Ki Tua Fund
Ki Tua Fund is the corporate venture capital arm of Fonterra Co-operative Group, investing in and partnering with early-stage food, nutrition, health technology, and agricultural startups globally. The fund provides flexible capital alongside access to Fonterra's scientific, manufacturing, and distribution expertise, operating from New Zealand with offices in Amsterdam and San Francisco.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Ki Tua Fund does
Ki Tua Fund is the corporate venture capital arm of Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited, a New Zealand-based dairy cooperative. The fund invests in, partners with, and supports innovative early-stage startups developing disruptive solutions at the intersection of science, nutrition, and technology, with a stated focus on positive health impact. Its portfolio spans precision fermentation, photomolecular biomanufacturing, microbiome therapeutics, and agricultural productivity, including positions in Prolific Machines, Kanvas Biosciences, Fermeate, and BioLumic.
The fund's core offering combines flexible financial capital (including lead and follow-on investments) with strategic non-financial value: access to Fonterra's nearly 100 years of manufacturing and distribution expertise, scientific and technical due diligence support, clinical trial and commercialization experience, and a global commercial network. It operates as a standalone entity with headquarters in Auckland and Managing Director-led offices in Amsterdam (Europe deal flow) and San Francisco (USA deal flow), staffed by 51-100 employees including investment managers, partners, board members, and external scientific advisors.
Ki Tua Fund generates returns primarily through equity appreciation in portfolio companies rather than fee-based revenue, consistent with corporate venture capital structures. Its go-to-market is founder-first and relationship-driven, sourcing deals via direct outreach, partner referrals, industry conferences, and digital channels. The fund serves food and nutrition technology startups, health and biotechnology ventures, and agricultural innovation companies, with the implicit strategic objective of contributing to Fonterra's innovation pipeline alongside financial return.
Ki Tua Fund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ki Tua Fund
- Legal name
- Ki Tua Fund
- Website
- https://kituafund.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Ki Tua Fund is the corporate venture capital arm of Fonterra Co-operative Group, investing in and partnering with early-stage food, nutrition, health technology, and agricultural startups globally. The fund provides flexible capital alongside access to Fonterra's scientific, manufacturing, and distribution expertise, operating from New Zealand with offices in Amsterdam and San Francisco.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ki Tua Fund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Pension Funds (525110), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investors, Nec (6799), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Micro-PE / Lower Middle Market ETA Funds (FSANALAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Core Infrastructure Funds (Transport, Social, Digital, Utilities) (FSANAEAA)
Keywords
Where Ki Tua Fund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices3 records
Markets served
Ki Tua Fund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Investment Returns: Ki Tua Fund generates returns through equity investments in portfolio companies. As the corporate venture arm of Fonterra, they also seek strategic value through partnerships that can contribute to Fonterra's innovation and growth objectives.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Ki Tua Fund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ki Tua Fund is the corporate venture capital arm of Fonterra Co-operative Group that invests in and partners with early-to-growth-stage start-ups developing disruptive solutions combining science, nutrition, and technology for positive health impact. The fund provides flexible capital investment (including lead and follow-on funding), access to technical and scientific expertise, and entry into Fonterra's global commercial, manufacturing, and distribution network spanning nearly 100 years of operational experience.
Product overview
Ki Tua Fund is a corporate venture arm of Fonterra Co-operative Group that operates as an investment fund focused on food, nutrition, and health technology start-ups. The fund provides a combination of financial investment, technical expertise, and global network access to support portfolio companies. Rather than offering a unified software product with distinct modules, Ki Tua Fund functions as a strategic investment vehicle that brings nearly 100 years of Fonterra's manufacturing and distribution experience to early-stage companies developing disruptive solutions in health and nutrition.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Financial Investment (Equity Capital) Flexible equity capital investment offered to innovative start-ups in food, nutrition, and health technology sectors, including lead and follow-on funding across seed through Series B rounds.
- Technical Expertise Access Provides portfolio companies with access to strong technical expertise across science, nutrition, and technology, along with clinical trial and commercialization experience through the fund's team and the broader Fonterra network.
- Global Network and Commercial Reach Connects founders, companies, and partners into the breadth and depth of Fonterra's commercial capability, investment ecosystem, and global distribution network spanning nearly 100 years of operational experience.
Companies that use Ki Tua Fund
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ki Tua Fund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Ki Tua Fund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ki Tua Fund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- AgFunder: Venture capital platform specializing in agrifood tech. Emerging player with broader, more diversified portfolio construction across food and agriculture categories.
Direct peers
- S2G Ventures: Chicago-based venture capital firm investing in food, agriculture, and ocean technology. Direct peer as a strategic food/ag VC fund with comparable thesis and stage focus to Ki Tua Fund.
- SOSV: Multi-stage venture fund and accelerator operator (IndieBio, HAX). Direct peer as an active co-investor in Ki Tua portfolio companies (Prolific Machines, Fermeate) with deep biotech accelerator expertise.
- Acre Venture Partners: Food and agriculture venture capital fund focused on sustainability and health outcomes. Direct peer with similar food-system transformation thesis.
- Cultivian Sandbox Ventures: Venture fund investing in agrifood technology. Direct peer given shared focus on agrifood innovation and similar stage deployment.
- Pontifax AgTech: Specialized food and agriculture technology venture fund. Direct peer given shared food-tech investment mandate and early-to-growth stage focus.
- Cargill Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Cargill focused on food and agriculture innovation. Direct peer as a food/ag CVC; Rachel Resek, Ki Tua's USA MD, previously held investing roles there.
- Leaps by Bayer: Bayer's venture arm focused on health and agriculture breakthroughs. Direct peer as a strategic CVC with health/nutrition overlap; Rachel Resek previously worked there.
- Fall Line Capital: Venture capital firm focused on agricultural technology. Direct peer in the food/ag-tech VC landscape with comparable early-stage investment thesis.
- Syngenta Group Ventures: Corporate venture arm of Syngenta focused on agricultural innovation. Direct peer as an ag-input CVC operating at the intersection of agriscience and biotech.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Ki Tua Fund social profiles
Digital presenceKi Tua Fund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ki Tua Fund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Ki Tua Fund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ki Tua Fund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments5 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ki Tua Fund
What does Ki Tua Fund do?
Ki Tua Fund is the corporate venture capital arm of Fonterra Co-operative Group that invests in and partners with early-to-growth-stage start-ups developing disruptive solutions combining science, nutrition, and technology for positive health impact. The fund provides flexible capital investment (including lead and follow-on funding), access to technical and scientific expertise, and entry into Fonterra's global commercial, manufacturing, and distribution network spanning nearly 100 years of operational experience.
Is Ki Tua Fund a public or private company?
Ki Tua Fund is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Ki Tua Fund founded?
Ki Tua Fund was founded in -1. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Ki Tua Fund based?
Ki Tua Fund is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Ki Tua Fund make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns.
Who are Ki Tua Fund's main competitors?
AgFunder is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are S2G Ventures, SOSV, Acre Venture Partners, Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, Pontifax AgTech, Cargill Ventures, Leaps by Bayer, Fall Line Capital and Syngenta Group Ventures.
Does Ki Tua Fund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ki Tua Fund.
What industry is Ki Tua Fund in?
Ki Tua Fund's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANALAG, Micro-PE / Lower Middle Market ETA Funds, with a secondary code of FSANAEAA, Core Infrastructure Funds (Transport, Social, Digital, Utilities). Its NAICS code is 525110 and its SIC code is 6799.