Hatch Fund Singapore makes first investment in Cultive8, a globally scaling agri-tech startup

Hatch Fund formally announces $ 650,000 investment in Cultive8. Cultive8 Founder and Group CEO Prashanth Premakumar (left) with Hatch Fund Co-Founder Jeevan Gnanam and Group CEO Suresh Pathirana

• Cultive8, formerly known in Sri Lanka as Agrithmics, now headquartered in Singapore
• Milestone for Sri Lanka’s Hatch in supporting South Asian startups and scaling them to global markets

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.

Hatch is the centre of gravity for Sri Lanka’s startup and innovation ecosystem, combining co-working, incubation, mentorship, acceleration, partnerships, and venture funding to startups. This milestone investment reflects Hatch’s commitment to supporting high-potential early winners originating from South Asia and scaling them to 

global markets.

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, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and fintech solutions for large and mid-size plantations and processing facilities across South Asia. 

Its growing portfolio includes partnerships with leading enterprises across the 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 provides Artificial Intelligence of Things (AI/IoT) enabled technologies to solve challenges faced by this critical sector.

Cultive8 Founder and Group CEO Prashanth Premakumar said: “At 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 Asian markets and beyond. I strongly believe our continued efforts in R&D for the sector will provide direct impact for many critical challenges faced in the agricultural value chain.”

Through this transaction, Hatch Fund Singapore will invest approximately $ 650,000, streamlining parts of Cultive8’s cap table while injecting fresh growth capital to accelerate regional and international expansion. Beyond capital, Cultive8 will gain access to Hatch’s 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 United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the US, where Hatch maintains a strong network and on-ground presence.

Hatch Fund Singapore is a $ 20 million early-stage fund focused on technology and technology-enabled startups emerging from South Asia. 

Hatch Fund Co-Founder Jeevan Gnanam said: “The early signs of globally scaling startups from Sri Lanka are extremely encouraging. They reflect the strong tailwinds created by a stabilising macroeconomic environment post-crisis. Hatch Fund is uniquely positioned to identify and support these early winners as they transition from local success to global scale.”

Gnanam 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.

Focused on agri-tech, fintech, AI/machine learning (ML), blockchain, and med-tech, 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.

This first investment marks a significant step in Hatch Fund’s 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 region.