Koltiva, an Indonesia-based tech start-up focused on agriculture supply chains has announced an undisclosed investment from impact investors Silverstrand Capital with additional funding from existing investor, The Meloy Fund. Planet Rise, Development Finance Asia and Blue7 also participated in the round.
The funding round will allow Koltiva to accelerate the development of its existing technology which creates traceability data and delivers agronomy advice to help smallholder farmers improve their agricultural practices and income. It also supports large multinational companies to comply with responsible sourcing practices.
Two new technology modules will be commercialised using the funding round. The first module, KoltiPay, is a fintech platform that not only provides cashless payment transactions for small-scale farmers but also offers them crop insurance and loans.
KoltiTrade is the second new module and will enable farmers to purchase affordable agricultural inputs as well as provide direct access to premium markets for their crops, helping them improve their incomes. Both will integrate into Koltiva’s end-to-end technology ecosystem which includes its traceability and farm management software (KoltiTrace) and training services arm, KoltiSkills.
“Sustainability and ethically-produced goods have become critical decision-making factors for consumers the world over,” said Manfred Borer, Chief Executive Officer of Koltiva. “Agribusinesses and multinational companies that want to produce goods to meet that demand need to understand where ingredients come from, and the transparency and trustworthiness of the data. That is exactly what we do. This new round of funding will help us accelerate our five-year goal of supporting five million farmers while ensuring goods are responsibly produced and free of deforestation, conversion, exploitation, human rights abuses, and child labour.”
Koltiva began its operations in Indonesia in cocoa production but has since expanded to 30 commodities including coffee, palm oil, and rubber, and specialty crops. The Company has recently moved into climate solutions and the ‘blue economy’ including seaweed and shrimp farming. Koltiva now operates in 27 countries with a $20bn and growing addressable market opportunity.
“Koltiva supports more than 700,000 smallholder farmers globally, helping them increase average yields by 70 per cent and average prices by 48 per cent. We believe that the commercial launch of the new modules will significantly improve the company’s ability to increase farmers’ income while accelerating and diversifying Koltiva’s revenue growth,” said Peter Kennedy, Chief Investment Officer at The Meloy Fund.
Koltiva generates traceability data through a marriage of technology with in-person engagement through its extensive agronomist network. Koltiva’s agronomists provide capacity building and technical assistance to smallholder farmers. By working closely with the producers, Koltiva is able to help businesses buy produce they can be sure has been grown responsibly and ethically.
“Koltiva stands out for being both highly focused on social issues and for offering a really integrated suite of products and services across multiple commodities and geographies. They’re a one-stop-shop for farmers, processors, traders and large agribusinesses alike,” commented Kelvin Chiu, founder of Silverstrand Capital, a family office in Singapore which invests in biodiversity-positive businesses.
About Koltiva
Established in 2013, Koltiva is a technology-enabled service company empowering over 700,000 producers and business users across 27 countries. Koltiva supports some of the largest multinational companies by digitizing and verifying global supply chains, focusing on enhancing traceability, inclusiveness, and sustainability. Koltiva combines quadruple-tech (agritech, fintech, edutech, and climatech) with “boots on the ground” services to improve producers’ outcomes and profitability while building more sustainable supply chains.
About The Meloy Fund
The Meloy Fund for Sustainable Community Fisheries is an impact investment fund that incentivises the development and adoption of sustainable fisheries by making debt and equity investments in fishing-related enterprises that support the recovery of coastal fisheries in Indonesia and the Philippines.
About Silverstrand Capital
Silverstrand Capital is a Singapore-based single-family office with an impact mandate focused on addressing the biodiversity challenge by supporting a more regenerative economy. The investment strategy places emphasis on systems change, as Silverstrand seeks to accelerate the wide-scale adoption of regenerative practices in food systems and beyond, striving to restore ecological health and biodiversity to the planet.
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