Last call! We're hosting a free webinar Thursday to discuss sustainable investing philosophies and how they intersect with topics like greenwashing.
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| Environmental issues at the forefront of discourse within the agtech industry | | Investors, startups, corporates, and even a few farmers came together in San Francisco this week to plot the future of agriculture—and the technologies needed to address present and future challenges. The World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit also happened to coincide with the release of our 2021 Annual Agtech Report. Although one might expect an agtech conference to focus on solving the biggest pain points for farmers, an even greater emphasis was placed on addressing environmental issues such as greenhouse gas emissions, soil health, and drought. These issues are both caused (in part) by agriculture and are increasingly affecting the ability to achieve yields necessary to feed a growing global population. For example, synthetic chemicals are used extensively to boost yields and to prevent crop loss from pests and fungus. However, overuse of these chemicals is damaging soil health and breeding resistant pests, which is limiting long-term yield potential. Technologies are being developed to replace existing practices with more environmentally friendly options.  | | Non-clients can access a preview of our premium research. | Our new agtech report highlights that the most active sector within agtech regarding VC funding was indeed ag biotech, which includes environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic chemical inputs like fertilizers and pesticides. Companies in the sector collectively raised $3.2 billion in 2021, up 50% YoY. This focus was mirrored at World Agri-Tech, with sessions such as "Rethinking Synthetic Fertilizer: The Race for Alternatives is On" and "Microbials: Evolving the Biologicals Stack into Market-Ready Products." One takeaway from these featured sessions is that governments, food companies, and ag stakeholders are aligning on the environmental impacts and implications for agriculture—and they're supporting tech that can help address causes or adapt to the effects. Another leading agtech driver from our research and a key topic at the conference? Labor shortages. Global urbanization, the migration of people from rural to urban environments, is creating an agricultural labor shortage, and growing populations mean farmers need to produce more with fewer workers. Tools like AI & ML and autonomous field equipment may not replace workers, but they will drive efficiency. Farms have been collecting data with IoT hardware for over a decade, but recent improvements in farm software are finally making that data actionable and prescriptive for growers. Increased collaboration among agtech providers and farmers will be key to forming a feedback loop that accelerates innovation that drives results for farmers. For more insights, click to download a preview of our 2021 Annual Agtech Report, and feel free to reach out with any questions. PitchBook clients can access the full research here. Feel free to reach out with questions or feedback, or if you would like to discuss the research. | | | | | | | |
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VC activity in Greater China had a remarkable 2021.
Nearly $114 billion was invested into the region—the second-highest total ever—across 5,815 deals in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Exits had an exceptional year, too.
But policy changes from Beijing have loomed over VC and tech. The government's crackdown on overseas IPOs sent share prices plunging for China-based US-listed companies.
So, how will tightening regulations impact the market going forward? We've already seen SoftBank and other large investors indicate they'll be more cautious with future investment in the region.
Get more data and analysis in our full report: | | | | | |
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FINTECH—The final numbers on fintech activity from 2021 were just mind-blowing.
VC-backed companies worldwide raised more than $120 billion, a 153% annual increase in deal value.
Exits hit $332 billion, nearly triple the exit value of the prior 10 years combined.
Our 2021 Annual Fintech Report goes deep into major trends driving this industry boom, breaking down the key market segments and analyzing emerging opportunities across the broader landscape. A few key takeaways: - Neobanks and BNPL take center stage, yet a challenging outlook has emerged.
- There has been an explosion of new services, providers, and infrastructure amid the crypto resurgence.
- Payments are increasingly becoming embedded into software and services as a differentiator.
| | | | | | INTERNET OF THINGS—VC investment in global IoT startups was relatively muted in 2021, at least compared to other high-growth tech industries.
But a pair of $10 billion+ exits and several IoT-adjacent security and mobility listings drove liquidity events to outstanding heights.
IoT security, in particular, is positioned to lead another big year for exits given its IPO pipeline.
Our 2021 Annual IoT Report gives a comprehensive overview of VC ecosystem trends across industry segments, updated market size estimates and market maps, and an analysis of key emerging opportunities.
The full report for clients includes the following and much more: - 4,145 segmented public and private companies
- Key VC deals and investors active in the space
- Exits data and a strategic buyers list
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Fund strategies analyst Anikka Villegas, our ESG and impact investing specialist, weighs in on recent ESG-related rule change proposals from the SEC:
"The SEC's proposed rule changes on climate-related disclosures would be a large step forward for the US in the game of catch-up it has been playing with the EU on ESG integration, disclosure mandates, and convergence.
"While the rule would still only bring the US incrementally closer to EU levels of regulation and seems to be aimed only at public companies, the implications for the private markets could still be substantial.
"As PE- and VC-backed companies consider public listings, they would need to factor in conformance to the SEC's requirements, bringing increased awareness of climate-related risks to earlier-stage companies.
"In addition, the growing crowd of investors crossing into the private markets may come to expect or desire these disclosures from all of their investments, regardless of ownership status, in order to benchmark and report at the portfolio level.
"The SEC has also been vocal about greenwashing, and with the 'environmental' aspect of ESG frequently receiving disproportionate attention, more clarity on what an acceptable investment portfolio looks like would help quell the waves of greenwashing accusations being made.
"Standardization and convergence resulting from the proposed rule changes may ultimately result in greater legitimacy for ESG in the US."
| | Anikka Villegas
Analyst
Fund Strategies & Performance | | | | | |
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Our insights and data featured in the press: - PE funds are pushing deeper into pro sports: "These are rarefied assets that they're just not printing more of." [Bloomberg]
- Katie Haun's crypto fundraising haul marks the largest among new venture funds with at least one female founder. [WSJ]
- Last year, VC investors plowed $3.4 billion into nuclear startups—more than in every year over the past decade combined. [BNN Bloomberg]
- As private investment has become more global, Greater China remains a focal point of investors. [Institutional Investor]
- Robot machines, farm management software and satellite imaging tools are among the agtech solutions that could help increase productivity in Europe. [Handelsblatt]
If you're a journalist interested in interviewing our analysts or requesting data, contact our PR team. | | | | | |
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Highlights from our other recent research:
Market updates Thematic research Emerging Technology Research Coming next week (subject to change) - Allocator Solutions: Cash Flow Forecasting and Commitment Pacing
- PE in the European Insurance Sector
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| | Since yesterday, the PitchBook Platform added: | | 346 Deals | 1642 People | 478 Companies | 28 Funds | | | | | | |
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