Food-tech angels are best found through dedicated groups and a few well-documented individuals. COREangels Food backs European food and agtech start-ups with up to €100,000, AgTech Angels serves Australia, and public rounds show Bill Gates and Kimbal Musk behind UPSIDE Foods. AgFunder counts $16.2 billion of agrifoodtech funding in 2025.
Food and agriculture startups can be slower and more capital-intensive than software, which is why specialist angel groups exist. No public source ranks food-tech angels, so this guide lists the groups and individuals that sources document, and says what each source does and does not show.
Which angels and angel groups back food tech and agtech?
In alphabetical order:
AgTech Angels (Australia). The AgTech Angel Investor Network says it gives members deal flow in Australian agtech and a community of investors, entrepreneurs and industry experts. Its pitch to investors names four areas: agricultural decarbonisation, climate resilience, supply chain integrity and robotics. Members are eligible for full membership of the Regional Angels Investor Network.
COREangels Food (Europe). A group that invests up to €100,000 in early-stage founders across the European food ecosystem, in start-ups valued below €5 million. It describes itself as a rolling angel fund aiming for 30 to 50 angels and a portfolio of 20 to 30 start-ups, with €50,000 to €100,000 per start-up and angel tickets of €25,000 to €150,000. Its fund leaders are Pedro Bandeira, who says he has founded nine companies and built and managed ten angel groups, and João Reis, formerly at McKinsey, who spent eight years at the wine producer Sogrape.
Bill Gates, Kimbal Musk and Richard Branson (UPSIDE Foods). The cultivated-meat company's company page, as archived in May 2026, says its Series A was raised with support from Gates, Cargill, Kimbal Musk, Richard Branson and Threshold, and lists Gates and Kimbal and Christiana Musk among its existing investors, with John Doerr among those supporting its latest round.
Oprah Winfrey, Natalie Portman and Howard Schultz (Oatly). They joined Roc Nation and others in Oatly's $200 million round in July 2020, which Blackstone Growth led.
The last two entries are high-profile individuals in large rounds, not first-cheque angels, and they show a different kind of backer: well-known individuals who joined large rounds. For first-cheque angels in this sector, the specialist groups are the better-documented route.
How much money is moving into food tech?
AgFunder reports that global agrifoodtech funding hit $16.2 billion in 2025, down 3% on the year. Upstream start-ups, meaning farms, food production and biological systems, drew $9 billion, up 7% even as deal count fell 12%. Its 2025 report put the 2024 total at $16 billion, a 4% drop, so the 2026 report's 3% fall implies the 2024 base was revised upward. AgFunder's reading is that investors are being more selective, and the biggest deal of 2025 was 80% smaller than the 2021 peak.
For European angels, EBAN's 2024 data shows food at 6% of angel euros, down from 7% the year before, with energy at 7%. That is small next to software and fintech, which is why specialist groups matter.
What does it cost to join a food-tech angel group?
If you want to be an angel rather than raise from one, the terms matter. COREangels Food's page says its fees are paid out of the investment ticket and are not charged annually, that a carry of 20% of profits from exits goes to COREangels International and the group leaders after investors are paid, and that at least 75% of the money must go into start-ups. A ticket starts at €25,000 and can be paid in tranches over 12 months if it is large. Compare those terms with solo investing, which has no carry but needs you to source and diligence every deal yourself; the solo angel versus fund guide sets out that trade-off.
What do food-tech angels look for?
Two sources give a direct answer. COREangels Food's thesis targets "coachable" founders with an unfair advantage who are digitising value chains, creating circular systems, opening new value streams or meeting changing consumer demand. AgFunder says investors in 2025 directed capital toward companies with tangible science, real unit economics and clear paths to revenue.
Practical advice follows from that:
Show unit economics at pilot scale, not only at the vision stage.
Be specific about the regulatory path for your product and how long it takes.
Name the first retailer, distributor or farm customers and what they have agreed to.
Plan the next round early. Hardware and biology take longer to reach the milestones that unlock it.
How should you approach food-tech angels?
Check the group's thesis against your stage and valuation first. COREangels Food, for example, says it looks at companies valued below €5 million, which rules out many later rounds. Then ask for an introduction through a portfolio founder or the group leader, and bring a short deck that shows traction in numbers.
Related reading: the food tech and agtech investing guide, the neighbouring page on climate tech angels, the Europe guide, how to join an angel group or syndicate, pre-seed versus seed funding and the wider angel investing section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Are there angel groups that specialise in food tech?
Yes. COREangels Food backs early-stage food and agtech start-ups in Europe, and AgTech Angels serves the Australian agtech sector. Both publish their focus and how to apply on their own sites.
Q:How much do food-tech angels invest?
It varies by group. COREangels Food says it invests €50,000 to €100,000 per start-up and that its angels' tickets run from €25,000 to €150,000. Individual angels rarely publish their cheque sizes.
Q:How much funding did agrifoodtech receive in 2025?
AgFunder reports $16.2 billion globally, down 3% on the prior year. Upstream start-ups received $9 billion, up 7%, while deal counts fell.
Q:Do celebrity investors back food-tech start-ups early?
Sometimes. UPSIDE Foods lists Bill Gates, Kimbal Musk and Richard Branson as Series A supporters, but in Oatly's case the celebrity investors joined a $200 million round. Check the stage before treating a famous name as an early-stage signal.