Agridence Transitions to Founder-Led Governance, Secures Global Investment to Accelerate Multi-Commodity Compliance Platform
CEO Gerald Tan, who led Agridence's development since its inception in 2018, has invested additional capital to solidify his position as founder and the single largest individual shareholder of the company. This transition from a corporate venture-built startup to a founder owned and led enterprise underscores Tan's commitment to delivering value to Agridence's customers.
'This funding marks a pivotal new chapter for Agridence. We are immensely grateful for the foundational support from our early corporate shareholders; their backing was instrumental during our startup phase and crucial in building the robust platform we have today. Now, as we mature, embracing a founder-led model is key to unlocking greater agility and neutrality. That's why this shift isn't just about capital; it's fundamentally about ownership alignment and direct accountability,' said Gerald Tan, CEO and Founder of Agridence. 'The modular traceability infrastructure we built for natural rubber is now powering compliance for palm oil, cocoa, and beyond, proving these challenges are universal across agri-commodities, and we are now better positioned than ever to solve them.'
Why This Matters: Neutrality Meets Regulatory Urgency
The shift to an independent, founder-led model provides better alignment and allows Agridence to address a critical industry need for a truly neutral technology platform that serves all stakeholders without corporate bias.
'Southeast Asia is a key source and integral region in the global agri-commodities supply chain. A platform like Agridence that applies technology while working with local stakeholders for a more transparent, sustainable, and responsible sourcing is imperative for the industry. With this additional capital and new model, we see immense potential in Agridence, especially so being independently led by a local founder who has an operating track record within the rubber sector and has a team with deep sector know-how and local knowledge,' said Yu Minjie, Managing Director at Cercano Management.
From Niche to Multi-Commodity Expansion
Agridence has evolved from its roots in digitizing physical natural rubber trades to delivering a comprehensive, multi-commodity platform for global MNCs and industry associations. Recent milestones include:
--> Natural Rubber: The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), whose members represent about 50% of the global market, uses Agridence's reporting platform for annual sustainability data submissions.
--> Palm Oil: Agridence powers the RSPO Certification, Trade and Traceability System (prisma), supporting RSPO Certified Palm Oil trades and Sustainable Palm Oil Credits. This initiative went live in February 2025, with nearly 20,000 users expected on the system.
--> Coconut: As the technology partner for the Sustainable Coconut Partnership's SCP Links platform, Agridence is simplifying sustainability reporting, digitizing audits, and increasing transparency.
--> Cocoa: The company is driving smallholder inclusion through mapping programs across Africa.
Interest is also growing in coffee, cashew, sugarcane, and other sectors. The new funding will accelerate Agridence's go-to-market strategy, supporting entry into new commodity verticals and geographic markets through strategic partnerships and acquisitions.
'Our biggest differentiator is our team's deep and diverse agri-commodity background,' Gerald Tan added. 'Trust is everything in this business. By leveraging our relationships, domain expertise, and technology innovations, we deliver proven regulatory and risk frameworks that solve our customers' real pain points. We know the challenges because we've lived them and our partners trust us to solve them.'
'Agridence has proven its capability to scale across multiple commodities and has earned the trust of global corporates, MNCs and industry associations. With momentum building in new commodities and geographies, the company is poised for exciting growth. We are proud to back the Agridence team as they enter this next chapter and deliver measurable impact across global supply chains,' said Lim Swee Yong, CEO of EXEO Innovation Fund Management.
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