The51 Food & AgTech Fund

The51 Food & AgTech Fund is a venture fund dedicated to making early-stage investments in food and agtech innovation. The fund focuses on four key sectors: agriculture biotechnology, automation, farm innovation, and food innovation, seeking to advance science-based technologies and novel approaches that enhance productivity, improve efficiency, and mitigate climate change across the agricultural value chain. Through strategic capital deployment, the fund aims to foster solutions that address critical global challenges within the food system.

The fund was initially announced in September 2021 by General Partners Judy Fairburn, Alison Sunstrum, Yuan Shi, and Shelley Kuipers. Their collective insight stemmed from recognizing the significant opportunity within the food and agtech sector to combat climate change, coupled with a commitment to supporting diverse founders. The fund operates as a sector-specific initiative under The51 platform, which generally focuses on activating capital into ventures led by women and diverse teams.

The fund's primary "customers" are early-stage founders and companies developing transformative technologies in food and agriculture. The long-term vision is to support visionary entrepreneurs in building resilience within the food system, reducing carbon emissions, and diversifying the social finance market. The fund actively seeks to scale ambitious technological solutions that promise a positive global impact, contributing to a more sustainable future for the planet.