20 cold chain investors nourishing logistics and temperature control in 2026

The cold chain market hit $340B globally in 2025. Food waste costs $1T annually and 40% happens in transit. Pharma cold chain grew 18% year-over-year with mRNA vaccines requiring -70°C storage. These 20 investors closed deals in 2025-2026 and understand the economics of temperature-controlled logistics.

Quick list

Picking the right cold chain investor

Experience: Find investors who've backed companies through food safety recalls or pharma compliance audits. Most tech investors don't understand FDA validation requirements or HACCP protocols, which makes following a proper GDPR workflow equally important when sharing materials.

Network: Check if they can intro you to 3PL operators, cold storage REITs, or food distributors. Those relationships matter more than generic supply chain contacts, and sensitive documents should always be sent through secure sharing.

Alignment: Early-stage investors often don't understand what happens when you need $50M to build cold storage facilities. Your capital needs will be far higher than software startups - another reason to use a platform with transparent pricing plans.

Track record: Look at whether their portfolio companies maintained temperature validation during rapid growth. One contamination incident destroys a cold chain company. Use Ellty to share your deck with trackable links or explore alternatives for better control over access.

Value-add: Ask what happened when their portfolio companies dealt with refrigeration failures or compliance violations. Generic "we know supply chain" answers don't help when your temperature monitoring system fails at 2am, especially when investors ignore basic DPA compliance.

How to approach cold chain investors

Identify potential investors: Research which funds backed cold chain companies through COVID vaccine distribution chaos in 2021-2022. Pure software VCs won't understand your refrigeration capex needs.

Craft a compelling pitch: Show your temperature excursion rates and facility utilization metrics upfront. Most investors are tired of food waste reduction claims without actual spoilage data and cold storage costs.

Share your pitch deck: Upload to Ellty and send trackable links. Monitor which pages investors spend time on. If they skip your facility economics and refrigeration costs, they probably think you're a software play.

Utilize your network: Message portfolio founders on LinkedIn and ask about help with cold storage leases or 3PL partnerships. Most will tell you which investors actually understand logistics infrastructure.

Attend networking events: ProFood Tech and GCCA Conferences are where cold storage operators and investors meet. Skip the generic supply chain events.

Engage on online platforms: Connect with partners on LinkedIn after you've been introduced by someone in food logistics. Cold DMs about cold chain rarely work.

Organize due diligence: Set up an Ellty data room with your temperature validation protocols, facility leases, and food safety certifications before they ask. It speeds up diligence significantly.

Set up introductory meetings: Lead with your spoilage rates and facility utilization metrics. Don't waste time on food waste market size slides they've seen hundreds of times.

Why this matters now

mRNA vaccine cold chain requirements changed the industry in 2021-2023. Companies that built -70°C capability are now applying it to cell therapies and biologics. Food cold chain demand increased 23% in 2025 as online grocery became permanent. Labor costs at cold storage facilities jumped 35% since 2023. Investors want to see automation plans. Refrigerant regulations are forcing the industry to move away from HFCs by 2028.

20 best cold chain investors

1. Acre Venture Partners

They understand food supply chain infrastructure and backed Lineage's automation expansion for robotic cold storage.

• Recent Deals: Lineage Logistics ($200M automation investment, Jan 2025), AppHarvest (CEA with cold storage, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Acre Venture Partners
• Sector Focus: Cold storage automation, food logistics, supply chain infrastructure, warehouse robotics
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: acreventurepartners.com

2. Granite Growth

They backed Tive's IoT monitoring platform and understand temperature tracking economics at scale.

• Recent Deals: Tive ($54M Series C, May 2025), Controlant (pharma cold chain monitoring, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Granite Growth
• Sector Focus: IoT monitoring, temperature tracking, supply chain visibility, cold chain software
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: granitegrowth.com

3. AgFunder

They focus exclusively on agrifood tech and led FreshRealm's meal kit cold chain infrastructure round.

• Recent Deals: FreshRealm ($100M Series D, Aug 2025), Cold chain food tech (multiple seed investments, 2025-2026)
• LinkedIn: AgFunder
• Sector Focus: Food cold chain, meal kit logistics, agricultural supply chain, refrigerated distribution
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: agfunder.com

4. S2G Ventures

They backed Phononic's sustainable refrigeration tech and understand energy-efficient cold storage economics.

