Heritable Agriculture (US) – AI & Breeding for Programmable Plants

What they do: A Google X spin-off utilizing AI, multi-omics, and predictive breeding to identify causal genes, design edits, and forecast crop performance under real farm conditions. Their goal is to achieve faster, cheaper improvements in yield, resilience, and nutrition.

Why talked about in 2025: Launched independently with backing from FTW Ventures, Mythos Ventures, and SVG Ventures, positioned as a next-gen engine for seed companies and growers under pressure to deliver climate-smart traits rapidly.

Read more: AI-powered insights set to identify best vegetable varieties for growers worldwide / Google spinout Heritable Agriculture brings AI to crop breeding

BinSentry (Canada/US/Brazil) — Fixing Feed Logistics Blind Spots with AI Sensors

What they do: Offers solar, self-cleaning sensors and software that track on-farm feed levels with ~99% accuracy, preventing outages and improving forecasts for mills and integrators.

Why talked about in 2025: Closed a $50 million Series C with Lead Edge Capital, added a Brazil distribution deal with Cargill, and secured a $25 million facility from CIBC Innovation Banking to scale operations.

Read more: Feed monitoring company BinSentry raises $50 million Series C round to fuel expansion

Terrana Biosciences (US) — RNA “Software” for Plants

What they do: Flagship Pioneering’s platform uses native-like RNAs delivered into plants to prevent infections and enhance yield without changing the plant’s genome, applied as sprays or seed treatments.

Why talked about in 2025: Debuted with $50 million from Flagship, marketed as a fast and adaptable approach for tackling pests, diseases, and climate shocks across various crops.

Read more: Terrana Biosciences to unleash RNA-based crop protection

Jord BioScience (US) – Enhancing Biological Performance

What they do: Provides a “microbial playbook” that boosts the reliability of existing bio-inputs with a 6,500-isolate bank and analytics to strengthen pathogen suppression, nutrient release, and yield.

Why talked about in 2025: Reports field data showing soybean yield gains up to 3.1 bu/acre across diverse Midwest sites and has secured recognition from the World Food Prize Foundation for its founder.

Read more: Jord BioScience gets $7M to develop microbial solutions for agriculture

Nile.ag (South Africa) – Supermarket for Produce, Inputs, and Finance

What they do: Digital marketplace where farmers sell fresh produce, purchase inputs directly from manufacturers, and access finance, improving price transparency and logistics.

Why talked about in 2025: Raised ~$11.3 million from Cathay AfricInvest and FMO to expand operations in Southern Africa as part of a surge in ag-marketplaces in developing regions.

Read more: Nile.ag on why Africa’s farmers want to trade digitally

Ecorobotix (Switzerland) – Ultra-Precision Spraying

What they do: Delivers AI and computer vision sprayers that treat individual plants with minimal footprint, significantly reducing crop-protection use while maintaining efficacy.

Why talked about in 2025: Raised $150 million in Series C and D to expand globally and accelerate algorithms, emerging as one of the largest ag-robotics raises this year.

Read more: Ecorobotix: ‘We’re on track to hit €500m in annual sales in five years’

Shinkei Systems (US) – Robotic Quality in Seafood

What they do: Automates ike-jime, a humane harvest method that extends shelf life and improves quality of seafood through AI and robotics; also sells fish under the Seremoni brand.

Why talked about in 2025: Receives accolades like TIME Best Inventions, raised $22 million in Series A funding, and expanded its manufacturing footprint.

Read more: Seafood automation start-up Shinkei Systems hooks $22m in Series A funding

Grão Direto (Brazil) — Latin America’s Digital Grain Marketplace

What they do: Provides the region’s largest digital grain marketplace for various trading operations, complete with pricing intelligence and embedded finance.

Why talked about in 2025: Closed a R$90 million (~$15.5 million) Series B led by Kaszek, focused on scaling AI pricing tools and fintech solutions.

Read more: Brazil’s Grão Direto raises $15M for digitalization in global grain trading

TerraBlaster (US) – Real-Time Soil Nutrient Mapping

What they do: A planter-mounted LIBS sensor maps plant-available nutrients in real-time, allowing for precise fertilizer application to enhance efficiency and reduce waste.

