AgFunder is a venture capital firm founded in 2013 by Rob Leclerc and Michael Dean, investing in early-stage companies that build deep foundational technology for food, agriculture, and planetary health. Its portfolio spans AI, biotech, robotics, manufacturing, climate, and materials, and it operates from offices in Silicon Valley and Singapore. The firm is unusual among venture investors for having built a media company first. Its AgFunderNews service and annual agrifoodtech investment reports made it a reference point for the sector before its funds scaled, and that audience, along with an in-house engineering team, now serves as a global deal-sourcing engine for the venture firm. AgFunder began with small funds raised largely from its own network, closed the oversubscribed $21 million New Carnivore alternative protein fund in August 2021, and by March 2022 had raised $60 million in commitments toward a flagship fund targeting $100 million. The firm states roughly $300 million in assets under management and more than 100 portfolio companies across four continents. Its most notable realized exit is Bear Flag Robotics, an autonomous tractor company acquired by John Deere for $250 million in 2021.
Portfolio company Bear Flag Robotics, an autonomous tractor startup, was acquired by John Deere for $250 million in 2021.