China’s Meituan-Dianping Raises $3.3B, How BlueCart Streamlines Restaurant Supplier Management For Free + More

Every week we curate and deliver the latest food tech and innovation news, trends and research to our readers’ inboxes. Tracking the top technology and innovation happenings across agriculture, CPG, retail, restaurants, cooking and health, our newsletter is the absolute easiest way to stay on top of the emerging sector.

From Jawbone raising $165M but loosing half its valuation, to an inside look at an innovative storage startup that’s reducing produce loss for small-scale farmers, these are last week’s top food tech news and innovation stories.

Like what you read? Feast your eyes on the full newsletter here, or, better yet, sign up for Food+Tech Bytes to get the latest and greatest food tech and innovation news delivered to your inbox every week.

_______________

1. Millennial Food Innovators: FoodFresh Reduces Produce Loss For Bangladeshi Farmers

Created by 5 students from University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, this alternative storage unit lowers post-harvest losses for small-scale farmers via solar power.

2. How BlueCart Streamlines Restaurant Supplier Management For Free

BlueCart’s free supplier management platform lets restaurants & foodservice order from all their suppliers and analyze spending from a central dashboard.

3. Organic, Local, Sustainable. But Can Startups Make Sure Food is Safe? – Chicago Tribune

In 2016, investors predict AgTech entrepreneurs and investors will be focused on more controlled ways to grow food and to ensure its safety across the supply chain.

4. China’s Meituan-Dianping Raises $3.3 Billion in Biggest Startup Round Ever – Wall Street Journal

The online seller of movie tickets and restaurant bookings raised capital from range of investors.

5. FreshDirect Updates Delivery Service – Wall Street Journal

The online grocer is making a play for more last-minute shoppers with delivery in as little as one hour.

6. 5 Lessons From Raising Venture Capital in Agtech – AgFunderNews

Benson Hill Biosystems co-founder Matthew B. Crisp reflects on the state of fundraising for AgTech startups.

7. Jawbone Adds $165M But Loses New President and Half Its Valuation – MobiHealthNews

Funding came from Kuwait Investment Authority. The terms of the deal drop Jawbone’s valuation by half but give employees a larger pool of equity, causing their shares to maintain value.