Fundraising Fox
Sprout
AcceleratorPalmerston North · Pre-Seed–Seed · 20 people tracked
Also known as Sprout Agritech Accelerator · Sprout Financial Llc
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Investment thesis
Sprout backs bold early-stage founders across the agrifood value chain, aiming to transform breakthrough science and ideas into globally scalable startups. It positions itself as an ecosystem catalyst, connecting startups to industry, local to global markets, capital to innovation, and knowledge to action. Through offerings such as Germinate, the Sprout Accelerator, partnerships, and investment, the firm provides early-stage funding and hands-on venture support to help founders build teams and navigate growth. Sprout emphasizes the critical role of global agrifood systems in feeding the world, supporting livelihoods, and sustaining the environment.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 20 people
from the firm's website & curated
Founder mafia
3 people who came through Sprout went on to found or lead other companies.
What they invest in
from 13 of 14 portfolio companiesAgTech ×7Biotech ×6AI & Machine Learning ×5FoodTech ×3SaaS ×3Climate Tech ×2Consumer ×2Circular Economy ×1
HQs:New Zealand×9United Kingdom×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 10 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×72 founders×3
Portfolio companies · 14 tracked
alumni founders can tell you what the program is really like
AIMER offers an AI-driven pasture management platform that measures pasture covers via smartphone scans, partial farm walks, or satellite imagery and provides growth forecasts, feed wedges, and automated grazing and supplement plans.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningSaaSUK, GB
Jeremy Bryant(Founder)
Co-investorsNZVCPacific ChannelEnterprise Angels
Appetise is a meal-planning app that generates recipes and smart shopping lists, letting users shop for ingredients online or in-store at their local supermarket.
ConsumerFoodTechMarketplacesRetail TechSaaS
Elise(Co-Founder)Toby Hilliam (Skilton)(Founder)in
Co-investorsArc AngelsBlack Sheep CapitalIcehouse VenturesNZVCOIF VenturesOur Innovation Fund+1 more
Bontia Bio is a synthetic biology company that uses proprietary fermentation technology to create natural bioactive compounds for animal health and agriculture, with its first product targeting fleas and ticks in companion animals.
AgTechBiotechHealthtechWellington, NZ
Co-investorsBooster Innovation Fund
DNAiTECH develops molecular diagnostic tests for point-of-care applications, including its PLACID platform combining paper-based LAMP-CRISPR technology, serving both medical and agricultural diagnostic markets.
AgTechBiotechMedical DevicesWellington, NZ
Dr Murray Broom(CEO and Founder)Tatiana Ceban(Founder)
Co-investorsEnterprise Angels
Forever Harvest is a cellular horticulture company that grows fruit and nut cells in controlled environments, developing plant cell lines and growth media to produce custom fruit and nut ingredients for industry partners.
AgTechBiotechFoodTech
Jooules produces alternative protein using microbes and gaseous fermentation to address sustainability challenges in the food sector.
BiotechClimate TechFoodTechWellington, NZ
David(Founder, CEO)Goldy(Director, Australia)
BoardTrevor(Chairman)
Co-investorsFinistere VenturesOurCrowd
Metrovate designs peptide-based biostimulants for crops using computational protein design and AI models.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningBiotechClimate Tech
Nikolai Macnee(Founder)in
Co-investorsFinistere VenturesOurCrowd
POP-Labs makes POP-Topper, a daily powdered food-topper supplement for dogs formulated with superfood ingredients to reduce inflammation and support joint, heart, gut, immune, skin, and cognitive health.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerWellness & Fitness
Co-investorsOctopus Ventures
Protag offers an app that gives farmers insights into livestock health, grazing patterns, and pasture use to help manage farm operations.
AgTechIoT
Baden P.(Founder)in
Co-investorsNZ Growth Capital Partners
Rocketspark is a website builder and ecommerce platform that enables users to create websites, design pages, set up online stores, and manage marketing activities including lead generation through forms and email campaigns.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyE-commerceMarketing TechSaaSCambridge, NZ
Grant Johnson(Founder)in
Sapro-Tech develops biopolymer-based textiles, including a patent-pending leather alternative made from fungi (mycelium) and plant materials that is biodegradable, plastic-free, and animal-free.
Circular EconomyCleantechNew Materials
Co-investorsCreative HQ — The Incubator
Scanabull develops computer vision technology to automate cattle weighing for farmers and livestock processors.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningHardwareWaikato, NZ
Paul Sealock(Technical Co-Founder)inDan Bull(Chief Executive Officer)inUrsula Haywood(Chief Commercial Officer)in
Co-investorsEnterprise Angels
Scentian Bio combines synthetic biology and AI to develop biosensors based on synthesized insect odorant receptors, creating a digital sense of smell and taste that can detect and measure the concentration of thousands of compounds.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDeep Tech
Andrew Králíček(Founder & Chief Technology Officer)inJonathan Good(Chief Executive Officer)inColm Carraher(Chief Scientific Officer)inNikki Lorigan(Chief Financial Officer)
Co-investorsBooster Innovation FundDYDX CapitalFinistere VenturesIcehouse VenturesOurCrowdToyota Ventures
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
28toZero
Fund performance · per public LP disclosures · 5
as of Sep 2025| Fund | Vintage | Committed | Net IRR | TVPI | DPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout Capital IX, L.P.LPs: Washington State Investment Board, Michigan Municipal Employees' Retirement System, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation | 2000 | — | 5.7% | 1.40x | 1.42x |
| Sprout VIII, L.P.LPs: Washington State Investment Board | 1998 | — | -0.9% | 0.90x | 0.94x |
| Sprout Capital VII, L.P.LPs: Washington State Investment Board, Michigan Municipal Employees' Retirement System | 1995 | — | 21.5% | 2.70x | 2.67x |
| Sprout Growth II, L.P.LPs: North Carolina Retirement Systems | 1993 | — | 15.4% | 1.98x | 1.98x |
| Sprout Capital VI, L.P.LPs: North Carolina Retirement Systems | 1989 | — | 18.5% | 2.16x | 2.16x |
Source: public limited-partner disclosures (CalPERS, CalSTRS). Net IRR / TVPI / DPI as reported by the limited partner; a fund's early-year IRR is an interim estimate (J-curve).
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Sprout made?
- Sprout has 14 tracked investments.
- What stage does Sprout invest at?
- Sprout invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What sectors does Sprout focus on?
- Sprout focuses on AgTech, Biotech, Cleantech, Deep Tech, Fintech, FoodTech, IoT, Marketplaces, Robotics.
- Where is Sprout located?
- Sprout is headquartered in Palmerston North, NZ.
- Who does Sprout co-invest with?
- Sprout most often shares deals with Enterprise Angels, Booster Innovation Fund, NZVC, among 13 tracked co-investors.
Images
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