2010-03-08 16:38:20 -
A flurry of activity among Bay Area investors points to surging interest in sustainable agriculture investment.
On March 24, hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts will convene at the Four Seasons Hotel in Palo Alto, California for Agriculture 2.0 : 
, the first event of its kind on the west coast.
Firms sending delegates include Kleiner Perkins : , Khosla : , Black River : , Foundation Capital : , Venrock : , Mohr Davidow : , Rockport : , Redpoint : , Flagship : , Slow Money Alliance : , among others. “Creating a sustainable food system will
happen one company at a time. It’s encouraging to see that investors are taking notice of this space, the fastest-growing niche in agriculture.” says Janine Yorio, Managing Director of NewSeed Advisors.
As co-host, US Venture Partners :
is securing its place as a thought-leader in sustainable agriculture, “Because feeding nearly 10 billion people by 2050—without destroying the planet—poses both a daunting problem and an enormous investment opportunity,” remarked Paul Matteucci.
Co-hosts NewSeed Advisors :
and SPIN Farming :
also launched the first Agriculture 2.0, which was held in September 2009 in New York City. The overwhelming response indicated a need to expand to the West coast. “Rebuilding a more sustainable food system will take as much innovation and investment as the digital revolution,” says Roxanne Christensen, co-founder of SPIN-Farming.
A jury selected entrepreneurs to present their investor-ready ag-business opportunities to the audience.
Company presenters include 18 Rabbits :
; AeroFarms :
; Capay Valley Growers :
; Cityscape Farms :
; Estancia Beef :
; FoodLogiQ :
; Inka Biospheric Systems :
; Itronics :
; Marrone BioInnovations :
; NextGen Illumination :
; Pasteuria Bioscience :
; PurFresh :
; Solum :
; TerraGreen Biologics; Vestaron :
; Verdant Earth Technologies :
; Wild Idea Buffalo :
.
Due to the overwhelming number of applicants, a separate track (sponsored by Aquacopia :
) will highlight investment opportunities in aquaculture. Company presenters include Blue Ridge Aquaculture :
; Hawaii Oceanic Technology :
; Kona Tuna; Litchfield Farms :
; Montana Microbial Products; Oberon FMR :
; and Open Blue Sea Farms :
.
In addition to investors, industry professionals from organizations like Dow Chemical :
, Toro :
, the USDA :
and Food Alliance :
are on the agenda.
Speakers include Jason Matheny of NewHarvest :
, Patrick Pohlen of Latham & Watkins :
, Michael Dimock of Roots of Change :
, Jeana Hultquist of US AgBank :
, and Derek Yurosek of Bolthouse Farms :
.
Information about the event, including registration details and the agenda are available at www.agriculture20.com :
.
A sellout crowd is expected, and all registrations must be processed online, in advance.
ABOUT NEWSEED ADVISORS :
NewSeed Advisors is both the founder of Agriculture 2.0 and an investor in and advisor to sustainable agriculture companies.
ABOUT US VENTURE PARTNERS :
U.S. Venture Partners (USVP) is a leading Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, dedicated to helping entrepreneurs build world-class companies that are leaders in their industry.
ABOUT SPIN FARMING :
SPIN-Farming publishes the SPIN-Farming® and SPIN-Gardening™ online learning series and conducts workshops in partnership with leading farming, gardening, environmental and investment organizations.
NewSeed AdvisorsJanine Yorio, 646-837-6391
janine@newseedadvisors.com : mailto:janine@newseedadvisors.com646-837-6391
