The Rise of CVC Arms Along the Agrifood Value Chain: A Strategic Analysis

As a plethora of Fortune 1000 companies along the agrifood value chain observe annual revenue decreases up to billions of dollars per year; these giants are looking outside their four walls and engaging with startups through corporate venture capital (CVC) more than ever, with 15 new arms forming since 2013. Using a modified version of the Ansoff Matrix, we evaluated the investment approaches of 14 select CVC arms through a strategic lens, gaining insight into their appetite for risk. We find that CVC arms favor platform solutions (circular area of framework) but are hesitant to branch out into new geographical markets (top two quadrants of framework). We do expect CVC investments to become more diverse, transcending markets and value chain positions. CVC arms will (and should) continue to invest in extensible platform solutions, but we expect them to expand more into new regions and product opportunities with high growth potential.