• Recent Deals: Phononic ($45M Series E, Oct 2025), Cold storage sustainability (multiple investments, 2025)
• LinkedIn: S2G Ventures
• Sector Focus: Sustainable cold storage, energy-efficient refrigeration, food supply chain, clean tech
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C, growth
• Location: Chicago, USA
• Website: s2gventures.com

5. Piva Capital

They focus on last-mile delivery infrastructure and backed Farmstead's refrigerated delivery platform.

• Recent Deals: Farmstead ($30M Series B, Feb 2026), GoPuff (cold chain expansion, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Piva Capital
• Sector Focus: Last-mile refrigerated delivery, cold chain logistics, food distribution, grocery tech
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: pivacapital.com

6. Buoyant Ventures

They fund climate tech and backed cold chain optimization software for reducing refrigeration energy use.

• Recent Deals: Cold chain optimization platforms (multiple investments, 2025), Temperature control software (2025)
• LinkedIn: Buoyant Ventures
• Sector Focus: Cold chain software, logistics optimization, climate tech, energy management
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: buoyant.vc

7. Energy Impact Partners

They led investments in energy-efficient refrigeration and understand cold storage energy economics.

• Recent Deals: Energy-efficient cold storage ($75M combined investments, 2025), Refrigeration technology
• LinkedIn: Energy Impact Partners
• Sector Focus: Energy-efficient refrigeration, cold storage infrastructure, sustainable logistics, clean energy
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: energyimpactpartners.com

8. Cavallo Ventures

Corporate VC from Wilbur-Ellis that understands pharma cold chain and backed CSafe's expansion.

• Recent Deals: CSafe Global (pharma cold chain expansion, 2025), Cold chain packaging (multiple investments, 2025)
• LinkedIn: Cavallo Ventures
• Sector Focus: Pharma cold chain, temperature-controlled packaging, life sciences logistics, biopharma distribution
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: cavallo.vc

9. Food-X

Accelerator and fund that backed multiple cold chain food tech startups with early-stage capital.

• Recent Deals: Multiple food cold chain seed rounds ($40M combined, 2025-2026), Temperature monitoring startups
• LinkedIn: Food-X
• Sector Focus: Food tech cold chain, supply chain innovation, food logistics, refrigerated distribution
• Stage Focus: Pre-seed, seed, Series A
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: food-x.com

10. Investeco Capital

They focus on sustainable infrastructure and led Canadian cold chain facility development deals.

• Recent Deals: Cold storage facility development ($90M in Canada, 2025), Sustainable logistics infrastructure
• LinkedIn: Investeco Capital
• Sector Focus: Cold storage facilities, sustainable infrastructure, food logistics, warehouse development
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth, infrastructure
• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Website: investeco.com

11. HCAP Partners

They backed cold storage warehouse automation and understand facility-level economics at scale.

• Recent Deals: Cold storage automation ($60M infrastructure investments, 2025), Warehouse robotics
• LinkedIn: HCAP Partners
• Sector Focus: Cold storage automation, warehouse infrastructure, logistics facilities, supply chain tech
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth, buyout
• Location: Los Angeles, USA
• Website: hcap.com

12. Blue Horizon

They focus on plant-based food systems and funded cold chain infrastructure for alternative proteins.

• Recent Deals: Plant-based food cold chain (multiple investments, 2025), Temperature-controlled distribution
• LinkedIn: Blue Horizon
• Sector Focus: Plant-based food logistics, alternative protein supply chain, sustainable cold chain
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Zurich, Switzerland
• Website: bluehorizon.com

13. KKR

They backed Lineage Logistics to becoming the world's largest cold storage REIT and understand facility economics.

• Recent Deals: Lineage Logistics (continued expansion, 2025-2026), Cold storage acquisitions
• LinkedIn: KKR
• Sector Focus: Cold storage REITs, warehouse infrastructure, logistics facilities, supply chain assets
• Stage Focus: Growth, buyout, infrastructure
• Location: New York, USA
• Website: kkr.com

14. GreenPoint Partners

They focus on cold storage real estate and deployed $150M in facility development during 2025.

• Recent Deals: Cold storage facility development ($150M, 2025), Refrigerated warehouse infrastructure
• LinkedIn: GreenPoint Partners
• Sector Focus: Cold storage real estate, warehouse facilities, logistics infrastructure, supply chain assets
• Stage Focus: Infrastructure, growth, development
• Location: Houston, USA
• Website: greenpointpartners.com

15. Initialized Capital

They backed cold chain software platforms including route optimization and temperature monitoring tools.

