FTW Ventures
Venture capitalSan Francisco · Pre-Seed–Series A · 4 people tracked
Investment thesis
FTW Ventures focuses on early-stage companies tackling major challenges in the global food system. The firm backs bold innovators building technology and solutions aimed at improving how food is produced and delivered, with a stated mission of building a better world.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 4 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 22 of 26 portfolio companiesBiotech ×8FoodTech ×7AI & Machine Learning ×6AgTech ×5New Materials ×5Circular Economy ×4Deep Tech ×4SaaS ×4
HQs:United States×11Canada×1United Kingdom×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 10 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×42 founders×53 founders×1
Investments · 26 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12024 · 22023 · 14 dated
Earthodic develops bio-based coatings for the paper industry that can be applied using existing equipment, helping companies transition to circular production models.
Circular EconomyCleantechNew MaterialsGeebung, US
Kate Lusvardi(Chief Technology Officer)Anthony Musumeci(Executive Officer, Director)Albert Tietz(Director)
BoardSarah Nolet(Director)in
Board seatJenn Burka· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsCirculate CapitalInvestible Climate Tech FundRedstick VenturesSignificant VenturesTenacious VenturesClosed Loop Partners
FreshFry makes an all-natural, self-contained adsorbent pod that filters and extends the life of frying oil without additional equipment.
Advanced ManufacturingCircular EconomyFoodTechNew MaterialsLouisville, US
Jeremiah Chapman(Co-Founder & CEO)Jacob Huff(Co-Founder & COO)
BoardAlex Frommeyer(Director)
Board seatJenn Burka· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsBluegrass Angel VentureLightship Capital
ALTR builds alcohol separation technology, including its Velvet Blade precision system, that lets beverage makers reduce the alcohol content of drinks such as wine while preserving flavor and sensory qualities.
Deep TechFoodTechHardware
Co-investorsAZ Venture Capital Inc.Bluestein VenturesJoyance PartnersRockstartTet Ventures
Arise offered outpatient eating disorder services, which are being paused; the page now directs individuals and families to the Monte Nido team for evidence-based treatment and recovery support.
Digital HealthMental HealthWellness & Fitness
Co-investorsBluestein VenturesVery Serious VenturesWireframe VenturesBBG VenturesInflect Health
Boston Bioprocess provides fermentation and bioprocess development services—including scale-up across 1.5L to 1,500L vessels, downstream process development, regulatory guidance, and tech transfer to CMOs—for companies bringing biomanufactured products to production.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechSaaSChampaign, US
Michael Tai(Executive Officer, Director)Ted Netland(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardJames Caffyn(Director)in
Co-investorsClear Current CapitalLever VCSiddhi Capital
Brilliant Harvest is an AI-powered helpdesk platform designed for equipment dealers that streamlines customer experience through automated technical support, knowledge management, and cross-departmental collaboration.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningSaaS
Remi Schmaltz(CEO and Founder)
Co-investorsAlpaca VCCorigin VenturesAutomotive VenturesBuilders VCNYA VenturesSVG Ventures | THRIVE
Debut applies AI and biotechnology to discover and formulate cosmetic ingredients and beauty products, decoding skin and hair at the genomic level to create novel actives.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechConsumerSan Diego, US
Joshua Britton(Founder)
Co-investorsGS FuturesMaterial ImpactBreakout VenturesKdT VenturesSandbox IndustriesACVC Partners+8 more
Geltor develops biodesigned proteins, including collagen products such as PrimaColl, used as active ingredients in cosmetics and personal care formulations.
BiotechNew MaterialsWellness & Fitness
Alexander Lorestani(Founder)inNick Ouzounov(Founder)in
Co-investorsAgronomicsAlwyn CapitalArgonautic VenturesBaruch Future VenturesBlue Horizon CorporationCavallo Ventures+12 more
Mountain View, US
Davide Sosso(Founder)
Co-investorsDoon CapitalMythos Ventures Management, LlcRedstick VenturesSVG Ventures | THRIVEWaterpoint LaneDeep Checks
Izote is a fermentation technology company developing an anaerobic process for industrial biomanufacturing.
BiotechDeep TechNew Materials
Co-investorsBee PartnersFREEFLOWJuniperRedstick VenturesCourtyard VenturesEmbark Ventures+1 more
Galley Solutions provides a culinary resource planning (CRP) platform for food operations, offering tools for recipe management, menu planning, and related workflows through integrations with third-party systems.
Enterprise SoftwareFoodTechSaaS
Co-investorsBranded Strategic HospitalitySaaS CapitalTet Ventures
Nfinite makes ultra-high barrier paper that is 100% curbside recyclable and designed as a drop-in replacement for flexible plastic packaging on high-speed form-fill-seal lines.
Circular EconomyDeep TechNew Materials
Chee Hau Teoh(Cofounder)Kevin Musselman(Founder)
Co-investorsMaRS Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF)Collateral Good
People Science runs real-world clinical research for the health and wellness industry, offering a decentralized clinical trial platform (Chloe Clinical) and a real-world data collection tool (Chloe LiveLab) alongside clinical research services.
