Betagro Launches Betagro Ventures to Support Food Tech Startups

Betagro, a prominent player in Thailand’s integrated food industry, has recently launched Betagro Ventures, a new corporate venture arm to incubate innovative startups in the food and agricultural technology sectors. 

With a focus on supporting innovation, Betagro Ventures has allocated a $30 million fund to invest in potential startups to drive advancements across its ecosystem. The fund will target early-stage startups aligning with its core strategies. 

This move by Betagro aims to support projects addressing consumer access to safe and high-quality foods, promoting sustainable protein sources, and enhancing green agrifood supply chains. 

By establishing Betagro Ventures, the company plans to spur innovation and drive growth within the food and agritech sectors in Thailand and beyond.

Betagro Ventures is set to pursue its core strategies, as outlined by Chayadhorn Taepaisitphongse, the company’s Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer and Managing Director. 

These strategies focus on enhancing consumer access to safe and high-quality foods, developing sustainable protein sources, and supporting a sustainable agro-industrial ecosystem. Implementing these strategies will involve targeted venture capital investments and the incubation of internal startups. 

Beyond financial backing, selected startups will gain access to Betagro’s extensive network, enabling them to leverage the company’s industry expertise and explore potential partnerships. 

Through direct investments, Betagro Ventures aims to leverage the broader Betagro ecosystem to support startups in accessing end-consumers, tapping into domain expertise, and exploring strategic partnership opportunities. Additionally, Betagro Ventures will focus on incubating and scaling internal business ventures, combining Betagro’s industry expertise with entrepreneurial talent to create resilient ventures that complement its core businesses.

Chayadhorn Taepaisitphongse, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Betagro and Managing Director of Betagro Ventures emphasized the role of Betagro Ventures in driving sustainable growth for Betagro’s businesses. 

He highlighted the importance of embracing an Open Innovation model to adapt to evolving consumer behaviors and technological advancements, stating that Betagro Ventures will play a key role in propelling the company into a new era of growth with a focus on sustainability and high-quality food production.

“Betagro Ventures will be a pivotal tool in driving BTG’s enterprises towards a new phase of sustainable expansion,” Mr. Chayadhorn remarked, underlining the company’s aspiration to encourage innovations that will propel Thailand and ASEAN’s food industry to unprecedented heights. 

A recent report from Boston Consulting Group illuminates Thailand’s startup landscape, revealing that the country hosts the fewest startups among Southeast Asian nations. Despite this, Thailand ranks as the second-largest economy in the region in terms of gross domestic product, indicating potential for growth and innovation in its startup ecosystem.

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