Agritech company Rize has announced the closing of a USD 31 million Series B funding round aimed at expanding sustainable rice farming practices across Southeast Asia. The company is working to address one of agriculture’s biggest climate challenges, since rice cultivation is responsible for roughly 12 percent of global methane emissions, a footprint comparable to that of the entire aviation industry. Rize believes that tackling this issue requires changing how millions of smallholder farmers grow rice.
The Series B round includes 20 million in equity funding, led by BNP Paribas Asset Management. The Rockefeller Foundation also joined the round, along with continued support from existing backers Temasek and Breakthrough Energy. In addition to the equity portion, Rize secured USD 11 million in debt financing, made possible through UOB, BIDV (Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam), and Temasek Foundation. Together, this combination of equity and debt funding brings the total raised in this round to USD 31 million.
Since closing its Series A round two years ago, Rize says it has grown its operations tenfold. The company currently works with 17,000 smallholder farmers spread across more than 50,000 hectares of farmland in Vietnam and Indonesia. To support this network, Rize has built a team of 250 people who focus on technology development, agronomy support, and on the ground field operations.
The company has also made progress on the export side of its business. So far, it has shipped 1,500 metric tons of low emission rice to international markets including Europe, Canada, Australia, and Singapore, showing that there is growing global demand for rice grown using more sustainable methods.
With this fresh round of capital, Rize plans to strengthen its traceability systems that connect farmers directly to buyers, giving companies more visibility into where their rice comes from and how it is grown. The company also intends to scale up adoption of Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), a farming technique known to reduce water usage and methane emissions during rice cultivation.
Alongside this, Rize will focus on improving compliance with Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) standards, which are important for meeting international food safety requirements. The company also plans to advance its carbon certification efforts, which could allow it to generate additional revenue through verified emissions reductions. Another key goal is opening up its platform to new ecosystem partners who can help expand its reach.
Looking ahead, Rize has set an ambitious target of reaching 300,000 hectares of farmland and working with 150,000 farmers by the year 2030, a significant jump from its current numbers.
Speaking about the funding round, Dhruv Sawhney, Co-Founder and CEO of Rize, described it as more than just a financial milestone. He said the investment reflects recognition of the foundation the company has built so far and signals that Rize is ready to help create a more connected, resilient, and sustainable food system for smallholder farmers.
With strong backing from global investors and financial institutions, Rize appears well positioned to expand its impact across Southeast Asia’s rice farming sector. As climate concerns around agriculture continue to grow, the company’s approach of combining technology, farmer support, and sustainable practices could offer a scalable model for reducing emissions while supporting farmer livelihoods in the years ahead.