Digital HealthHealthtechWellness & Fitness
Noah Craft(Founder)in
Co-investorsAcre Venture PartnersLifeforce CapitalNoeticBluestein VenturesSUPPLY CHANGE CAPITAL
Phytoform Labs develops GM-free genome editing tools and trait engineering technologies for crop improvement, with a focus on potato and tomato varieties.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningBiotechHarpenden, GB
William Pelton(Executive Officer, Director)Nicholas Kral(Director)Dhiraj Singh(Director)
Co-investorsBackedEniac VenturesFine Structures VenturesManta Ray VenturesWireframe VenturesRefactor Capital+1 more
Plantible Foods redesigns the food supply chain to advance health for people and the planet.
AgTechBiotechFoodTechImpact & Social GoodSan Marcos, US
Tony Martens(Founder & CEO)inMaurits Van de Ven(Founder)Alan Chen(Director)Maurits van de Ven(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsAstanor VenturesCerity Partners VenturesDoon CapitalGood FriendsLerer HippeauPiva Capital+4 more
Quorum Bio develops genetic engineering tools for precision fermentation, enabling the production of complex natural products using engineered non-model microbes.
AgTechBiotechFoodTech
Sudharsan Dwarknath, Ph.D(Co-Founder & CEO)Yasuo Yoshikuni, Ph.D(Co-Founder & Advisor)Sudharsan Dwaraknath(Founder)in
Co-investorsAg Ventures AllianceJuniperOverwater Ventures LlcChemistryCraft VenturesPace Capital
Snowline builds a patent-pending zero-emissions electric transport refrigeration unit (TRU) for refrigerated trucking fleets, offering predictive maintenance, telematics, and sensor data in one platform.
CleantechHardwareLogistics & Supply Chain
Spoiler Alert helps businesses with global supply chains reduce food waste and sell surplus inventory, addressing food insecurity and environmental sustainability challenges.
B2B MarketplacesCircular EconomyClimate TechData & InfrastructureFoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSBoston, US
Ricky Ashenfelter(Cofounder)
Co-investorsAcre Venture PartnersLaunchCapitalMaersk GrowthTechstars
Sylvan Health provides a turnkey nutrition care program that connects medical practices with a network of registered dietitians via virtual care, embedded into clinical workflows.
Digital HealthHealthtechWellness & Fitness
Co-investorsBlue Hour VenturesMarket Square VenturesNueterra Capital
Thombar offers an AI CFO ("Thomas") that monitors finances, tracks cash flow, and provides market intelligence on input costs and USDA shipping point prices for US specialty crop growers.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningFintech
Co-investorsCavallo VenturesRedstick Ventures
Snowline builds a patent-pending zero-emissions electric transport refrigeration unit and a connected platform that combines sensor, vehicle, and telematics data with predictive maintenance for refrigerated fleets.
CleantechLogistics & Supply ChainMobility & Transportation
Yali Bio develops climate-friendly fats and lipids designed for alternative dairy products such as butter, ice cream, milk, and cheese, using fewer inputs than conventional sources.
BiotechClimate TechFoodTech
Co-investorsFirst In VenturesS2G InvestmentsCRCM VenturesThird Kind Venture Capital
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesX · hydrocarbonprocessing.com · Aug 14, 2026
Quorum Bio · zeebiz.com · Jul 16, 2026
Izote · beepartners.vc · Apr 20, 2026
Thombar · thepacker.com · Mar 20, 2026
Brilliant Harvest · agtechnavigator.com · Feb 19, 2026
Geltor · geltor.com · Oct 13, 2025
ALTR · pulse2.com · Jul 10, 2025
Boston Bioprocess · agfundernews.com · May 30, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has FTW Ventures made?
- FTW Ventures has 25 tracked investments, including 1 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does FTW Ventures invest at?
- FTW Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is FTW Ventures's typical check size?
- FTW Ventures typically writes checks of $100K – $500K.
- What sectors does FTW Ventures focus on?
- FTW Ventures focuses on AgTech, AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Cleantech, Climate Tech, FoodTech.
- Where is FTW Ventures located?
- FTW Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, US.
- Does FTW Ventures lead rounds?
- FTW Ventures typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does FTW Ventures co-invest with?
- FTW Ventures most often shares deals with Redstick Ventures, Cavallo Ventures, Doon Capital, among 70 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamBrian Frank -- FTW Ventures
LA Venture Podcast · Brian Frank
Fancy Food Show Excite Talk with FTW Ventures’ Brian Frank
Gretchen VanEsselstyn · Brian Frank
Images
Co-investors · 6
SVG Ventures | THRIVE is a venture and innovation platform focused on the food and agriculture industries, running startup programs, corporate innovation initiatives, and a venture fund that invests in AgTech and FoodTech companies.
Cantos Ventures is an early-stage venture firm founded in 2016 that provides initial capital and ongoing counsel to founders building deep technology in areas such as robotics, energy, space, defense, and advanced manufacturing.
Stray Dog Capital is a venture capital fund backing innovative early-stage companies in the food, beverage, and biotechnology sectors that advance healthier, more humane, and sustainable outcomes.
SOSV is a deep tech venture capital firm that makes first-check pre-seed investments and follow-on rounds in startups focused on human and planetary health, providing lab space and hands-on support at its US locations.
Mayfield is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage consumer and marketplace companies, backing founders from inception through IPO.
Firms observed investing alongside FTW Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with FTW Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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SVG Ventures | THRIVE is a venture and innovation platform focused on the food and agriculture industries, running startup programs, corporate innovation initiatives, and a venture fund that invests in AgTech and FoodTech companies.