# Big Idea Ventures

> Big Idea Ventures is a New York-based venture capital and company-building firm focused on food, agriculture, materials, and the wider bioeconomy. Founded by Andrew D. Ive in 2018, it combines early-stage checks, a five-month accelerator, follow-on capital, corporate innovation challenges, and a rural venture-building fund that commercializes university intellectual property. The firm says it has made more than 160 investments across 30 countries and manages more than $150 million, while its 2025 acquisition of Vevolution added a digital network for connecting startups, investors, and corporate partners.

- **Founded:** 2018
- **Headquarters:** New York City, United States
- **Founders:** Andrew D. Ive (Founder and Managing General Partner)
- **Team size:** 11-50 employees on LinkedIn; supplied company data lists 54 employees
- **Products:** Global Food Innovation Fund II and Accelerator, Generation Food Rural Partners, Direct and follow-on investment, Corporate innovation programs, Vevolution platform
- **Notable:** Reported more than 160 investments across 30 countries by May 2026., Reported managing more than $150 million when it acquired Vevolution in May 2025., Acquired Vevolution, a platform that had facilitated more than $60 million in capital raises and served over 8,000 users at acquisition.

## Products & services

- **Global Food Innovation Fund II and Accelerator** — Global early-stage investment and five-month acceleration for companies working on proteins, fats, ingredients, sweeteners, flavorings, mono-crops, and enabling technologies. The published package is $125,000 cash plus $75,000 of in-kind support.
- **Generation Food Rural Partners** — A venture-building impact fund that evaluates university and institute intellectual property, forms companies around selected technologies, recruits management, and seeks to anchor jobs in rural U.S. communities.
- **Direct and follow-on investment** — Capital for selected food, agriculture, materials, and biotech companies outside or after the accelerator, including follow-on participation as companies scale.
- **Corporate innovation programs** — Technology scouting, challenge design, mentorship, pilot development, and commercial matchmaking for corporations seeking external innovation.
- **Vevolution platform** — A digital agrifoodtech network connecting startups, investors, and corporates and supplying continuous deal flow, analysis, and ecosystem mapping.

## Achievements

- Reported more than 160 investments across 30 countries by May 2026.
- Reported managing more than $150 million when it acquired Vevolution in May 2025.
- Acquired Vevolution, a platform that had facilitated more than $60 million in capital raises and served over 8,000 users at acquisition.
- Generation Food Rural Partners was selected as a 2023 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment Maker.
- Expanded Generation Food Rural Partners to 23 U.S. university relationships in 2023.
- Backed Standing Ovation early and participated in its €30 million Series B as it moved animal-free casein toward industrial scale.
- Bühler reported that New Protein Fund I had invested in and accelerated 65 alternative-protein companies by 2021.

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Added BioClé, CryoVera, RheaPlant, Saku Biosciences, and XiA'H to the latest Global Food Innovation Fund II cohort.
- **2026-05** — Opened the third Next Generation Pet Food Program with Mars Petcare and collaborators AAK, Bühler, Givaudan, and Ingredion, with a stronger Asia-Pacific focus.
- **2026-04** — Announced follow-on participation in Standing Ovation's €30 million Series B for animal-free dairy proteins.
- **2026-01** — Launched McCain Foods' Golden Crisp Innovation Challenge to identify delivery-friendly fry, packaging, coating, logistics, and appliance technologies.
- **2025-12** — Generation Food Rural Partners invested in irrigation technology company UpTerra as it reported deployment on more than 40,000 acres.
- **2025-05** — Acquired the assets of agrifoodtech investment platform Vevolution.

## Links

- Website: https://bigideaventures.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bigideaventures
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/bigideaventures
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bigideaventures9656
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bigideaventures_/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/BigIdeaVentures/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/big-idea-ventures
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-15