Start-ups developing biological input alternatives for crops raised just over $892 million worldwide last year, according to preliminary data from AgFunder. That’s well over double their total funding haul for the previous year, indicating just how much interest in the space has grown.
Below, we list the top 5 biologicals funding deals from 2021, by U.S. dollar amount raised. The list includes all private ventures working on a variety of biological crop inputs including:
- bio-fertilizers
- bio-pesticides
- bio-fungicides
- bio-stimulants
- other biological controls
TOP 5 BIOLOGICAL INPUTS DEALS, FY2021
- Pivot Bio (US) - $430 million (July/Stage D)
- AgBiome (US) - $116 million (September/Stage D)
- Anuvia Plant Nutrients (US) - $103 million (February/Stage C)
- Invaio Sciences (US) - $88.9 million (May/Stage C)
- Invaio Sciences (US) - $50 million (October/Debt)
By geography, several companies are headquartered in the U.S., France is second.
Pivot Bio is one of several start-ups offering an alternative to conventional nitrogen-based fertilizers by ‘programming’ microbes in the soil so that they produce more of the element in situ.
Another company working on a similar solution is Kula Bio, which leverages the nitrogen-storing bacteria Xanthobacter autotrophicus. It raised $10 million in seed funding in May.
Second-placed AgBiome is focused on pest and disease control. It screens the natural world for microbes which might be suitable for such purposes. Initial products are fungicides , which scored $116 million for its September Series D round.
There are two main drivers behind this explosion of investor interest in biological inputs. On the one hand, there’s the combination of environmental, regulatory, and consumer pressures pushing the agricultural industry away from excessive use of, and reliance on, chemical inputs.
The second major driver comes from the market. Partly due to Covid-19 supply chain disruptions, the prices of various chemicals are going through the roof. This is particularly the case when it comes to synthetic nitrogenous fertilizers, which are mostly produced from raw materials like ammonia and urea. The prices of these commodities soared during 2021 and into the early part of this year, hitting multi-year highs in some cases. Herbicide and pesticide prices are also on a rapid upward trend.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
Bio-alternatives have been under development for years. The difference now is the quantity of development, as well as the speed. Huge investments are pushing projects forward at a very rapid pace. When, and if, they reach critical scale and are commercialized, that will be the ultimate test. If these alternatives are effective and can lower costs, it could offer a very enticing option for farmers/ranchers in the future. For now, they are still in the developmental stage and won’t have any real impact on the current state of price escalation.
