The archive · Climate & Energy · Strategic decision · 2022–2026
Rize bets low-methane rice sells: 17,000 farmers, $31M Series B in July 2026
Temasek- and Breakthrough-backed Rize pays 17,000 smallholders to grow rice with up to 50% less methane, then exports it; $31M Series B closed July 2026.
Rize
What the business is
Rize works with roughly 17,000 smallholder farmers across more than 50,000 hectares in Vietnam and Indonesia to grow rice with Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and other low-emission practices, then verifies and links the harvest to export buyers and carbon markets.
Starting capital：$31M Series B announced July 2026 — $20M equity led by BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts with The Rockefeller Foundation and returning investors Temasek and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, plus $11M debt from BIDV, Temasek Foundation and UOB — bringing total raised to $47M.
How it started
Rize emerged in late 2022 from a collaboration between Temasek, Wavemaker Impact (the Singapore venture builder now called 100×100) and Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Co-founder and CEO Dhruv Sawhney built a data-driven platform combining agronomic advice with measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), choosing Vietnam and Indonesia as the first markets.
What happened
After a Series A in 2024, Rize grew operations more than tenfold, reaching about 17,000 smallholder farmers across more than 50,000 hectares and 250 staff in Vietnam and Indonesia. It completed initial export shipments of 1,500 metric tons to Europe, Canada, Australia and Singapore. In July 2026 it closed a $31M Series B — $20M equity led by BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts with The Rockefeller Foundation and returning backers Temasek and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, plus $11M debt from BIDV, Temasek Foundation and UOB — bringing total funding to $47M.
How it ended up
Still scaling. Rize says the Series B will fund export market expansion, AI tools for farmers and field teams, carbon and innovation initiatives, and organizational growth, targeting 300,000 hectares and 150,000 farmers by 2030.
Background
Rize emerged in late 2022 from a collaboration between Temasek, Wavemaker Impact (now 100×100) and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, with co-founder and CEO Dhruv Sawhney leading it. Its premise: rice is the largest crop market in the world — more than $300 billion a year — and also accounts for roughly 12% of global methane emissions, a climate footprint comparable to aviation's, so the crop itself is the decarbonization opportunity.
The operating model is agronomy plus markets. Rize helps smallholder farmers in Vietnam and Indonesia adopt Alternate Wetting and Drying — flooding fields less often — which can cut methane emissions by up to 50%, reduce water use by 20–30% and raise farmer income by up to 30% without reducing yield. The company combines that field support with measurement, reporting and verification technology, and ensures the rice meets Maximum Residue Limit standards demanded by export buyers.
Scale came fast after a 2024 Series A: by mid-2026 Rize said it worked with approximately 17,000 smallholder farmers across more than 50,000 hectares, had 250 staff across Vietnam and Indonesia, had expanded operations more than tenfold since the earlier round, and had completed initial export shipments of 1,500 metric tons to Europe, Canada, Australia and Singapore.
In July 2026 Rize closed a $31M Series B — $20M in equity led by BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts with The Rockefeller Foundation and returning investors Temasek and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and $11M in debt from BIDV, Temasek Foundation and UOB — bringing total funding to $47M. Proceeds go to export market expansion, AI tools, carbon certification and organizational growth, with a stated goal of reaching 300,000 hectares and 150,000 farmers by 2030.
What has to be true
- Rice is the world's largest crop market and roughly 12% of global methane emissions, so the prize for a lower-emission version is enormous if buyers pay for it.
- AWD is a proven agronomic switch — up to 50% less methane, 20–30% less water and up to 30% higher farmer income — giving Rize a story that works for farmers before investors.
- Rize built for export value, not charity: field-to-buyer traceability and Maximum Residue Limit compliance let it sell verified low-emission rice to Europe, Canada, Australia and Singapore.
- Institutional founders — Temasek and Breakthrough Energy Ventures — supplied patient capital and credibility that a standalone agritech startup would have struggled to raise.
- The 2026 Series B added commercial investors (BNP Paribas Asset Management) and bank debt (BIDV, UOB), signaling the model moved beyond impact grants toward market finance.
What can be applied
Decarbonizing a staple commodity only works when the greener version earns more: verify the farming practice, trace the crop, and sell into markets that pay for the difference.
Aftermath
As of 16 July 2026, Rize is scaling low-emission rice across Vietnam and Indonesia with roughly 17,000 farmers on 50,000+ hectares, and has shipped an initial 1,500 metric tons. Its $31M Series B brought total funding to $47M: equity led by BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts with The Rockefeller Foundation and returning investors Temasek and Breakthrough Energy Ventures; debt from BIDV, Temasek Foundation and UOB. Rize says the capital will expand export markets, advance carbon certification and open its platform to partners, targeting 300,000 hectares and 150,000 farmers by 2030.
Sources
- Singapore's agritech Rize raises $31m to scale low-emission rice farming in Vietnam, Indonesia
- Rize Raises $31 Million to Tackle Climate Impact of Rice Farming
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