Climate-focused agritech startup Rize has raised $47 million in fresh funding to accelerate the expansion of its technology-driven rice cultivation platform across Southeast Asia, strengthening efforts to improve farmer incomes, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilient, export-oriented rice supply chains.
The financing brings together a consortium of global climate and development finance investors, underscoring growing confidence in technology-enabled regenerative agriculture as a scalable solution to food security and climate challenges. The latest investment will support Rize's next phase of growth by expanding its presence beyond Vietnam and Indonesia while enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities, digital traceability systems and carbon-focused agricultural initiatives.
The equity round was led by BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts, with participation from The Rockefeller Foundation and existing investors Temasek and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Complementing the equity investment, debt financing has been mobilised through BIDV, Temasek Foundation and UOB, providing additional capital to support operational expansion.
Since its Series A financing two years ago, Rize has increased the scale of its operations by more than tenfold, evolving into one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing climate-smart agriculture platforms. Today, the company partners with approximately 17,000 smallholder farmers cultivating more than 50,000 hectares across Vietnam and Indonesia, supported by a multidisciplinary workforce spanning agronomy, technology development and field operations.
The newly raised capital will primarily be directed toward strengthening export market access through enhanced end-to-end traceability, enabling rice producers to meet increasingly stringent international food safety and sustainability standards. The company also plans to expand the adoption of alternate wetting and drying (AWD)—a water management practice that significantly lowers methane emissions while reducing irrigation requirements and improving farm profitability.
In parallel, Rize intends to invest heavily in AI-powered decision-support tools designed for farmers and field teams. These digital technologies will help optimise crop management, improve productivity, support compliance with maximum residue level (MRL) requirements and generate reliable farm-level data for carbon programmes and sustainable commodity markets.
The company also plans to broaden its platform into a collaborative agricultural ecosystem, allowing input suppliers, technology providers and service companies to connect directly with its growing network of farmers. This integrated approach is expected to accelerate the adoption of regenerative farming practices while improving access to agronomic services and commercial opportunities.
Founded in late 2022 through a collaborative initiative involving Temasek, 100x100 and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Rize was established with the objective of modernising rice cultivation for smallholder farmers while integrating climate resilience into agricultural production systems.
Commenting on the latest funding milestone, Dhruv Sawhney, Co-founder and CEO of Rize, said the investment validates the company's vision of combining climate action with improved livelihoods for farming communities.
He noted that the new capital will enable Rize to significantly expand its geographic footprint, deepen investments in advanced technologies and strengthen market connectivity, helping farmers achieve higher productivity, greater resilience and improved economic returns while supporting low-emission agricultural production.
Alexandre Martin-Min, Head of Natural Capital & Impact Investments at BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts, said the investment reflects the firm's confidence in scalable platforms capable of delivering measurable environmental outcomes alongside sustainable financial performance. He added that Rize's integrated approach to sustainable agriculture, carbon finance and verified commodity supply chains aligns closely with the firm's long-term investment strategy.
Echoing this perspective, Slav Gatchev, Vice President of Innovative Finance at The Rockefeller Foundation, highlighted the challenges faced by smallholder farmers across Asia, including limited access to finance, constrained resource management and volatile market opportunities. He said technology-enabled regenerative agriculture has the potential to improve productivity while strengthening farmer incomes and long-term resilience.
As governments and global food companies intensify efforts to decarbonise agricultural supply chains, climate-smart rice production is gaining strategic importance. Rice cultivation accounts for a significant share of agricultural methane emissions globally, making innovations such as AI-driven farm management, digital traceability and water-efficient cultivation practices increasingly critical for achieving climate targets without compromising food production.
With fresh capital, expanded partnerships and growing demand for sustainable commodities, Rize aims to position itself as a leading digital agriculture platform supporting the transition toward low-emission, traceable and export-ready rice production across Southeast Asia.
