FTW Ventures
FTW Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in San Francisco that invests exclusively in food and agricultural technology startups. Founded in 2018, the firm operates two funds backing approximately 18-21 portfolio companies across alternative proteins, biomanufacturing, sustainable packaging, agricultural AI, and nutrition, and generates returns through standard VC management fees and carry on portfolio exits.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What FTW Ventures does
FTW Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in San Francisco that invests exclusively in food and agricultural technology startups. Founded in 2018, the firm operates two fund vehicles — FTW Ventures I (announced in 2020 as a $4M fund targeting 15-20 investments) and FTW Ventures II — and backs approximately 18-21 portfolio companies solving systematic problems across the global food system, including bioprocess, alternative proteins, sustainable packaging, nutrition navigation, cold-chain logistics, agricultural AI, fermentation, food robotics, and biological fertilizers. Notable portfolio companies include Geltor ($116.3M total raised), Plantible Foods ($21.5M Series A), Debut Biotechnology ($32M Series B), and People Science ($11M Seed). The firm generates revenue through standard venture capital economics — management fees on committed capital and carried interest on portfolio exits — and does not develop proprietary technology products. Its go-to-market is direct deal sourcing through industry events, expert networks, founder outreach, and inbound submissions via its website ([email protected]), targeting founders building disruptive technologies for food production, supply chain, sustainability, health, and agriculture.
The firm augments capital deployment with an Expert Network of food-system operators and scientists drawn from organizations including Louis Dreyfus Company, UC Davis, The Good Food Institute, ThinkFood Group, Omega Partner Solutions, and Agralogics, who provide diligence and portfolio support. It also operates the Women Founders and Funders event series, held annually in San Francisco and Singapore, connecting women agrifoodtech founders with investors and corporate partners including Temasek, Louis Dreyfus, Thai Wah, Enterprise Singapore, SGInnovate, Tenacious Ventures, AgFunder, and Foodbytes by Rabobank. The team is small (1-10 people) and comprises General Partner Brian Frank (three prior venture-backed exits across communication, mobile, social, and AI/ML), Investor Jenn Burka (ex-Evolv Ventures/Kraft Heinz CVC), Venture Partner Rob Wilder (co-founder of José Andrés Group and World Central Kitchen, named October 2024), Associate Dr. Tawny Scanlan, and a UK-based team member Alex Gueorguieva. Externally, the firm has been recognized by TechCrunch as a Top Food/Climate/Sustainability Investor and by NFX Signal as a Leading AgTech, Biotech & Impact Investor. Service-provider partners include Cooley LLP (legal) and NorthMountain Fund Services (fund administration).
FTW Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- FTW Ventures
- Legal name
- FTW Ventures
- Website
- https://ftw.vc
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- FTW Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in San Francisco that invests exclusively in food and agricultural technology startups. Founded in 2018, the firm operates two funds backing approximately 18-21 portfolio companies across alternative proteins, biomanufacturing, sustainable packaging, agricultural AI, and nutrition, and generates returns through standard VC management fees and carry on portfolio exits.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
FTW Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Miscellaneous Intermediation (523910), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms (FSANAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds (FSANAJAA)
Keywords
Where FTW Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
FTW Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Returns: FTW Ventures generates returns through equity investments in early-stage food and agriculture technology startups. Returns are realized through portfolio company exits via acquisitions or IPOs, following standard venture capital investment dynamics.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
FTW Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FTW Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that deploys capital from institutional investors into food and agricultural technology startups solving systematic problems in the food system. The firm operates two funds (FTW Ventures I and FTW Ventures II) that invest in pre-seed and seed rounds across biotechnology, sustainable packaging, AI/ML, alternative proteins, biomanufacturing, supply chain software, and nutrition platforms. Capital deployment is complemented by an Expert Network of industry leaders and strategic guidance for portfolio founders.
Product overview
FTW Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm specializing in food and agricultural technology investments. The firm operates as a single investment platform with two funds (FTW Ventures I and FTW Ventures II) that back bold innovators solving the biggest challenges in the global food system. The investment platform is complemented by an Expert Network of leading minds across deep science, supply chain, consumer products, and food technology who provide guidance on startup selection and portfolio company support. The firm also organizes the Women Founders and Funders event series in San Francisco and Singapore to connect women agrifoodtech founders with investors and corporate partners. FTW Ventures' portfolio spans 21 companies across bioprocess, beverage technology, nutrition platforms, sustainable packaging, agricultural AI, fermentation, food robotics, clinical trials, and specialty crop financial services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FTW Ventures Investment Platform Early-stage venture capital fund platform that deploys capital from institutional investors into pre-seed and seed food and agricultural technology startups solving systematic problems in the global food system.
- FTW Ventures I (Fund I) First fund portfolio of FTW Ventures including investments in Geltor (biodesign), Spoiler Alert (supply chain software), Plantible Foods (plant-based protein), Galley (SaaS for food organizations), Phytoform (plant breeding), Nfinite Nanotech (sustainable packaging), Yali Bio (designer fats), and Debut Biotechnology (biomanufacturing).
- FTW Ventures II (Fund II) Second fund portfolio of FTW Ventures including Boston Bioprocess, ALTR (beverage technology), Sylvan Health (nutrition navigation), FreshFry, Izote Biosciences (oxygen-free industrial fermentation), Arise, Quorum Bio (biological fertilizers), Earthodic (bio-based coatings), Heritable (AI and gene editing for agriculture), Brilliant Harvest (AI customer experience platform), Snowline (AI-powered smart temperature-controlled trucking), People Science (clinical trials), and Thombar (specialty crop finance).
