Rabo Equity Advisors

Rajesh Srivastava, the firm's Chairman and Managing Director, leads both the strategic direction and investment committee decisions. He was the architect of the firm's original joint venture with Rabobank and oversaw its transition to an independent entity. The investment team draws heavily from professionals with backgrounds in agricultural banking and food-industry operations, reflecting a preference for sector specialists over generalist finance hires.

The firm was founded as a joint venture with Rabobank in 2010 and historically carried the bank's brand under a licensing agreement. Over time, Rabobank reduced its equity stake as the management team pursued independence while retaining the cooperative identity. The current structure is a management-owned private equity firm with historical ties to — but not investment control by — the Dutch parent bank.

The firm focuses on growth-stage and expansion capital in mid-market food and agribusiness companies. Typical investments fall in the $15 million to $40 million range per deal, targeting companies with proven operational models that need capital to scale manufacturing, extend distribution, or consolidate fragmented regional markets. The firm does not participate in venture-stage or pre-revenue agriculture-technology deals.

The firm avoids sectors outside the food and agribusiness value chain, including generalist manufacturing, financial services, and technology plays without a direct agricultural application. Within agriculture, Rabo Equity Advisors has historically steered clear of primary farming operations and land-ownership models, preferring post-harvest infrastructure, processing, and input supply where returns are less correlated with monsoon risk.

Rabo Equity Advisors operates exclusively as a direct investor, taking minority and control equity positions in operating companies. The firm does not participate as a limited partner in other private equity funds or run a fund-of-funds vehicle. Its development-finance LP base, including CDC Group and FMO, reinforces a direct-deployment mandate tied to measurable agricultural productivity outcomes.