Tenacious Ventures

When things got tough, firefighter Wagner Dodge survived by pausing, rethinking his strategy, and innovating boldly. In our latest newsletter, Sarah Nolet applies this to #agtech -  the need for agility, critical thinking, and innovation in navigating challenging market conditions. Just like smokejumpers adapting to survive, startups also must make tough decisions and rethink their strategies when markets shift as they have recently https://lnkd.in/gQBtipHi

Who’s headed to the Global Food Forum in Brisbane tomorrow? From the rise of private equity and super funds in farmland, to high-value agriculture in Australia’s north, to #agtech and strategies for decarbonizing the industry— this forum will cover it all. Plus Sarah Nolet will be hosting a lunch table on "Climate Smart AgTech” The Australian Visy The Wall Street Journal 👉https://lnkd.in/g99_hgKR

How can bio-based products become as reliable as synthetic ones? What would it take to have plug-and-play, bio-based companies rivaling synthetic herbicides in stability and ease of use? What breakthroughs will make this happen, and how will they change the future of farming? This week, Sarah Nolet and J. Matthew Pryor dive into biologicals plus the latest news in agribusiness, agtech, and policy with Shane Thomas of Upstream Ag Insights, to share insights and explore the "so what?" behind the headlines.

What does Alphabet's decision to shutter Mineral say about the evolving dynamics of agtech innovation? What insights are there for agtech investors ? In our latest #AgTechSoWhat episode, Sarah Nolet and J. Matthew Pryor are joined this week by Shane Thomas, author of Upstream Ag Insights, to tackle: 🌱What sets agronomists and investors apart and where do they align 🌱What are the real vs. overhyped fintech and cybersecurity risks in agriculture 🌱What can Benson Hill's share offer teach us about business model pivots and IPOs in agtech 🌱Why biologicals are heating up  🌱Hypotheses on why Alphabet has shut down Mineral

Assessing a biologicals company? Us too! We’ve seen a ton, but not (yet!) gotten to conviction. Inspired by insights from industry veteran Joel Lipsitch on our latest #agtechsowhat podcast, here are seven crucial questions to ask when assessing biologicals startups: 1️⃣ What category of biologicals are we in? 2️⃣ How well do you know the science? 3️⃣ What are the lab and field results? 4️⃣ How does it fit into the environment? 5️⃣ Are your milestones focused on scientific or commercial risk? 6️⃣ Are you building a product or a platform–and why? 7️⃣ What’s your go-to-market strategy? What are we missing? How do you think about it? We’d love to hear from you!

The biologicals sector is evolving rapidly, driven by technical and scientific breakthroughs and fueled by regulatory tailwinds Yet, amidst this progress, critical challenges remain unaddressed. This leaves investors - especially those new to #agtech - wondering: are there true venture-scale opportunities here? At Tenacious, while we’ve gotten convinced on enabling technologies like RapidAIM Pty Ltd, we’re yet to make an investment in a biologicals product company. In our latest newsletter, Sarah Nolet shares what she learned from Joel Lipsitch for how to evaluate these businesses

In the realm of biological products for agriculture, embracing radical honesty is paramount. This is true in #agtech more broadly, but especially when the complex and unpredictable dynamics of biology are involved This means diverse trials across different soils And transparency about both effectiveness and limitations And more! In our latest #AgtechSoWhat episode, Sarah Nolet and Joel Lipsitch delve into HOW investors, farmers, and others can evaluate and build biologicals businesses, from pricing strategies and science to performance guarantees and novel business models. 

Many are skeptical about AI replacing human advisors in agriculture - what about biased data, flawed algorithms. Won’t more imperfect tech lead to less trust? Other think AI should work together with human advisors, not replace them completely. This way, AI can provide unbiased advice, while humans oversee and take responsibility for the final decisions. Or maybe agronomy is totally the wrong place to start? In our latest newsletter, J. Matthew Pryor digs into whether AI in agriculture will always have human oversight, how AI might improve decision-making without replacing human advisors, farm data fears, and more. Check it out 👇 https://lnkd.in/gjrqNjCs

For better or worse, the biological space is still in the process of repairing a reputation marred by years of over-promising and under-delivering. But lots of advances have been made recently. So how can farmers & investors distinguish this new wave of innovation from its “snake-oil” predecessors? This week, Sarah Nolet sat down with Joel Lipsitch, Founder of Blair Road Consulting and expert in biological products and businesses, to get his thoughts on: 🔍 Red and green flags in biological companies, from science to pricing 🌾 Bridging from lab to field  🚀 Biological go-to-market strategies and emerging business models.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are common enough now that we’ve all likely experienced an AI hallucination. While we acknowledge concerns about AI mistakes and data quality, letting them overshadow the potential benefits is also risky It's crucial to discuss these issues openly and work together—farmers, researchers, and AI experts—to develop and evaluate solutions Farmers' input is vital in this process. Their practical knowledge can help shape AI tools that improve farm productivity and sustainability. In our latest newsletter, J. Matthew Pryor delves into how embracing new - technology while being aware of its limits- can drive progress in agriculture.