Investor Profile: SP Ventures — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

SP Ventures is a Sao Paulo venture firm founded in 2007 and widely regarded as a leader in agfood technology in Latin America. It backs early stage companies that use technology to make agriculture and food more productive, sustainable and profitable, from inside the farm gate to the supply chain beyond it. For founders exploring SP Ventures funding, here is its thesis, funds, portfolio and how to approach the team.

Thesis

SP Ventures describes itself as an early stage investor in agfood and climate tech that seeks financial returns alongside a positive impact on society. Founding partner Francisco Jardim has framed the thesis around the entire agribusiness value chain, split between activity inside and outside the farm and between life science and digital solutions.

Sectors and stages

SP Ventures invests at late seed and Series A stage, after an early period when it also made pre-seed bets to help build the regional agtech ecosystem. Its core sectors are agricultural technology, food technology, climate solutions for the agfood chain, ag fintech and digital tools for producers, traders and processors. It is centred on Brazil and Latin America, with activity also in Argentina and the United States.

Fund size and cheque size

SP Ventures manages its AgVentures fund series. Its AgVentures II fund drew a $5 million commitment recorded by the Inter-American Development Bank and a $4 million investment by BASF, while its newer AgVentures III fund has been reported as targeting $80 million for up to 22 startups, with an $8 million investment from IDB Lab. Jardim has described initial cheques of $700,000 to $1.5 million for a $75 million vintage, with reserves up to $2 million per company.

Notable portfolio

SP Ventures has backed more than 30 technology firms transforming agribusiness, according to BASF at the time of its AgVentures II investment. Its published founder testimonials and deal history include agricultural credit platform Agrolend, food company FriZata, crop intelligence company ZoomAgri, farm data company Leaf, crop receivables platform Bart Digital, cattle platform JetBov, receivables marketplace Traive, vertical farming company Pink Farms and biological inputs company Solubio.

Partners and team

SP Ventures is based in Sao Paulo, and its founding and managing partner is Francisco Jardim, who has led its agtech strategy since its earliest funds. The team's pitch to founders is sector depth rather than generalist coverage: partners who have sat on agtech boards, co-invested with corporate strategics such as Syngenta Ventures and BASF, and helped portfolio companies raise follow on rounds.

Programs, credits and perks

SP Ventures does not run a published credits programme for startups. Its most distinctive ecosystem programme is PulseHub, an accelerator for sugarcane and ethanol technology that the firm co-founded in its early ecosystem building years and which Jardim has described as the first agtech accelerator in Latin America.

How to apply for funding from SP Ventures

SP Ventures does not publish a verified open application portal with a guaranteed review timeline, so founders should approach the firm only through its official site at spventures.com.br and its published entrepreneur route there. Lead with the agfood problem in one sentence, your link in the value chain, evidence of producer or buyer traction, and why your solution is defensible in Latin American conditions.