Jaap Zijlstra of Navus discusses the importance of "process tech" in scaling AgriFood and why family offices are preferred over VCs in the current "AgriFood winter." Navus, a Dutch family office-backed venture firm, focuses on building sustainable food and energy companies by leveraging their technical heritage in dairy robotics. They prioritize process technology and hardware-enabled IP investments, emphasizing real-world adoption over quick exits. Navus invests from their family office balance sheet, allowing for longer holding periods and providing the patient capital needed for agricultural and energy hardware challenges.

Navus has roughly 25 portfolio companies and invests in controlled environment agriculture, robotics, automation, and alternative ingredient production. By operating outside the traditional fund cycle, they are able to navigate the physical-world challenges of agriculture and energy with a long-term perspective. Jaap Zijlstra highlights the advantages of family offices in supporting hardware-heavy biotech companies, using in-house patent offices to vet deep-tech, and prioritizing sustainability and real-world impact over fast-paced software deployment.