June brings the Summer Solstice, the day when the North Pole is oriented the farthest toward the sun and the Northern Hemisphere sees the most daylight for a single day. The Solstice is a crucial time for agriculture in this hemisphere. It marks both peak crop growth and the greatest uncertainty with weather patterns, including summer storms and droughts. As with the season’s crops, our team and our portfolio also thrive, stretching toward the light and staying rooted in our resilience.
This month we share our heartfelt congratulations to the team at Domaine De Graux who have earned B Corporation designation. We also celebrate the continued growth of our portfolio and foundation with notable funding announcements from biotope by VIB, Pymwymic, and Antler Bio.
From the Farm
Domaine De Graux is proud to be part of the B Corp community! This certification is fully aligned with our mission: to prove that another agricultural model is possible, where farming goes hand in hand with respect for the earth, and where every action aims to create a positive, lasting, and concrete impact.
By joining the nearly 10,000 certified B Corps worldwide, Domaine De Graux stands alongside businesses committed to building a fairer and more responsible future.
This recognition marks a new milestone in our journey. It reflects the hard work of the entire team and strengthens our determination to show, with our hands in the soil, that a more harmonious future between people and nature is not a utopia, but a reality in motion that can inspire others to take action.
Summer is an exciting time at Domaine De Graux. Over the next few weeks, a real transformation will start taking place at the domain that places agroecology, education and authenticity at the heart.
In the meantime, with the delicious harvest so far, the team has also developed a variety of new products from the orchards, including walnut oil, a no-waste flour made from pressed walnuts, and fresh apple juice. The barley has been harvested and will be sold to the Cultivaé cooperative, while six local restaurants are set to test dishes featuring meat from the Mangalica pigs.
Portfolio News
Biotope Group
Congratulations to Ekoplaza for reaching the milestone of 200,000 Ekovrienden!
Ekovrienden is Ekoplaza's loyalty and impact program in The Netherlands that turns everyday grocery shopping into meaningful change. Customers can create a free digital profile and by scanning their Ekovriend card in-store or online, they can earn 1 Eko per 1€ spend. Ekovrienden is more than a loyalty scheme, it's building a climate-positive movement, enabling shoppers to engage directly with producers and sustainable projects. Learn more about becoming a member and how you can support sustainable initiatives here.
Since the launch of Ekovriend in 2022, there have been more and more of us: more fathers and mothers, more connoisseurs and enthusiasts, more and more people thinking about the future. And that is very good news. Because the more we are, the more we get done!
All these Ekovrienden not only contribute to a more sustainable food system with their messages, they also show that they - just like us - believe in change from the bottom up. Thanks to Ekovrienden, Ekoplaza and Biotope Group can realize green projects. Projects on their own soil and further away, that matter and bring concrete change.
Ekoplaza involves all their Ekovrienden in the food chain and shows that if you follow your heart, it is contagious and you can actually make a difference. Help increase the impact of Ekovrienden. And join them!
Edacious
Edacious helps Wyebrook Farm put numbers behind their nutrition, launching another case study on nutrient density and farm practices.
Ardo
Ardo published their Agro report May with positive news from the fields: finally, rain in the North and sun in the South.
For vegetables in the North, after two dry months, the rainfall came back just in time with quite optimal growing temperatures. The rainfall at the end of May should transform the potential of the crops into good yields and good quality.
For vegetables in the South, the weather has finally also changed. After a cold and wet spring, heat and drought finally appeared around the end of May. Water reserves are quite full after the wet winter.
Ardo has also been awarded “Company with the Biggest Heart 2024”. Ardo has been recognized by the Belgian Red Cross for their ongoing commitment to blood and plasma donation. This award reflects the dedication of the team and the broader commitment to social responsibility. Ardo is proud to continue supporting this initiative in 2025.
Steward
Steward’s current lending opportunities include a working capital loan to scale StarWalker Meats’ direct-to-consumer sales and their Evergreen lending program.
Antler Bio
Antler Bio announced a $3.8 million (£3.23m) investment to scale its world-first EpiHerd system. The investment round was led by The First Thirty Ventures and included Endgame Capital and Generation-RE.
Quick Organics
The Quinn Institute joins the organic operations who have leveraged Quick Organics platform to streamline their Organic Systems Plan.
Monarch Tractor
Monarch partnered with Scout to develop an AI-enabled tool for vineyards. With this latest innovation, a simple field pass for mowing can now gather vine-level data for crop performance optimization, virus detection, canopy and fruit performance analysis, and yield forecast.
Monarch was also named to the 2025 THRIVE Top 50 AgTech Report by SVG.
biotope by VIB
Biotope Ventures 2 Fund
June was a successful month for biotope by VIB. They announced the first close of their fund, Biotope Ventures II, securing €5 million toward their €9 million target! The fund focuses on early-stage, bold, and diverse biotech founding teams working on planetary health solutions. Read the update in Dutch.
Fund contributors included: BNP Paribas Fortis, Agri Investment Fund (AIF), SFPIM Relaunch, Anacura, VIB, The Nest Family Office, and Edaphon.
Seed Round Closed for Another biotope Portfolio Company
biotope by VIB portfolio company, PFx Biotech, Lda, raised €2.5M. The biotech startup produces non-GMO, allergy-free bioidentical human milk proteins by precision fermentation. The funding round was led by Buenavista Equity Partners (formerly GED Capital) and supported by EIT Food and Βeta Capital. PFx is the fourth startup in the biotope by VIB portfolio to close its seed round.
Basecamp wrap-up
The incubator wrapped up an intense 3-week basecamp period. All the founders in the last cohort have pitched in front of the investment committee. Stay tuned to know which of these founders will be backed by a €250K biotope ticket.
Pymwymic
Pymwymic made their eleventh and twelfth investments for their Healthy Food Systems Fund II. Rival Foods is a Dutch food-tech company that develops innovative plant-based meat alternatives. Rival Foods raised €10 million for its Series B round from investors including Pymwymic and APG, ROM Utrecht Region, and Peak Bridge. Rival Foods was the eleventh investment Pymwymic made through their Healthy Food Systems Fund II.
Pymwymicco-led Doktar’s >€7m Series B round, for their twelfth Healthy Food Systems Fund II. Doktar provides a one-stop-shop digital AgTech platform to large food corporates to support climate impact programs at scale.
Omnivore
Omnivore and AgFunder launched their report, Developing Markets AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2025. The analysis covered trends in the Agrifoodtech investment in developing markets with funding at $3.7 billion in 2024, up 63% from 2023 and accounting for 23% of global investment.
Synthesis Capital
The team from Synthesis Capital highlighted four attributes they look for in investment opportunities: scalable business models with strong economics, clear market demand, defensible IP portfolios, and resilient, mission-driven teams.
Blume Equity
In their latest insight, Blume Equity covered how industry demand, including insurance products, carbon and nature markets, and supply chain visibility, drive the growth of Earth Observation technology.
Food as Medicine Foundation
Top 50 Farmers
In June, Top 50 Farmers highlighted inspiring farmer stories from across Europe, from Belgium’s pioneering biodynamic farm De Blauwe Spie, to Portugal’s resilient TERRAMAY, to innovative projects like syntropic farming in Italy, mosaic farming in Switzerland, and orchard revival in Greece. These stories showcase how farmers are regenerating land, food systems, and communities.
Opportunities
Arborview Capital has 39 jobs at 8 companies, including Soli Organic and Kite Hill.
Two jobs are open at Edacious, Senior Product Designer and Lab Technician.
Omnivore’s portfolio is hiring for 179 positions across 34 companies.
AgFunder lists available roles in fields like engineering and biotech for its portfolio.