- Women Founders and Funders Events Annual pitching and networking events held in San Francisco and Singapore for women agrifoodtech founders, connecting them with investors and corporate partners such as Better Earth Ventures, Temasek, Foodbytes by Rabobank, Enterprise Singapore, SGInnovate, Tenacious Ventures, and AgFunder. The 2024 Singapore edition selected 10 standout women entrepreneurs to pitch on November 20, 2024.
Companies that use FTW Ventures
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
FTW Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
FTW Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.
- Better Earth VenturescoreStrategic partner for Women Founders & Funders Singapore 2024, dedicated to accelerating deployment of transformative technologies and initiatives that mitigate climate change and promote sustainable living.
- MarTech CollectivecoreBrand, marketing and communications agency dedicated to empowering pioneering tech-driven innovators and amplifying voices of sustainability-focused trailblazers.
- Tomorrow Studio VenturescoreCommercial exploration and innovation studio working with Foodtech, Agtech and Cleantech industries, focused on finding innovation commercialization opportunities.
- Foodbytes by RabobankminorPrevious partner for Women Founders & Funders events in Singapore.
- Thai WahminorPrevious partner for Women Founders & Funders events including mentorship and sponsorship.
- Louis DreyfusminorPrevious partner for Women Founders & Funders events.
- Enterprise SingaporeminorGovernment agency partner for Women Founders & Funders events.
- SGInnovateminorEcosystem partner for Women Founders & Funders Singapore.
- Tenacious VenturesminorEcosystem partner for Women Founders & Funders Singapore.
- AgFunderminorEcosystem partner for Women Founders & Funders Singapore.
- Cooley LLPsupportingCooley LLP provides world-class fund formation and broader legal services for VCs, high-growth startups, M&A transactions, and life science & biotech sectors.
- NorthMountain Fund ServicessupportingMin Ma and Ni Yan of NorthMountain provide in-house fund administration including portfolio company tracking, performance analysis, company valuation, fund accounting, and reporting for VCs, PEs, fund-of-funds, CVCs and hedge funds.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
FTW Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Better Earth Ventures: Better Earth Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on transformative climate and food tech startups. It is a direct peer to FTW given shared thematic focus on sustainable food systems, and a strategic partner for FTW's Women Founders & Funders Singapore events.
- Anterra Capital: Anterra Capital is a venture capital firm investing in food, agriculture, and biotech startups globally from its Amsterdam and Boston offices. It directly competes with FTW in early-stage food/ag tech venture investing.
- Cultivian Sandbox Ventures: Cultivian Sandbox is an early-stage VC fund focused on food and agriculture technology, particularly agtech and adjacent biotech. It is a direct peer competing for the same seed/Series A food/ag tech opportunities.
- Tenacious Ventures: Tenacious Ventures is an Australia-based agrifoodtech VC firm investing in climate-impactful food and agriculture startups. It is a direct peer competing in the same vertical, with overlapping APAC network reach and Women Founders & Funders Singapore ecosystem partnership with FTW.
- Acre Ventures: Acre Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on the future of food and agriculture, leading seed rounds for food/ag tech startups (including People Science's Seed-3 alongside FTW). It is a direct competitor for early-stage deals.
- S2G Ventures: S2G Ventures is a multi-stage VC firm investing in food, agriculture, and ocean technology. With significantly larger fund sizes and a Chicago base, it competes directly with FTW for venture-stage food/ag deals and corporate strategic partnerships.
- Astanor Ventures: Astanor Ventures is a European impact-focused VC firm backing agrifoodtech companies from farm to fork, often leading Series A rounds (e.g., Plantible Foods). It is a direct competitor to FTW in the food/ag tech seed and Series A category.
- AgFunder: AgFunder is one of the most prominent food and agriculture technology venture capital firms, investing globally across the agrifoodtech stack. It directly competes with FTW Ventures for the same founders, deals, and LP capital in food/ag tech.
Broad incumbents
- The Production Board: The Production Board (TPB) is a San Francisco-based firm building and backing companies that transform food, agriculture, and human health. It is a broad incumbent operating in the same thematic space as FTW but with significantly larger scale and a build-and-buy model rather than pure VC.
Emerging players
- Synthesis Capital: Synthesis Capital is an emerging food tech and alternative protein focused VC fund. It is an emerging peer in the food/ag tech vertical, with a more focused alternative-protein thesis overlapping with FTW portfolio companies like Plantible Foods and Yali Bio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
FTW Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceFTW Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
FTW Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
FTW Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
FTW Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments14 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about FTW Ventures
What does FTW Ventures do?
FTW Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that deploys capital from institutional investors into food and agricultural technology startups solving systematic problems in the food system. The firm operates two funds (FTW Ventures I and FTW Ventures II) that invest in pre-seed and seed rounds across biotechnology, sustainable packaging, AI/ML, alternative proteins, biomanufacturing, supply chain software, and nutrition platforms. Capital deployment is complemented by an Expert Network of industry leaders and strategic guidance for portfolio founders.
Is FTW Ventures a public or private company?
FTW Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was FTW Ventures founded?
FTW Ventures was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is FTW Ventures based?
FTW Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does FTW Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Returns.
Who are FTW Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Better Earth Ventures, Anterra Capital, Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, Tenacious Ventures, Acre Ventures, S2G Ventures, Astanor Ventures and AgFunder. The Production Board is listed as a broad incumbent. Synthesis Capital is listed as an emerging player.
Does FTW Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for FTW Ventures.
What industry is FTW Ventures in?
FTW Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAJ, Venture Capital Fund-of-Funds / Multi-Manager Platforms, with a secondary code of FSANAJAA, Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds. Its NAICS code is 523910 and its SIC code is 6211.