{"id":4534,"date":"2026-01-08T11:59:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T06:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/?p=4534"},"modified":"2026-01-08T11:59:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T06:29:13","slug":"hatch-fund-singapore-makes-first-investment-in-cultive8-a-globally-scaling-agri-tech-startup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/2026\/01\/08\/hatch-fund-singapore-makes-first-investment-in-cultive8-a-globally-scaling-agri-tech-startup\/","title":{"rendered":"Hatch Fund Singapore Makes First Investment in Cultive8, a Globally Scaling Agri-Tech Startup"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;line-height:normal;border:none;\nmso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Hatch Fund Singapore has announced the completion of its first investment, backing Cultive8, a fast-growing agri-technology startup with Sri Lankan roots and a rapidly expanding regional footprint.<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;line-height:normal;border:none;\nmso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:\n&quot;Times New Roman&quot;\">Hatch is the centre of gravity for Sri Lanka\u2019s startup and innovation ecosystem, combining co-working, incubation, mentorship, acceleration, partnerships and venture funding to startups. This milestone investment reflects Hatch\u2019s commitment to supporting high-potential early winners originating from South Asia and scaling them to global markets.<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:\nnormal;page-break-after:avoid;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;\nmso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Cultive8, formerly known in Sri Lanka as Agrithmics, is now headquartered in Singapore, with operational teams across Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh. The company is a well-established provider of automation, ERP and fintech solutions for large and mid <\/span><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;\">size plantations and processing facilities across South Asia. Its growing portfolio includes partnerships with leading enterprises across telecommunications, agriculture, and industrial sectors, and it continues to expand its presence in India and Bangladesh. With exclusive focus on the Agriculture based industry, Cultive8 is providing AI\/ IOT enabled technologies to solve challenges faced by this critical sector.<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"margin-bottom:0in;text-align:justify;line-height:\nnormal;page-break-after:avoid;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;\nmso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;line-height:normal;page-break-after:\navoid\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;\nmso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;\">Prashanth Premakumar, the founder and group CEO of Cultive8 said: \u201cAt Cultive8 we are passionate about what we build to elevate the plantation and agriculture sector in the region. With the investment from Hatch Global we are excited to take this Sri Lankan tech to the Asian markets and beyond. I strongly believe our continued efforts in R&amp;D for the sector will provide direct impact for many critical challenges faced in the agricultural value chain\u201d<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;line-height:normal;border:none;\nmso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Through this transaction, Hatch Fund Singapore will invest approximately USD 650,000, streamlining parts of Cultivate8\u2019s cap table while injecting fresh growth capital to accelerate regional and international expansion. Beyond capital, Cultive8 will gain access to Hatch\u2019s global accelerator platform, which supports early-stage companies through follow-on fundraising, strategic partnerships, and market entry. This includes access to markets such as Singapore, Japan, the UAE, and the United States, where Hatch maintains a strong network and on-ground presence.<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;line-height:normal;border:none;\nmso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">Hatch Fund Singapore is a USD <\/span><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:\n&quot;Times New Roman&quot;\">20 million early-stage fund focused on technology and technology-enabled startups emerging from South Asia. Commenting on the investment, Jeevan Gnanam, Co-founder of Hatch and the Hatch Fund, said:<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;line-height:normal;border:none;\nmso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">\u201cThe early signs of globally scaling startups from Sri Lanka are extremely encouraging. They reflect the strong tailwinds created by a stabilising macro-economic environment post-crisis. Hatch Fund is uniquely positioned to identify and support these early winners as they transition from local success to global scale.\u201d<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;line-height:normal;border:none;\nmso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:\n&quot;Times New Roman&quot;\">Jeevan is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor with investments in over 30 startups and has played a key role in founding and scaling several leading technology and IT infrastructure ventures.<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;line-height:normal;border:none;\nmso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:\n&quot;Times New Roman&quot;\">Focused on agritech, fintech, AI\/ML, blockchain, and medtech, the Hatch Fund supports early-stage startups emerging from South Asia while leveraging partnerships in India, the UAE, and Singapore to unlock global markets. The fund works closely with regional family offices and the global diaspora to help founders access international capital and scale faster.<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify;line-height:normal;border:none;\nmso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:yes\"><span style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;\">This first investment marks a significant step in Hatch Fund\u2019s journey and underscores its broader mission: to position Sri Lanka as a credible launchpad for globally relevant technology companies and to catalyse the next generation of regional champions emerging from the <\/span><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif;mso-fareast-font-family:\n&quot;Times New Roman&quot;\">region.<\/span><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><b><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;\nline-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif\">ENDS<\/span><\/b><\/p> <p class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align:justify\"><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;\nline-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,sans-serif\">Photo Caption- Hatch Fund formally announces USD 650,000 investment in Cultive8<\/span><span style=\"font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%\"><\/span><\/p> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hatch Fund Singapore has announced the completion of its first investment, backing Cultive8, a fast-growing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4534"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/economictimes.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}