Investing in AgriFood and the Power of IP

Investing in FoodTech and AgriTech

What key factors do you consider when evaluating investment opportunities in FoodTech and AgriTech startups?

At Piece Future, we invest where innovation meets impact. 

Within the FoodTech and AgriTech sectors, we prioritise innovation that addresses the world’s most pressing challenges: strengthening food security, enhancing climate resilience and promoting the sustainable use of resources.

We assess whether a start-up’s technology can be scaled across diverse agricultural environments and food systems, while delivering clear, measurable gains in efficiency and sustainability. Equally, we seek market differentiation that translates technological potential into lasting market leadership.

How does a strong IP portfolio influence investment decision(s) and the potential for scaling in these sectors?

IP forms the architecture of growth across industries, but this is particularly true in the FoodTech and AgriTech sectors, where innovation involves long development cycles, significant capital requirements and the complexities of global supply chains.

A strong IP portfolio signals that a start-up has the foundations to transform science into sustainable business value. It serves as an indicator of credibility, reassuring investors of the company’s ability to scale and compete globally. Beyond credibility, IP creates strategic opportunities: it enables start-ups to pursue licensing, build partnerships and secure premium market positioning while protecting core innovation. For investors, this demonstrates that the business model is capable of generating sustainable growth and long-term value.

Which emerging trends or technologies in FoodTech and AgriTech do you see as most attractive for investors in the next 3–5 years?

Over the next three to five years, we expect FoodTech and AgriTech to be defined by innovations that accelerate productivity and strengthen go-to-market strategies.

Precision fermentation, alternative proteins, robotics, controlled-environment farming and AI-enabled platforms are rapidly transitioning from research into commercially viable solutions.

We believe the most attractive opportunities to be those that move beyond innovation to measurable impact — solutions that scale across value chains, drive efficiencies and build trust, ultimately shaping the future of food and agriculture.

What challenges do companies face in protecting their IP in agriculture, especially across different regions?

Protecting IP in agriculture is particularly complex. Innovations span plant genetics, biologics, machinery and sensing technologies, where infringement is often difficult to detect once deployed in the field. Formal patent protection alone may not always be sufficient; organisations frequently need to supplement it with trade secrets, data governance and carefully structured partnership agreements.

Although most jurisdictions recognise intellectual property rights, the consistency and strength of enforcement vary considerably. In many developing markets, legal frameworks remain underdeveloped or unevenly applied, leaving innovators with limited recourse when infringements occur. As a result, agricultural start-ups must be selective and strategic — prioritising filings in mature IP economies such as the US, Europe, China and Japan, while adopting alternative approaches in regions with weaker protections. Those that take a forward-looking stance are better positioned to safeguard their innovations and strengthen investor confidence.

How can a strong IP strategy help agricultural startups attract investment and create long-term value?

A strong and credible IP strategy signals that agri-food innovation can be protected, validated and commercialised across markets. According to WIPO, more than 3.5 million inventions have been patented in the agri-food sector over the past 20 years, with AgriTech accounting for about 60% of filings and FoodTech the remaining 40%. Yet only 12% of these patents are filed internationally, leaving many start-ups protected domestically but exposed abroad.

Start-ups that limit protection to their home market face barriers to scaling and heightened risk of imitation overseas, undermining both competitiveness and long-term value creation. By contrast, a robust IP strategy that secures protection in priority jurisdictions, aligns with go-to-market roadmaps, and combines patents with tools such as plant variety rights, trade secrets and data governance, lays the foundation for credibility, resilience and sustained growth.

Such strategies do more than safeguard ideas: they strengthen negotiating power with partners, enable differentiated market positioning and underpin enduring enterprise value. Ultimately, IP becomes not merely a defence mechanism but a central driver of investment attractiveness and long-term growth in the agricultural sector.

Summary

Looking ahead, the success of FoodTech and AgriTech will hinge on the integration of innovative solutions, strategic investment and robust intellectual property. Start-ups that combine these elements are poised not only to scale effectively but also to address global food challenges, drive sustainable growth and shape the future of agri-food systems.