• Recent Deals: Cold chain route optimization (seed rounds, 2026), Supply chain software
• LinkedIn: Initialized Capital
• Sector Focus: Cold chain software, logistics optimization, supply chain SaaS, temperature monitoring
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: initialized.com

16. Yamaha Motor Ventures

Corporate VC focused on mobility and logistics including refrigerated transport technology investments.

• Recent Deals: Refrigerated transport tech (multiple investments, 2025), Last-mile cold delivery
• LinkedIn: Yamaha Motor Ventures
• Sector Focus: Refrigerated transport, last-mile cold delivery, logistics mobility, temperature-controlled vehicles
• Stage Focus: Series A, Series B, Series C
• Location: Tokyo, Japan
• Website: yamaha-motor-ventures.com

17. Lewis & Clark AgriFood

They focus on agrifood infrastructure and deployed $80M in emerging market cold chain deals in 2025.

• Recent Deals: Emerging market cold chain ($80M, 2025), Food supply chain infrastructure in Africa and Asia
• LinkedIn: Lewis & Clark AgriFood
• Sector Focus: Emerging market cold chain, food infrastructure, agricultural logistics, supply chain development
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth, infrastructure
• Location: Singapore
• Website: lewisandclarkagrifood.com

18. Rabobank

Bank with agribusiness focus that backed food supply chain cold storage with multiple investments in 2025-2026.

• Recent Deals: Food supply chain cold storage (multiple investments, 2025-2026), Agricultural logistics
• LinkedIn: Rabobank
• Sector Focus: Food supply chain, agricultural cold storage, farm-to-retail logistics, agribusiness infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Series B, Series C, growth, debt financing
• Location: Utrecht, Netherlands
• Website: rabobank.com

19. Middleland Capital

They fund regional cold storage operators and refrigerated warehouse expansion across the US.

• Recent Deals: Regional cold storage expansion (multiple operators, 2025), Refrigerated warehouse acquisitions
• LinkedIn: Middleland Capital
• Sector Focus: Regional cold storage, warehouse operations, logistics facilities, supply chain infrastructure
• Stage Focus: Series B, growth, buyout
• Location: Cleveland, USA
• Website: middlelandcapital.com

20. Supply Change Capital

They focus on sustainable supply chains and led investments reducing refrigerant emissions in cold chain.

• Recent Deals: Sustainable refrigeration tech ($35M, 2026), Low-emission cold storage
• LinkedIn: Supply Change Capital
• Sector Focus: Sustainable cold chain, low-emission refrigeration, climate-friendly logistics, green supply chain
• Stage Focus: Seed, Series A, Series B
• Location: San Francisco, USA
• Website: supplychangecapital.com

Track your cold chain investor outreach

These 20 investors closed cold chain deals from 2025 to 2026. Before you start reaching out, set up tracking for your pitch materials.

Upload your deck to Ellty and create a unique link for each investor. You'll see exactly which slides they view and how long they spend on your facility economics and temperature validation protocols. Most founders are surprised when investors spend 15+ minutes on cold storage capex slides but skip the food waste market opportunity. That tells you they understand infrastructure requirements.

When investors ask for your facility leases, temperature validation data, or food safety certifications, share an Ellty data room instead of email attachments. Your cold storage economics, HACCP documentation, and expansion plans in one secure place with view analytics. You'll know when they've actually reviewed your refrigeration costs and spoilage rates.

Common questions

How do I know if a cold chain investor is still active?

Check their portfolio page for 2025-2026 deals in cold storage, refrigerated logistics, or temperature monitoring. If their last cold chain investment was pre-COVID, they might have shifted to pure software plays.

Should I cold email cold chain investors or get introductions?

Get warm intros through portfolio companies in food or pharma logistics. Cold chain investors want to see proof you understand facility economics and temperature validation before taking meetings.

What's the difference between seed and Series B cold chain investors?

Seed investors will fund you with pilot programs and one facility. Series B investors want to see 5+ facilities operating, sub-2% spoilage rates, and 85%+ utilization. The infrastructure requirements are significant.

How many cold chain investors should I reach out to?

Start with 10-15 who've done recent deals in your specific area (food vs. pharma vs. software). Cold chain is specialized enough that generic supply chain investors won't understand your facility capex or refrigeration costs.

When should I set up a data room for cold chain due diligence?

Before your first meeting. They'll ask for facility leases, temperature validation protocols, and food safety certifications immediately. Having it ready in Ellty cuts diligence time significantly.

Do cold chain investors care about pitch deck analytics?

Yes. If they're spending time on your facility economics and refrigeration costs, they understand infrastructure requirements. If they spend equal time on everything, they're probably software investors who will be surprised by your capex needs.