top Lead.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
AgFunder competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- S2G Ventures: Specialist venture and growth fund focused on food, agriculture, and oceans. Closest US-based peer to AgFunder in agrifoodtech mandate, with overlapping thesis in foodtech, agtech, and climate-aligned investments.
- Anterra Capital: Amsterdam-based agrifoodtech venture capital firm backing early-stage companies in food and agriculture. Directly comparable in sector focus and stage orientation to AgFunder's Seed/Series A agrifood thesis.
- Omnivore: India-focused agrifoodtech venture capital firm investing in early-stage startups across agriculture, food, and rural development. Directly comparable in vertical specialization, stage, and research-driven brand presence (collaborated with AgFunder on India reports).
- SP Ventures: Latin American agrifoodtech VC manager with a thesis on agtech and foodtech. Comparable as a regional agrifoodtech specialist and a research/ecosystem partner of AgFunder on the LatAm AgriFoodTech report.
- Cultivian Sandbox Ventures: US-based venture fund focused on agrifoodtech and adjacent industrial technologies. Comparable in stage (early- to growth-stage) and sector specialization, particularly in agri-inputs and food supply chain.
- BlueHorizon Ventures: Global impact VC focused on food, agriculture, and alternative proteins. Closely comparable to AgFunder in food system thesis, impact framing (UN SDGs), and early-stage check size.
- Lewis & Clark AgriFood: US-based food and agriculture venture capital firm investing from seed through growth. Comparable in sector mandate and stage diversity across agrifoodtech.
- Finistere Ventures: Agritech and foodtech venture capital firm with a global portfolio and a track record of co-investing in agrifoodtech rounds. Directly comparable in vertical focus and stage.
- The Yield Lab: Global agrifoodtech accelerator/early-stage investor operating regional funds in the US, LatAm, Europe, and Asia. Comparable in stage (Seed), agrifood focus, and global multi-region model.
Broad incumbents
- Breakthrough Energy Ventures: Climate-focused VC backed by high-profile LPs (including the Gates Foundation) investing across agriculture, food, energy, and industry. Comparable in deeptech/climate-ag overlap, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope than AgFunder.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AgFunder social profiles
Digital presenceAgFunder financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AgFunder leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
AgFunder funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AgFunder M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments163 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AgFunder
What does AgFunder do?
AgFunder is a venture capital firm that invests Seed and Series A equity into early-stage startups in agrifood, AI, biology, and climate technologies through its fund vehicles (Fund IV at $100M+ oversubscribed, Fund V, and thematic sub-funds). The firm complements its capital deployment with a proprietary AI-powered deal sourcing platform (GAIA knowledge base with 4 million+ startups analyzed by 150+ AI models), the AgFunderNews media platform, and widely cited Global and Regional AgriFoodTech Investment Reports.
Is AgFunder a public or private company?
AgFunder is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AgFunder founded?
AgFunder was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AgFunder based?
AgFunder is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does AgFunder make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Venture Capital Returns are the primary driver. The others are limited Partner Investments.
Who are AgFunder's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are S2G Ventures, Anterra Capital, Omnivore, SP Ventures, Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, BlueHorizon Ventures, Lewis & Clark AgriFood, Finistere Ventures and The Yield Lab. Breakthrough Energy Ventures is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does AgFunder have an API?
No public API is recorded for AgFunder.
What industry is AgFunder in?
AgFunder's product category is Agrifoodtech Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANACAM, Agriculture & Food / AgTech Growth Equity, with a secondary code of FSANAAAM, Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated).