Jun 22, 2020 - Economy & Business

Crop sustainability developer Indigo Ag raises $300 million

Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

Indigo Ag, a Charlestown, Mass.-based developer of crop sustainability and selling solutions, raised around $300 million in new Series F funding, Axios has learned.

Why it's the BFD: Indigo is the world's most highly valued agtech startup, with a $3.5 billion post-money valuation.

  • The Series F round total is expected to be around $500 million, including an initial $200 million announced in January (of which $175m was equity).
  • Return backers include Flagship Pioneering and Alaska Permanent Fund, while Riverstone Holdings is a new investor. Fedex also participated on the initial tranche, while the post-money valuation is flat from a Series E round raised at the end of 2008.
  • Indigo Ag declined comment.

The bottom line: "Indigo started with a microbe-based seed treatment in 2016 and has since evolved into an online grain marketplace, an online transport matchmaking service for that grain, a carbon market to give farmers a financial incentive for sequestering carbon with regenerative agriculture, and a data platform underscored by its acquisition of the satellite imagery business TellusLabs," writes AgFunder News.

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Dan Primack
Jun 23, 2020 - Economy & Business

Scoop: Luggage startup Away raises new funding

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Away, a luggage startup known for its "smart" suitcases, has raised between $30 million and $40 million in new funding, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: This could help bridge Away to the other side of the pandemic, which cut into the company's product sales by more than 90%.

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Rebecca Falconer
Updated 31 mins ago - Science

Hurricane Isaias makes landfall in North Carolina

People walk through floodwaters on Ocean Blvd. in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on Monday. Photo: Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 1 storm near Ocean Isle Beach in southern North Carolina at 11:10 p.m. ET Monday, packing maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, per the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

What's happening: Hurricane conditions were spreading onto the coast of eastern South Carolina and southeastern N.C., the NHC said in an 11 p.m. update. Ocean Isle Beach Mayor Debbie Smith told WECT News the eye of the storm triggered "a series of fires at homes" and "a lot of flooding." Fire authorities confirmed they were responding to "multiple structure fires in the area."

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Axios
Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 a.m. ET: 18,224,253 — Total deaths: 692,679 — Total recoveries — 10,865,548 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 12:30 a.m. ET: 4,713,500 — Total deaths: 155,401 — Total recoveries: 1,513,446 — Total tests: 57,543,852 — Map.
  3. Politics: White House will require staff to undergo randomized coronavirus testing — Pelosi says Birx "enabled" Trump on misinformation.
  4. Sports: 13 members of St. Louis Cardinals test positive, prompting MLB to cancel Tigers series — Former FDA chief says MLB outbreaks should be warning sign for schools.
  5. 1 🎥 thing: "Tenet" may be the first major film to get a global pandemic release.
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