NAPA, Calif., Jan. 31, 2023 — CropX Technologies, a global leader in digital solutions for agronomic farm management, today announced its acquisition of Tule Technologies, a precision irrigation company based in California. This acquisition brings new data capture technologies to the CropX Agronomic Farm Management System and expands its market in California drip-irrigated specialty crops.

Effective immediately, all Tule employees will join CropX, adding expansive on-farm and client service expertise in the specialty crop and drip irrigation space, as well as technology talent to CropX’s growing global team.

“We are excited to welcome Tule to CropX, expanding our offerings to our customers to solve agronomic problems. With Tule’s canopy data incorporated into the CropX system, CropX is adding a new and powerful dimension to the world’s most complete precision irrigation solution,” said Tomer Tzach, CEO of CropX Technologies.

“At Tule, we’ve admired CropX for their agronomic expertise, engineering excellence, and global ambition,” said Dr. Tom Shapland, CEO of Tule Technologies. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to join the CropX team.”

The acquisition comes at a time of increasing demand for precise watering technologies in agriculture. “The farming industry is at the frontlines of global challenges to balance food security with water and other natural resources,” said Dr. John Gates, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Product at CropX. “We are committed to helping our customers manage water confidently and efficiently with technology. Tule’s unique tech and vast experience with California vineyards and orchards are a perfect fit.”

This is the fourth acquisition CropX has made since 2020 and the second US-based company. CropX acquired Nebraska-based CropMetrics in the first quarter (Q1) of 2020, New Zealand-based Regen in Q4 of 2020, and Netherlands-based Dacom Farm Intelligence in Q3 2021, in each case adding expertise, technologies, customers, data and expanding markets.

About CropX Technologies

CropX Technologies is one of the fastest growing providers of agribusiness farm management solutions in the world, deployed in over 60 countries and across all arable continents. The CropX Agronomic Farm Management System synthesizes data from the earth and sky to offer advanced soil and crop intelligence and a suite of digital decision support and planning tools, all on an easy-to-use app capable of tracking multiple farms and fields. CropX is backed by the world’s leading agribusinesses and VCs, who recognize that CropX’s precision-ag technologies set new standards for best practices in environmental sustainability and farm productivity. Learn more at www.cropx.com.

About Tule Technologies

Founded in 2014 with backing from Y-Combinator and others, Tule (pronounced “too-lee”) combines proprietary technology, agronomic expertise, and cutting-edge artificial intelligence to provide farmers with irrigation decision support solutions. Their unique in-field sensor, developed at the University of California, Davis, is the only commercially available device for measuring Actual Evapotranspiration (i.e., the water use of a farm field). The company’s customers include the winemakers who tend to coastal California’s most prized vineyards to the agronomists who farm thousands of acres of tree crops in California’s inland valleys.

Media Contact:

Hanna Day-Woodruff

Communications Specialist

hanna.dw@cropx.com

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SOURCE CropX

Hometown Food Company, (“Hometown Foods“) home to an iconic portfolio of American baking brands, controlled by Brynwood Partners VIII L.P., has completed the acquisition of Birch Benders from Sovos Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: “SOVO”) (“Sovos Brands“), a public company listed on the NASDAQ exchange. The terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.

Founded in 2011, Birch Benders Pancake & Waffle Mixes, Toaster Waffles, Pancake and Baking Cups, Baking Mixes and Frostings, Cookies and Syrups have it all: convenience, deliciousness, and quality. Birch Benders offers an expansive portfolio of keto, paleo, and organic options that are sold at grocery and mass retailers, as well as through the E-Commerce channel, nationally.

Hometown Food Company is home to baking brands including Pillsbury Baking®, Funfetti®, Hungry Jack®, Arrowhead Mills®, White Lily®, Jim Dandy®, Martha White®, and De Wafelbakkers®. They believe that, like a favorite recipe, great things come from the right mix of ingredients, years of expertise and plenty of care.

“We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of Birch Benders into Hometown Food Company,” said Henk Hartong, Chairman and CEO of Brynwood Partners. “Birch Benders was a pioneer in the health and wellness space and natural baking channel and we are excited to further our commitment to the pancake and baking mix categories. This acquisition is complementary to our existing brand in the space, Arrowhead Mills®, and reinforces our commitment to and industry position in the better-for-you category.”

“The Birch Benders acquisition is a wonderful addition to Hometown Food Company’s portfolio of brands and it increases our footprint in the better-for-you, breakfast and baking categories,” said Tom Polke, President and CEO of Hometown Food Company. “We are truly delighted to have the opportunity to support Birch Benders in its next phase of growth.”

Brynwood Partners’ portfolio includes Harvest Hill Beverage Company, Carolina Beverage Group, Hometown Food Company, Buitoni Food Company, and Great Kitchens Food Company. Birch Benders increases the total Brynwood platform to more than $2.3 billion in annual sales.

Hometown Food Company, based in Chicago, IL, was formed by Brynwood Partners in June 2018 to acquire a portfolio of brands from The J.M. Smucker Company. The portfolio includes the exclusive U.S. rights to the iconic Pillsbury® brand’s shelf-stable baking products, including Funfetti®, along with the Hungry Jack®, Arrowhead Mills®, White Lily®, Jim Dandy®, Martha White® and De Wafelbakkers® brands. Pillsbury®, Funfetti® and Hungry Jack® are leading national brands in the shelf-stable baking and breakfast categories and White Lily®, Jim Dandy® and Martha White® are regional brands known for flour, cornmeal and grits. Hometown Foods manufactures the majority of its products from its 650,000 square foot facility in Toledo, OH where the company employs 255 full-time employees. 

