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- AgBiome
AgBiome Funding, Investors & Competitors
AgBiome has raised $251M across 5 funding rounds, most recently a $116M Series D in September 2021.
Last AgBiome funding round
$116M
Series D · Sep 2021
Cumulative funding AgBiome raised
$251M
across 5 funding rounds
Key investors in AgBiome
ARCH Venture Partners
Polaris Partners
Innotech Advisers
Leaps by Bayer
Aliment Capital
180 Degree Capital
UTIMCO
Fidelity
About AgBiome
AgBiome is a Durham-headquartered biotechnology company leveraging the plant microbiome to develop biological crop protection products against insects, diseases, and nematodes. Located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, it operates a 30,000-square-foot lab and greenhouse facility. Partnerships with FMC and Syngenta accelerate commercialization of its fungicides and insecticides for row crops and specialty produce worldwide.
Founded
2012
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2B
Revenue model
Product sales
AgBiome Funding History
AgBiome has raised a total of $251M across 5 funding rounds.
AgBiome's first fundraising round was a $18M Series A in April 2013. The most recent completed round was a $116M Series D in September 2021.
AgBiome funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2021 | Series D | Blue Horizon Corporation (lead); Novalis LifeSciences (lead); Volta Circle; Aliment Capital; DOV Management | $116M | AgBiome is a crop protection company based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, founded in 2012 by co-CEOs Scott Uknes and Eric Ward. The company discovers and develops biological and trait products for crop protection using its proprietary Genesis discovery platform, which captures diverse microbes and screens them for applications in insect, disease, and nematode control. AgBiome manufactures and commercializes its own products rather than licensing to third parties, with its first commercial product Howler being a fungicide for disease control across various crops. On September 14, 2021, AgBiome announced a $116 million Series D funding round co-led by Blue Horizon and Novalis LifeSciences, with participation from multiple new and existing investors including ARCH Venture Partners, Fidelity Investments, Polaris Partners, Leaps by Bayer, The Mosaic Company, and others. The company stated it would use the capital to expand its product portfolio, scale scientific and commercial teams, and build global partnerships. This round brought AgBiome's total funding to over $200 million and followed a $65 million Series C round in 2018. At the time of the Series D announcement, AgBiome had one commercial product (Howler fungicide) on the market and planned to launch a second product (Theia Fungicide) in early 2022, with a third product (Esendo Fungicide) submitted for EPA registration. The company aimed to have 11 products on the market by 2025 and targeted expansion into insecticides and herbicides. AgBiome had established strategic partnerships with South Korea's Farm Hannong, Brazil's Tropical Melhoramento & Genética, and a Mexican subsidiary of Japan's Sumitomo Corp, as well as research collaborations with BASF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research. The biologics crop protection market was identified as a rapidly growing segment projected to grow 14-fold by 2030, driven by consumer demand for sustainable alternatives to synthetic chemicals and regulatory pressure for environmentally safer solutions. In 2021, AgBiome was recognized by Inc. Magazine as a Best Place to Work. However, the company's trajectory changed when in April 2024, Ginkgo Bioworks acquired AgBiome's platform assets, including its Genesis discovery platform and a pipeline of a dozen potential products with greenhouse or field validation. |
| Jul 2018 | Series C | Fidelity; Polaris Partners; UTIMCO; Aliment Capital; Leaps by Bayer; ARCH Venture Partners; Innotech Advisers | $65M | AgBiome, a Research Triangle Park, N.C.-based company, develops novel agricultural pest solutions by harnessing the plant microbiome, including biological pesticides like fungicides and insecticides for crop protection. The company created the Genesis discovery platform to identify microbes effective against insects, diseases, and nematodes. In July 2018, AgBiome raised $65 million in an oversubscribed Series C funding round with investors including new participant Fidelity Management and Research Company, and existing backers University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO), Polaris Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, Innotech Advisers, Pontifax Global Food and Agriculture Technology Fund, and Monsanto Growth Ventures. The funds were earmarked to accelerate commercialization of products such as Howler (a broad-spectrum microbial fungicide launching as ZIO in turf and ornamental markets via partner SePRO) and Connate (biological-chemical combinations), while expanding discovery and market development to address pesticide resistance and reduce chemical use. AgBiome had previously raised $34.5 million in a 2015 Series B led by investors including The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which also provided grants for projects like nematology and sweetpotato weevil control in Africa. Partnerships with Syngenta, Genective, and SePRO supported its pipeline, including additional fungicides Marazo, Mazolin, Miresa, and Xiphosin, plus insecticide Azomar. Prior to the Series C, research collaborations generated substantial revenue, contributing to a total of about $52 million raised by mid-2016 with runway into late 2018. The Series C built on this foundation amid growing investor interest in microbiome agtech, positioning AgBiome as a leader in biological crop protection. Post-Series C, AgBiome continued advancing, raising a $116 million Series D in 2021 co-led by Blue Horizon and Novalis LifeSciences, bringing total funding over $200 million. The company planned pipeline expansion through organic growth and potential acquisitions of smaller firms with production-ready products, emphasizing safer alternatives to traditional pesticides to feed a growing global population without environmental harm. |
