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Ohalo's David Friedberg on Accelerating the Next Agricultural Transformation

As agriculture and food systems experience unprecedented technological change, one of the most urgent challenges remains clear: how to finance and scale breakthrough innovation. At the 2025 Asia‑Pacific Agri‑Food Innovation Summit, David Friedberg, CEO of Ohalo and long‑time ag‑tech investor - shared candid insights on the capital models, scientific breakthroughs, and collaborative ecosystems that will shape the region’s next agricultural transformation.

Watch the full interview here: 

What models of collaboration between capital providers and technology developers are proving most effective in Asia’s agri-food landscape?

“I think the biggest challenge a lot of food companies are having that are technology oriented is scaling and the capital needed to scale. If there's a hiccup or your unit economics don't get hit, the projects almost always seem to get derailed. So finding capital partnership to get those projects across the finish line here is really important. That has like a patient orientation, recognising there's going to be steps of failure along the way.”

What opportunities and responsibilities are you seeing for the investment landscape as supply chains and consumer needs change?

“So I think that's probably the biggest challenge is getting the right capital partnership to drive all the way through to the end. The biggest opportunity right now in global ag and food is in using these new breeding techniques where you can actually create entirely new crops. You can create crops that have seed that have never had seed before.

We can dramatically improve the productivity or the yield for the farmer. So these aren't just kind of incremental step change type results. These are massive improvements in outcome. And I think it really is probably one of the more profound moments we've seen in agriculture going back to 1926 when hybrid breeding kind of first made its way into the market. And that really launched the seed industry.”

Why is it important for you to be part of agri-food innovation events like this?

“I think we're right now on the precipice of another sort of transformative home in agriculture.
There's no single market here. There are many markets.
There are many different partners, different paths to market, different production partners. And so getting everyone together and being able to have 12 meetings in an afternoon and build your whole sales pipeline or partnership pipeline that would have otherwise taken you a year is highly productive. That's what makes it a great event.”

Save the Date: Asia‑Pacific Agri‑Food Innovation Summit 2026

Join industry leaders, innovators, investors, and sustainability pioneers next year as the region continues shaping the future of food.
📆11-13 November 2026
📍 Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
🔗 More details coming soon — stay tuned!