Better Bioeconomy

How Ajinomoto Group Ventures Invests in the Future of Food and Health

Ajinomoto Group Ventures’ Hiroyuki Saito on how the CVC balances strategic and financial returns, and what startups need before reaching out.

Dec 1 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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November 2025

Turning the Industrial Biomanufacturing Graveyard Into a Winning Playbook

First Bight Ventures’ Veronica Breckenridge on what failed biomanufacturing companies reveal and how to build biotech companies that scale, survive, and…

Nov 24 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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How Food-as-Medicine Is Becoming Investable Beyond the Hype

Thia Ventures’ Mirasbek Kuterbekov on consumer agency, measurable outcomes, and moats that last in food-as-medicine.

Nov 17 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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The Venture Studio Building What the Food Industry Actually Wants

FOOD FOUNDERS Studio’s Giacomo Cattaneo on the problem-first, CEO-first model turning “trapped” food science into real adoption.

Nov 3 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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October 2025

Inside Sumitomo’s Playbook for Turning Agrifood Startup Pilots into Commercial Rollouts

Takeo Kojima, Head of Sumitomo’s Agri-Innovation unit, on how a trading house sequences the anchor, proof, and distribution to turn pilots into repeat…

Oct 27 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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Between Ozempic and Oat Bran: Can Biomimetic GLP-1 Supplements Bridge the Gap?

If they do, what does it mean for the food industry?

Oct 20 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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Food-Grade GLP-1 Actives Emerge, and APAC Benchmarks Fermentation Readiness

Also: AI-driven crop genetics, palm-free infant fats, and low-cost plant-cell bioreactors.

Oct 13 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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Investing in Europe’s B2B Production Stack for a Better Food System

Kost Capital’s Bodil Sidén on the fund-and-studio model, founder signals that matter at pre-seed, and AI.

Oct 6 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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September 2025

€54M for Dutch Fermented Proteins, and First Real-Time Crop Disease Alerts

Also: Bee-saving RNAi, precision fats from waste, and AI for smarter seeds.

Sep 29 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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VC Math in Agrifood Tech: What It Takes to Return the Fund

How ownership, dilution, and exits shape fund returns through an agrifood lens.

Sep 22 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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4

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$50M for Climate-Smart Fertiliser, and Precision-Fermented Dairy Hits Shelves

Also: First cultivated pork dinner, next-gen breast milk fat, and farmers enter the cell-ag loop

Sep 15 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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2

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How ‘Tricking’ Cells Into High Production Can Transform Biomanufacturing

What if microbes in a bioreactor had only one rule: make the product or perish?

Sep 8 • 

Eshan Samaranayake

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