Food & Ag Tech Isn’t Collapsing—It’s Getting Smarter

Next Phase of Innovation Is Built on ROI, Not Hype

The headlines are loud: layoffs, bankruptcies, funding pullbacks. The narrative? Food and Ag Tech is faltering.

But the real story is far more promising: this sector isn’t collapsing—it’s maturing.

Just like cleantech or dotcom before it, this is a shakeout. A needed reset. And in an industry where producers, processors, and partners demand proof—not prototypes—that shift was overdue.

This isn’t the end of Food and Ag Tech. It’s the end of tech-for-tech’s-sake.

Innovation in Food and Agriculture Is Non-Negotiable

Regardless of funding trends, the need for transformation is only growing.

From field to food system, every node is under pressure:

• Less labor, fewer inputs, more volatility.
• Rising expectations for transparency, traceability, and sustainability.
• Climate shocks and supply chain fragility becoming the norm.

The path forward depends on smarter technology—not just to innovate, but to deliver real ROI.

Whether it’s biologicals, robotics, food safety software, or regenerative ingredient platforms, the solutions gaining traction today are the ones that solve for cost, compliance, performance, and productivity.

The Real Trend? Smarter Companies Are Winning

At 9 North Group, we’re embedded in the companies that are building for results—not just for headlines.

They’re not chasing buzzwords. They’re engineering commercial outcomes.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Verdant Robotics is transforming specialty crop operations with a precision spray platform that slashes labor and input costs. Grower demand is scaling—and they’re now operating cash-flow positive.

• CoverCress Inc., backed by Bayer, Bunge, and Chevron, turned a once-experimental oilseed into a commercial-ready crop. With strong partner alignment and repeatable results, they’re now seeing sustained year-over-year growth.

• Verinomics locked in multiple commercial agreements before exiting stealth—validating product-market fit for its computational breeding and gene-editing platform through early enterprise traction.

These aren’t just case studies—they’re proof points that execution beats excitement.

The companies gaining ground right now share five core traits:

1. Disciplined Go-to-Market Strategy
   → They win a clear use case, then scale.

2. Customer-Centric Execution
   → Whether farmer, R&D Lead, or Retail Channel Partner—they deliver fast, measurable value.

3. Capital Efficiency
   → They grow with less, not more.

4. Strategic Channel & Partner Alignment
   → They build with the ecosystem, not against it.

5. Proven ROI
   → They don’t ask the market to believe—they show results.

These are the fundamentals we help teams implement every day.

This Is the ROI Era

We tell every founder, investor, and innovation lead the same thing: ROI is the new R&D.

The market is rewarding clarity, traction, and adaptability—not complexity or concept-stage hype.If you want to get funded, adopted, and scaled now – ask yourself the questions:

• Can you prove value fast?

• Can you scale without imploding?

• Can you integrate into the current ecosystem?

• Can you make adoption frictionless?

If yes—capital follows. Partners commit. Customers stay.

If not? Even the best vision won’t make up for weak execution.

What 9 North Brings to the Table

We built 9 North Group to close the commercialization gap.

Too many great ideas in food and ag tech fail—not because the tech is wrong, but because the go-to-market is weak.

We’re not consultants. We’re executors. We help companies: launch faster, scale smarter and win real adoption. From startups to strategic partners, we’ve sat at every seat. Now, we sit beside you—building the engine that drives real growth.

Let’s Make Food & Ag Tech Deliver

This isn’t the moment to retreat. It’s the moment to refine. Our industry doesn’t need louder ideas. It needs sharper, ROI-driven ones.

Let’s turn your innovation into market traction.