Rize raises $31 million to accelerate sustainable rice farming in Vietnam and Southeast Asia

The round brings together a coalition of climate-focused and development finance investors committed to scaling Rize’s model across Vietnam, Indonesia, and the wider region.

The equity raise was led by BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts, and joined by The Rockefeller Foundation, alongside renewed commitments from existing investors Temasek and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Debt financing is catalysed by BIDV, Temasek Foundation, and UOB.

The cash injection brings Rize’s total funding to date to $47 million, and will be deployed across export expansion, AI-powered tools for farmers and field teams, carbon and innovation initiatives, and organisational growth. In the two years since its Series A, Rize has scaled operations more than tenfold.

The Series B will support Rize’s efforts to strengthen market linkages into export markets, underpinned by traceability across the value chain, to bring low emission rice at no premiums. The funding will accelerate the adoption of alternate wetting and drying practices and maximum residue limit compliance, bringing the core practice that cuts emissions and raises farmer income to more farmers, faster, while ensuring more of Rize's rice meets the residue and safety standards required by demanding export markets.

With the fresh funding, Rize will double down on innovation and modern farming practices – driving higher yields, lower emissions and better outcomes for farmers. The startup will also expand into new markets across borders, growing its footprint beyond Vietnam and Indonesia through and explore additional markets in the region. Rize will open the platform to new ecosystem partners, so that input and services players and agri-tech providers can access its farmer network and help farmers grow more, and grow better.

Rize emerged in late 2022 from a shared vision between Temasek, 100x100 and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with 100x100 playing a key role in the early-stage build. The company now works with 17,000 smallholder farmers across over 50,000 hectares in Vietnam and Indonesia, with a team of 250 people on the ground across technology, agronomy, and field operations.

Dhruv Sawhney, co-founder and CEO, Rize, said, "This is a very special moment for Rize. Our platform and approach for transforming and modernising rice cultivation by small holder farmers is getting a big thumbs up by all - the investors, partners and farmers."

"The team at Rize has successfully woven together positive climate impact and improving farmer resilience into the fabric and foundation of our solutions and business. This investment allows us to unlock the next phase of growth by further expanding scale, investing in market linkage and exports, and cutting-edge technologies to deliver better decision-making, better productivity, and better outcomes across the whole value-chain."

Alexandre Martin-Min, head of Natural Capital & Impact Investments at BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts, said, "We see our investment in Rize as reflective of our conviction that capital deployed into high-impact, durable platforms in underserved markets can deliver meaningful and measurable environmental outcomes to help address climate challenges."

"Rize has positioned itself at the intersection of sustainable agriculture, carbon finance, and verified commodity trade; very much aligned to our strategy to protect, restore, and sustainably manage natural ecosystems while delivering competitive financial returns for investors.”

Slav Gatchev, vice president of Innovative Finance at The Rockefeller Foundation, said, "Small shareholder farmers across Asia face challenges with resource management, access to financing, and unreliable market access – leading to lower agricultural yields and reduced farmer welfare. We are proud to support Rize’s efforts to boost the adoption of tech-enabled regenerative practices, ultimately driving higher yields and increasing incomes for those who need help the most."

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