Agthia Group launches a USD54 Mil corporate venture capital fund

With Group General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Mohammad Amro (pictured), at the helm of it’s legal team, Agthia Group, a diversified food and beverage company, has introduced Agthia Ventures, a USD 54 million (AED 200 million) corporate venture capital fund (CVC) aimed at bolstering the company’s innovation capabilities and fostering collaboration with startups to drive profitable growth in new and existing markets. 

With co-funding from Agthia and its parent company ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, Agthia Ventures will be managed in partnership with Touchdown Ventures, a global leader in establishing and operating bespoke CVC programs for renowned corporates, with an impressive track record of over 100 completed venture investments to date. 

Drawing on Agthia’s four decades of industry expertise, Agthia Ventures will offer a program to support promising entrepreneurs in food and related industries, helping them scale their operations and accelerate product development and market adoption. Startups will gain access to Agthia’s vast industry knowledge, distribution networks, technological infrastructure, research and development capabilities, marketing expertise, and established customer relationships. 

Leveraging Touchdown’s extensive network of startups, venture capital relationships, incubators, and accelerators, Agthia Ventures will actively seek attractive early-stage, seed, and growth investment opportunities within relevant geographies. 

The fund is open to a wide range of stages and will primarily invest in companies with a clear product-market fit and demonstrated revenue growth. The focus will be on brands, categories, and solutions that complement and align with Agthia’s business model, including areas such as snacks and beverages, value chain technology, and ingredient technology. 

The fund is stage-agnostic and will invest primarily in companies with clear product-market fit that are demonstrating revenue growth. Investments will focus on brands, categories, and solutions across Agthia’s portfolio that are both complementary and adjacent to its business model, for example in snacks and beverages, value chain technology, and ingredient technology.

Target investment interests include premium and “better for you” snacks and beverages, functional water and hydration, alternative proteins, sustainability solutions in farming and packaging, e-commerce solutions for the food and beverage industry, and other capability enhancements relevant to Agthia’s value chain.