CDP Venture Capital leads the formation of Novagria Ventures; a system project for the italian agri-food supply chain

• €5.65 million initial endowment for the venture building initiative dedicated to the Agri-food Supply Chain.
• Goal: To create up to 6 new companies in 3 years with a fundraising target of approximately €45 million to fill digitization gaps and maintain the competitiveness of the SME network operating in the sector.
• Involvement of primary investors from the agri-food industry, such as Mutti, Sipcam Oxon, and Crédit Agricole Italia, in addition to the venture builder partner GELLIFY.

Parma, October 16, 2025 – CDP Venture Capital launches Novagria Ventures, a venture building project for the agri-food supply chain, aimed at stimulating the creation of new innovative companies capable of supporting the efficiency of the entire market value chain. The initiative was presented today at the headquarters of Le Village by CA Parma, in the presence of national and local Institutions and the leadership of all involved partners.

Through the Boost Innovation Fund, CDP Venture Capital – in agreement with the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy – has facilitated the formation of Novagria Ventures, a special purpose vehicle dedicated to building and launching new entrepreneurial initiatives that will develop products or services for the digitization and innovation of the SMEs operating in the agri-food supply chain.

With a total investment of €5.65 million, Novagria Ventures' goal will be to create up to 6 new companies over the next 3 years. These companies will be subject to subsequent equity investments by the Boost Innovation Fund of CDP Venture Capital for an amount up to approximately €25 million, which can generate an additionality effect on the market with total investments of up to approximately €45 million. The new companies generated will contribute to bridging the process and technological gaps of companies operating along the entire supply chain, aiming to increase operational efficiency, environmental sustainability, food safety, and the sector's global competitiveness.

The agri-food sector raised approximately €15 billion in global investments in 2024, with a particular growth in the share of the "upstream" area—the initial part of the value chain that provides the raw materials and fundamental innovations for the entire sector (e.g., primary production, supply of means of production like seeds, fertilizers, crop protection products, machinery, irrigation systems, research and development of new varieties, biotechnologies, cultivation methods, and genetic innovations). This specific market segment has seen investments grow from 31% in 2018 to 38% in 2024.

The Italian market for digital solutions in the agri-food sector is estimated at around €2.3 billion, with an average annual growth rate of 30% over the last 5 years, demonstrating the growing interest in digital technology from the primary and processing industries. Among the most frequent digitization needs in the national supply chain are: traceability and transparency of food, the B2B market for raw materials, and smart farming.

The following are participating in Novagria Ventures as investors: GELLIFY – a global innovation factory that integrates strategy, design, and technology, supporting organizations in implementing new business models, technology roadmaps, digital strategies, and products – which will operate as the venture builder partner, managing the construction of the new initiatives; Mutti, the historic company from Parma, a European leader in the tomato derivatives market which, since 1899, has focused exclusively on 100% Italian tomatoes, leveraging the key values of quality and Italian tradition alongside respect for the supply chain and the territory; Sipcam Oxon, an Italian multinational active for 80 years in the development, production, and marketing of solutions for crop protection and nutrition, such as crop protection products, biostimulants, biorationals, specialty fertilizers, and seeds; Crédit Agricole Italia, part of the Crédit Agricole Group, among the top 10 banking groups in the world, present in 46 countries including Italy, deeply rooted in the territories where it operates and with a strategy inspired by sustainability and innovation, which will host the operational headquarters of the company at the premises of Le Village by CA Parma.

Furthermore, the following institutional partners are adhering: Regione Emilia-Romagna, Clust-ER Agroalimentare (a private association of companies, research centers, and training bodies that share skills, ideas, and resources to support the territorial competitiveness of the agri-food sector), and Aretè (an intelligence, forecasting, and strategic consulting company specializing in agrifood).

"You are working to strengthen the agri-food supply chain and agribusiness, which represents an identity supply chain for our Region: for its history, relationships, contribution to GDP, ability to internationalize and, above all, for the quality of products resulting from exceptional expertise. It is no coincidence that we are the only region with 44 DOP and IGP products, an unparalleled level of production certification," commented Vincenzo Colla, Vice President of the Emilia-Romagna Region, thanking CDP Venture Capital and the project partners. "However, we cannot stop. We must be ambitious, pursue innovation, know how to manage it, and integrate it into our production processes. To do this requires investment and system work. ART-ER collaborates with local businesses, clusters, and technopoles: we must build an integrated system between public and private sectors, which is the key to our quality and our ability to attract and retain investments. We look with great attention at the proposals and financing methods put in place because the agri-food supply chain of Emilia-Romagna speaks to the whole country and the whole world."

"With the launch of Novagria Ventures, we are introducing a model still rare in Italy: a true factory of new businesses, built starting from the real needs of the agri-food supply chain and developed side-by-side with its protagonists. In a market increasingly polarized by the hype surrounding Artificial Intelligence, it is the industry itself that is investing in the digital innovation it needs, in a structured alliance between entrepreneurs who know the supply chain, institutional actors, private entities, and ecosystem players," stated Michele Giordani, Managing Partner & Founder of GELLIFY – CEO of the Venture Builder.

"Our history teaches us that quality and tradition must always be in dialogue with the capacity to innovate. Only in this way can we guarantee a solid and sustainable future for the Italian agri-food sector, which today represents a heritage to be enhanced and made increasingly competitive," added Francesco Mutti, CEO of Mutti. "That is why we are proud to support the birth of Novagria Ventures, which, through innovation and digitization, aims to strengthen our SMEs and create new opportunities for the entire sector. At Mutti, we already test artificial intelligence, together with our agricultural supply chain, to reduce our water footprint, and we apply it in our production sites to select quality tomatoes, but we are aware that the level of application can be much broader. I strongly believe it is a duty for companies with the capability to guide and stimulate the development of new solutions to generate a common long-term benefit."

"Since 1946, we have been proud to support farmers with our work, which we carry out with competence, technique, passion, and independence. Technologies are one of the keys to supporting the future of the agricultural world and guaranteeing global food security. Together with the other partners, we support Novagria Ventures, an important innovation and digitization project because it constitutes a concrete opportunity to find solutions that strengthen the competitiveness of the Italian agri-food supply chain," said Nadia Gagliardini, President of Sipcam Oxon.

"With the formation of Novagria Ventures, we manage to combine two fundamental aspects for us: attention to the Agri-food sector and attention to innovation through the Village by CA network," concluded Roberto Ghisellini, Co-General Manager of Crédit Agricole Italia. "Together with CDP Venture Capital and the other partners, we will provide all our expertise and support to sustain a sector that is one of the pillars of our economic system, and we are happy that the Venture Builder will be perfectly located at the Parma Village, which has its strong point in its relationship with the Agri-food sector."