Brynwood Partners, founded in 1984 and based in Greenwich, CT, is an operationally-focused private equity firm that makes control investments in North American-based lower middle market companies. The firm targets non-core brands or companies operating exclusively in the consumer sector. Brynwood Partners currently manages more than $1 billion of private equity capital for its limited partners, which include U.S. and international pension funds, fund-of-funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth family investment offices and financial institutions. 

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 21, 2022 — ROW8, the Premium Movie Streaming service with the latest Hollywood films like Black Adam with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ticket to Paradise with George Clooney, and Bullet Train with Brad Pitt, has acquired the metaverse and web3 streaming platform Rad. ROW8 has premium video on demand movies from every major studio on its platform, with all of its studio partners exploring NFTs in some way. Rad has been building immersive streaming technology and leveraging smart contracts for over 5 years, and has many of the same studio partners for VR and blockchain-based content. Combined, the two companies will work with major studios and the top NFT projects building for web3 and the metaverse.

“ROW8 is easily the best positioned company in the world to bring Hollywood into the future, with its patented technology, app footprint, and deep relationships with the biggest studios in the world”, said Tony Mugavero, CEO of Rad. “They have the highest level pipeline of content you can have in the entertainment industry, and Rad works with the same studios in web3 and XR, which means we can accelerate adoption of forward-thinking distribution from a place of trust.”

ROW8 has streaming deals in place with every major movie studio, including Disney, Universal, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and it offers over 1800 theatrical release-windowed movies.  ROW8’s patented technology includes the ability to geo-locate viewers and share revenue with nearby theater chains, dynamic “Scene Alerts” to give viewers a peek into seeing if the next scene is scary or has adult themes, and their proprietary “Movie Love Guarantee” which allows viewers to return a movie and swap it for another one if they weren’t enjoying it.

Rad has streamed innovative content with every major studio and broadcaster globally by licensing content or powering experiences in VR and web3, and has streaming apps on PlayStation 4 and 5, Android TV, iOS, and Meta Quest, and built a globally leading position in VR, distributing content to devices like PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, and Windows Mixed Reality. Rad was the first streaming service to offer an NFT subscription and is launching its full NFT Stream Pass in December 2022. Rad has done NFT releases with companies like DKNY, Hacksmith, Cinedigm, and directly with creators like Elliot Sloan and platinum rapper Calboy. Rad also worked with ConsenSys to build its cross-blockchain-based platform Ara with the ARA token, which will power ROW8’s NFT platform. Additionally, Rad has numerous studio and well known media investors like Disney, Sony Innovation Fund, A+E Networks, WWE, Warner Music Group, Gary Vaynerchuk, and more.

Tony Mugavero will become CEO of the combined companies, and Rad’s leadership team will all stay as part of the transaction.

“We couldn’t be more excited to join forces with ROW8,” said Brooklyn Earick, Chief Marketing Officer at Rad, who will be staying on as Chief Strategy Officer post-acquisition. “Combined, we’ll be the first platform to offer movies like Avatar and Top Gun alongside NFT’s from Hollywood studios and web3 creatives.”

The combined companies have secured funding in a round led by Ayre Ventures.

Ayre Ventures founder Calvin Ayre celebrated the acquisition, calling it “the perfect marriage of content and delivery, the intersection of preparation and opportunity. ROW8’s vast library of marquee content will discover new ways to reach consumers through Rad’s BSV-based NFTs. BSV is the only blockchain with the scaling capacity and ultra-low transaction fees to realize the promise that web3 holds for creators, distributors and consumers.”

Also participating in the round are Intersect VC, who are investors in Dapper Labs and Triller; former New England Patriot Super Bowl Champion and Pro Bowler Richard Seymour’s 93 Ventures; Alvin Kwan, former head of Corporate Development at Fox and Board Member at Fubo TV; Rusty Matveev, who is CSO at Calaxy and formerly a partner at MSG Ventures; Revere VC; Stacks; and Jason Campbell, former quarterback for the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders.

Upon completion of the acquisition, Paul Rajchgod, Managing Director, Private Equity for Ayre Ventures, will be appointed to ROW8’s board.

Rad NFTV is the first streaming platform powered by NFTs. Rad’s suite of apps allows you to stream Live TV, Premium Video, and Live Events all unlocked through NFTs. Discover content in ESports, Music, Comedy, and Sports Entertainment from companies like Complex, Whistle, CoinDesk, DeadHeads, Knights of Degen, and Virtue Animation Studio. Rad NFTV’s library of fast and loud content, NFTs, crypto rewards, and OTT footprint creates a streaming metaverse for the next generation of creators and fans.

The platform can deliver a broad range of NFT and content experiences, with 2D, 3D, 4K, Live, 360° / 180° VR, and traditional video across devices like PlayStation 5, PSVR, Oculus Quest, iOS, Google TV, and more. Viewers can earn ARA rewards and become peers in the network powered by Ara’s blockchain and P2P networking technology, and the company’s Rad Pandas can be used to unlock lifetime subscriptions as well as get additional ARA rewards.

ROW8 is a subscription-free movie only OTT service featuring both new and catalog titles and has distribution deals with all major Hollywood studios. It also features its proprietary “Movie Love Guarantee” allowing customers to return their film within the first 30 minutes and exchange it for another without any additional fees, and its patent pending “Scene Alert” monitoring system which alerts parents to inappropriate scenes before they air, giving them control over what content their children see. Visit ROW8 at