During SIA 2026, a roundtable brought together investors and field stakeholders around a central issue: how to assess the relevance and viability of AgTech innovations.
In a context of funding rationalization, expectations are evolving. Innovation alone is no longer sufficient: demonstrating concrete impact has become decisive.
Three Key Criteria to Convince Investors
1. Demonstrate Measurable Field Utility
Solutions must address a clear operational need:
- time savings on the farm
- margin improvement
- regulatory compliance simplification
👉 User adoption becomes a central indicator.
2. Rely on Concrete Performance Indicators
Investors expect quantified evidence:
- ROI (return on investment)
- adoption and retention rates
- impact on yields or costs
👉 Field data takes precedence over promises.
3. Secure a Credible Business Model
The robustness of the model relies on:
- recurring revenue (subscription, services)
- ability to scale through partners (cooperatives, grain traders)
- control of acquisition costs
👉 Distribution and field networks are differentiating factors.
Expectations Aligned with Agricultural Realities
The presentations by Lucas Wadt (Fermes Leader), Anne-Valérie Bach (Capagro), and Laurent-David Charbit (Tikehau Capital) converge: AgTech must prove its value directly on the farm.
The solutions that prevail are those capable of:
- integrating into existing practices
- generating rapid economic benefit
- supporting regulatory and traceability requirements
- The era of isolated “proof of concept” is over
- Field evidence becomes the primary investment driver
- Business and agronomic indicators are decisive
- The agricultural distribution model is a key competitive advantage
