The Farm Bureau Agriculture Investment Summit this past weekend was a great opportunity to learn more about some of the major problems and trends that startups are working on in the food and agriculture space. Here are a few takeaways:
Sustainability continues to be a focus. This space is certainly nothing new but it is also very broad and tough to saturate. Until we hit the point that sustainable products, methods, services, and support are more financially viable than their counterparts in both the short and long run there is room for innovators. One great example from the showcase was Grow Bioplastics.
Transparency can take many different forms, from b2b pricing information to where you food comes from. Transparency in the food world is only going to become more of a focal point as technology continues to make critical information more accessible. The Poultry Exchange is an interesting play trying to add transparency in the poultry pricing world.
While over the last several years the food and ag space has seen growth in popularity among investors and founders, it still has a long way to go. Mentorship and education for founders are really needed in this world. This isn’t a knock on the people in the space as they are as helpful as any community I have been a part of. But, because of its recent rapid growth there is more demand for mentorship than supply as so many people are still in their infancy on both sides of the table.
Overall, it was a great event that provided the opportunity for several startups to showcase their hard work. Check out the full list of companies that participated here.
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