Why talked about in 2025: Appointed Jorge Heraud as CEO and raised ~$4 million pre-seed funding, heralded as a promising innovation in fertilizer efficiency.

Read more: Soil health analytics start-up TerraBlaster closes oversubscribed $4m pre-seed round

CroBio (UK/US) – Drought Resilience through Living Soil Amendments

What they do: Utilizes engineered microbes that create bacterial cellulose “sponges” to enhance water and nutrient retention in soil.

Why talked about in 2025: Received an €805k grant from Defra/Innovate UK and has reported significant improvements in water retention during greenhouse trials.

Read more: Boosting soil health with engineered microbes

Nofence (Norway/US/EU) – Scalable Virtual Fencing

What they do: Employs solar GPS collars and an app to establish “virtual fences” for livestock, facilitating rotational grazing without physical barriers.

Why talked about in 2025: Raised over $35 million in Europe’s largest agtech round, spurred on by new USDA/NRCS cost-share pathways.

Read more: Nofence celebrates largest funding round of the year

Pivot Bio (US) – Gene-Edited Microbes as a Nitrogen Source

What they do: Develops root-colonizing microbes that provide in-season nitrogen, aiming to replace a significant portion of synthetic nitrogen over time.

Why talked about in 2025: New research confirms the efficacy in corn, expanding product formats to enhance usability.

Read more: Pivot Bio reports biologicals usage uptick in 2024 impact report

Oishii (US) – Premium Vertical Farming Solutions

What they do: Produces indoor, pesticide-free strawberries using robotics and AI-guided pollination for high-quality fruit.

Why talked about in 2025: Raised $150 million in Series B funding, distinguishing itself in the competitive Controlled Environment Agriculture sector.

Read more: ‘What do successful vertical farms look like today?’

Tractor Junction (India) – Mechanization and Fintech Integration

What they do: Operates a hybrid marketplace for new/used tractors with a finance arm that helps customers secure loans quickly.

Why talked about in 2025: Raised $22–22.6 million in Series A to scale operations; reports significant revenue growth over three years.

Read more: Tractor Junction: Bringing transparency to India’s rural machinery market

Halter (New Zealand/US) – Advanced Virtual Fencing

What they do: Provides solar smart collars and technology for monitoring and guiding livestock movements effectively.

Why talked about in 2025: Achieved a $165 million Series D round, along with significant partnerships to facilitate expansion.

Read more: From cow herder to unicorn expenses in scaling livestock management

Cropin (India/global) – Integrated Farm Data and Risk Analytics

What they do: Combines satellite and AI technology for comprehensive field mapping and analysis utilized by various industry stakeholders.

Why talked about in 2025: Positioned as one of the leading platforms in emerging markets amidst shifting climate and policy conditions.

Read more: Cropin teams up with Walmart to strengthen agri-food retail supply

BugBug (UK) – Acoustic AI for Pest Detection

What they do: The Insect Eavesdropper™ utilizes AI to detect hidden pest feeding through sub-audible sound signatures.

Why talked about in 2025: Gaining traction in high-value crops and receiving awards for innovation in precision agriculture.

Read more: BugBug advances agricultural pest management solutions

Avalo (US) – AI-Driven Breeding for Low-Input Crops

What they do: Employs a “Rapid Evolution™” platform for trait discovery and breeding, initially focusing on cotton and sugarcane.

Why talked about in 2025: Raised $11 million in Series A and partnered with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners for climate-smart sugarcane projects.

Read more: Coca-Cola and Avalo’s project to decarbonise sugar is more complicated than it looks

Puna Bio (Argentina/US/Brazil/Africa) – Microbial Solutions for Stressed Soils

What they do: Utilizes seed-applied biologicals from ancient extremophiles to enhance nutrient uptake and nitrogen fixation in degraded environments.

Why talked about in 2025: Secured Series A investments to expand operations into Sub-Saharan Africa.

Read more: Argentinian biologicals start-up Puna Bio prepares for expansion with Series A round