Omnivore, Beanstalk AgTech, and Briter release landmark study of investment opportunities in the region; backed by IFC, FMO Ventures, and Rabo Foundation

A new report authored by Omnivore, Beanstalk AgTech, and Briter argues that Southeast Asia sits on one of the largest untapped agricultural technology opportunities in the world and that India’s venture and governance evolution offers the most instructive model for unlocking it.

The Opportunity for AgriTech Investment in Southeast Asia is a comprehensive, data-driven analysis of the agricultural and AgriTech landscape across thirteen markets in the region, produced with support from FMO Ventures, IFC (World Bank Group), and Rabo Foundation. Drawing on Omnivore’s sectoral expertise; the report identifies four verticals showing the most credible momentum: digital value chains, inclusive AgriFinTech, agrifood life sciences, and sustainable consumer brands.

“We’ve spent over a decade investing in Indian AgriTech, watching the ecosystem mature through governance, exit opportunities, and the hard work of building market infrastructure,” said Mark Kahn, Managing Partner at Omnivore. “Agritech landscape in Southeast Asia is navigating a similar journey and India’s experience offers a genuine roadmap. The fragmentation is real, but so is the opportunity to uplift agricultural production and farmer communities across the region. Patient, disciplined capital that understands local market dynamics is what moves these ecosystems forward.”

Agriculture contributes approximately 15 per cent of GDP and employs up to 40 per cent of the workforce across the region. Digitalisation and AgriTech adoption could unlock more than $90 billion in annual GDP gains across Southeast Asia alone by 2033.

AgriTech investment across the region peaked at over $750 million in 2022 before falling nearly 70 per cent by 2025. The region has undergone a sharp correction, as investors reassess the structural realities of agricultural markets, fragmented value chains, and the challenges of venture scaling across Southeast and South Asia. Key insights from the research show where the next investment opportunities may emerge across the region.

The report’s findings challenge several assumptions that have shaped investment into the region. It highlights how there is no unified SEASA market, two-thirds of documented cross-border expansion attempts have failed, and the most defensible opportunities are single-market plays built around the right value chain, business model, and local execution team. Premature regional expansion was the cited cause of failure in over 60 per cent of venture collapses between 2022 and 2025.

On exits, corporate acquisitions account for roughly 75 per cent of liquidity events across the ecosystem since 2020, with only eight IPOs completed in the same period. The report points to India’s BSE SME and NSE Emerge platforms, the dedicated listing routes for growth-stage ventures below traditional IPO thresholds, as a model worth watching for SEASA.

DFIs and impact investors have committed a combined $650 million to agrifood funds across the region and remain essential to the capital stack. The next phase of scaling, according to the authors, will require blending equity, credit, and concessional capital.

The full report is available at omnivore.vc/sea-agritech