Cargill Invests in Fund to Advance Life Sciences R&D

American agribusiness Cargill announced plans Thursday to invest in Seventure Partners’ Health for Life Capital II fund to boost its presence in the microbiome and life sciences research and development space.

The venture capital fund invests in companies involved with digital technologies and life sciences, as well as firms focusing on microbiome solutions for health and nutrition. Several prominent companies, including Danone, Novartis, and Lesaffre, have already become investors.

“We’re thrilled to invest with Seventure Partners, given their deep expertise and knowledge of the rapidly evolving microbiome ecosystem,” Chuck Warta, president of Cargill’s health technologies business, said in a company release. “Together, we will expand the existing suite of health solutions available to consumers and bring more relevant products to market in the functional food arena. Ultimately, our goal is to help humans and animals live more healthy days.”

Cargill said its investment in the fund will assist it in driving product innovation and gaining insights on technologies and trends in the digestive and immune health markets.

“Microbiome innovations are now impacting many industries such as food, pharma, healthcare, retail, agriculture and animal feed and health, providing great opportunities for growth,” said Isabelle De Cremoux, chief executive officer and managing partner of Seventure. “In addition to the classic financial investors, our funds also include strategic corporate investors. I am delighted to start this collaboration with Cargill.”

Under the terms of the agreement, de Cremoux will join an internal Cargill advisory board that will provide guidance to the company as it expands its health technologies offerings.