Agriculture Biotechnology
A wide range of science-based technologies that increase productivity, improve resilience, and mitigate climate change.
We invest in outliers* solving the planet's most urgent climate challenges through food and agtech innovation
*An outlier is a truly exceptional individual who, in their field of expertise, is so superior that they define their own category of success. (Gladwell)
Seeking outliers across the agricultural value chain
The51 Food & AgTech Fund makes early-stage investments in four primary sectors:
Automation
Robotic and augmented-human innovations that plant, irrigate, pick, and pack to improve efficiency, ensure worker safety, and reduce cost.
Farm Innovation
Connected sensors and machines using predictive analytics to increase production, enable regenerative practices and improve decision-making.
Food Innovation
Precision fermentation and novel ingredients, coatings, and packaging offer the potential to reimagine the way we eat and reduce and repurpose waste.
A combination of these technologies could reduce Ag emissions by more than 71% within 15 years.
SOURCEWe know what it
takes to scale.
We are CEOs, engineers, scientists, operators, investors and farmers that have scaled technologies in global animal ag, industrial cleantech and software industries.
We have deep relationships with strategic partners, research institutions, industry and diverse capital providers to help ambitious entrepreneurs scale their tech at a global scale.
Agriculture presents a tremendous opportunity to combat our changing climate.
We are committed to supporting visionary founders that are transforming food systems for the betterment of our planet.
We are committed to supporting visionary founders that are transforming food systems for the betterment of our planet.
News
The51 Food and AgTech General Partnership Announces Close of $30 Million to Accelerate Innovation in Agricultural Technology.
Canadian, women-led fund invests in entrepreneurs with the tenacity to scale and deliver measurable environmental and social impacts.
April 28, 2023, Calgary, AB - The51 Food and AgTech GP announced today the closing of $30 Million of its $50 Million Fund targeting Pre-Seed to Series A investments in diverse Founders transforming food and agriculture for global impact. Lead Investor Farm Credit Canada has been joined by Alberta Enterprise Corporation and National Bank of Canada, family foundations and offices, and several individual accredited investors from agribusiness, farming and industry backgrounds.
News
The51 Food and AgTech Fund announces Farm Credit Canada as their lead investor and initial retail close.
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) has signed on to be the lead investor in The51's Food and AgTech Fund, focused on investing in underrepresented founders transforming the business of food and agriculture.
Calgary, Alberta, August 9, 2022 — The51 is pleased to announce FCC as the lead investor of The51 Food and AgTech Fund (The Fund), a women-led fund investing in science-based technology entrepreneurs innovating from lab to plate. The $50 million Fund is led by a General Partnership between The51's Co-founders Judy Fairburn and Shelley Kuipers, alongside AgTech pioneer Alison Sunstrum and fund Principal Yuan Shi.
News
Highly sought-after ecosystem builder and innovation leader in North America, Yuan Shi, joins The51 as Food and AgTech Fund Principal.
$50M Venture Fund focused on underrepresented Food and AgTech founders and innovation, recruits a new, highly sought-after Principal to the team.
Calgary, Alberta, April 29, 2022 — Today The51 announces that Yuan Shi, former Creative Destruction Lab-Vancouver Director and M&A expert, has joined The51 as Principal for the Food and AgTech Fund.
News
The51 adds two industry-leading allies in AgTech and Venture Capital, Alison Sunstrum and Kookai Chaimahawong, on their mission to advance financial feminism.
Alison Sunstrum and Kookai Chaimahawong, two highly reputable professionals in Agri-food, AgTech and venture capital, take on leading roles with The51's Food & AgTech Fund.
Calgary, Alberta, December 8, 2021 — The51 has added two, new, powerhouse team members to their organization as part of their newly launched Food & AgTech Fund. Alison Sunstrum joins as a General Partner (GP) and Kookai Chaimahawong as Venture Partner. As both women have worked extensively with the Agri-food and AgTech sectors, both bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to The51’s venture capital space.
News
The51 Ventures Inc. announces second fund focused on investing in women-led and diverse Food & AgTech companies.
The51 Ventures Food & AgTech Fund is leading investment in women and diverse teams and ventures in the agriculture industry.
Calgary, Alta, September 1, 2021 - The51 Ventures is proud to announce its Food & AgTech Fund is now fundraising with institutional and retail investors. This is the second fund for The51 Ventures, and this time it’s sector-specific: The51 Ventures’ Food & AgTech Fund is a full-stack fund focused on women-led and diverse businesses in the agriculture, food, and aquaculture technology sectors. The Food & AgTech Fund will drive impact and growth by investing capital in those who are at the forefront of innovation in these sectors but statistically underfunded and over-performing: women and diverse founders.
We want to hear from you
Are you a founder transforming food & ag?
Tell us more at entrepreneur@51agtech.com.
Please include information about your business and most recent deck.
