Indonesia-based sustainable farming and supply chain traceability startup Koltiva announced a seven-figure series A financing round earlier this morning led by top-tier, early-stage venture capital firm AC Ventures, with participation from Silverstrand Capital, Planet Rise, Development Finance Asia, and Blue 7, with existing investor The Meloy Fund, a prominent impact investor in Southeast Asia.
In a joint statement released today, Koltiva stated that it will use the fresh capital to expand its software-as-a-service for multinational corporations to have supply chain traceability from seed to table.
Manfred Borer, Koltiva’s co-founder and chief executive officer, explained, “Koltiva goes beyond traceability. By providing comprehensive seed-to-table traceability, we empower corporations to wisely navigate the dynamic landscape of evolving regulations and sustainable practice compliance while enhancing smallholder producers’ livelihoods. We aim to foster an ecosystem benefiting global brands while also uplifting the grassroots level of the supply chain. We envision a world where transparent and sustainable trade is standard.”
Agritech offerings by Koltiva include producer profiling and plot mapping, seed-to-table traceability, and training and coaching with its field experts and agronomist team. On the climate front, Koltiva is building products that can help with greenhouse gas assessments and offers clients climate-smart farm support, land use mapping, and risk alerts.
According to the same joint media release by Koltiva and AC Ventures, Koltiva is breaking new ground in the context of agri-based product traceability. By developing software that provides seed-to-table traceability, the company ensures that the journey from input materials, through farm operations and distribution, to the final consumer is transparent. This innovation helps large multinationals and enterprises trace the origin of their food supply, much of which comes from smallholder producers in Indonesia and other countries where Koltiva operates.
The company’s relevance is amplified by new and strict regulations like the EU’s Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR), mandated by the European Council, which necessitates that companies prove the absence of deforestation in their products and adhere to specific legal standards. Consequently, over 50,000 EU-based businesses are now obligated to adhere to this regulation, and non-EU companies significantly engaged in EU activities must also ensure their compliance.
While Koltiva’s solution is essential for industries like cocoa, coffee, rubber, and palm oil, it is not just a service but a transformative tool offering a comprehensive web and mobile app that handles activities like producer registration, surveys, crop transaction monitoring, deforestation mapping, and measuring greenhouse gas emissions on farms.
The platform currently boasts over one million producers and 6,800 businesses, indicating a significant need for its innovative food supply chain tracing, climate tech offerings, and more. With roots in Indonesia, Koltiva has a worldwide reach. The team works with producers in 52 countries, and almost half of these smallholders are in Indonesia. The rest are spread out across countries like Brazil, China, the Ivory Coast, and more.
Helen Wong, managing partner at AC Ventures, concluded, “As multinational businesses lean more toward sustainability, Indonesia-based Koltiva is poised to become a major player in ensuring transparent supply chains. By bolstering the livelihoods of small-scale farmers in emerging markets and helping them to adapt to climate change, Koltiva is a great example of how modern tech can reshape conventional industries, deliver global impact, and build a more environmentally sustainable future for generations to come.”
