Hatcher+ and partners launch agritech fund

VENTURE investment management platform Hatcher+ is teaming up with Melbourne-based Tiverton Agriculture Impact Fund and Singapore-based First Degree Global Asset Management to launch an agritech fund in Singapore.

The fund, CarbonNation, will invest in profitable, carbon-credit producing, sustainable farming properties. It is an open-ended fund with a minimum size of US$20 million.

The consortium's first project is a 100-year-old farming property 900 km north-west of Brisbane, Queensland.

It has been re-engineered to produce crops and carbon credits profitably and sustainably, while protecting soil quality and providing a haven for 5 locally-endangered species of birds and animals, the 3 parties said in a joint statement.

Based on the demand, the consortium intends to build a portfolio of 8-10 sustainable farming properties within the next 18-36 months.

John Sharp, co-founder of Hatcher+, said his personal experience convinced him to help establish CarbonNation. "Growing up on a farm, I have seen first-hand how damaging older farming and fertilising techniques can be to soil health and the environment," he said.