| Aug 2015 | Series B | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (lead); Syngenta Ventures; Polaris Partners; UTIMCO; Aliment Capital; Leaps by Bayer; 180 Degree Capital; ARCH Venture Partners; Innotech Advisers | $35M | AgBiome LLC, based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., develops novel biological and trait products from the crop-associated microbiome to improve crop productivity. The company has isolated the largest collection of agriculturally relevant microbes, with genomes sequenced and analyzed using a proprietary informatics platform for microbial genome comparison. It tests microbes through validated screening pipelines for agricultural pests and pathogens, and has partnerships with companies like Syngenta and Genective to accelerate discovery and reach global markets. On August 20, 2015, AgBiome raised $34.5 million in a Series B financing round led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with participation from UTIMCO, Pontifax Global Food and Agriculture Technology Fund, and Series A investors including Polaris Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, Harris & Harris Group (now 180 Degree Capital), Innotech Advisers, Monsanto Growth Ventures, and Syngenta Ventures. The funds support advancement of research and development programs and the launch of its first product, a biological fungicide pending EPA approval, with first sales anticipated in 2016. At the time, AgBiome employed 36 full-time and 14 part-time staff and planned to move into a new 30,000-square-foot laboratory and greenhouse facility in early 2016. The round was noted as the largest soil and crop tech venture capital deal of 2015 in an AgFunder report, highlighting investor interest in biologicals for organic certification and soil-borne disease control. |
| Nov 2014 | Undisclosed stage | Polaris Partners (lead); Leaps by Bayer; Novozymes; 180 Degree Capital; ARCH Venture Partners; Innotech Advisers | $18M | AgBiome, a company developing novel agricultural products using the plant microbiome to improve crop productivity, disease resistance, and stress tolerance, secured a Series A financing round around 2014. Polaris Partners led the investment, joined by ARCH Venture Partners, Harris & Harris Group (180 Degree Capital), Innotech Advisers, and strategic investors including Leaps by Bayer (Monsanto Growth Ventures), Novozymes, and Syngenta Ventures. The round size was reported as $14.5 million in some announcements and $17.5 million in others, intended to advance research and development and support product launches. AgBiome's proprietary platform identifies novel microbes and genes for biological products and trait development in agriculture. Co-CEOs Scott Uknes and Eric Ward brought extensive experience from prior roles at Bayer CropScience and other ag biotech firms. The investor syndicate highlighted the company's strong team, technology, and market potential in crop protection. Following the Series A, AgBiome partnered with Syngenta by the end of 2014 for trait product development and continued raising capital, completing a Series B in mid-2015 that brought total funding to $34.5 million with additional investors like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UTIMCO. |
| Apr 2013 | Series A | Polaris Partners (lead); 180 Degree Capital; ARCH Venture Partners; Innotech Advisers | $18M | AgBiome, a developer of agricultural products using the plant microbiome to improve crop productivity, disease resistance, and stress tolerance, raised $14.5 million in its Series A round on approximately April 11, 2013. Polaris Partners led the round, with participation from ARCH Venture Partners, Innotech Advisers, Harris & Harris Group, and additional strategic investors including major agriculture companies. The funding supported advancement of research and development programs and launch of the company's first products. AgBiome identifies novel microbes and genes from the plant microbiome to boost crop plant productivity. The company's leadership includes co-CEOs Scott Uknes and Eric Ward, each with 25 years of experience in agricultural biotechnology, and co-founder John Ryals, CEO of Metabolon. Scientific Advisory Board members include Prof. Dangl and Prof. Schulze-Lefert. This early-stage investment marked the first known co-investment by several major agriculture companies in an ag biotech firm at such an early stage, creating opportunities for future collaborations and market access. |
Who has invested in AgBiome?
15 investors have backed AgBiome across its funding rounds, including ARCH Venture Partners, Polaris Partners, Innotech Advisers, Leaps by Bayer, Aliment Capital and 180 Degree Capital.
Lead investors include Blue Horizon Corporation, Novalis LifeSciences, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Polaris Partners.
AgBiome Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Lead | Apr 2013 | ||
| 4 | Participant | Apr 2013 | ||
| 4 | Participant | Apr 2013 | ||
| 3 | Participant | Aug 2015 | ||
| 3 | Participant | Nov 2014 | ||
| 3 | Participant | Apr 2013 | ||
| 2 | Participant | Aug 2015 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Aug 2015 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Sep 2021 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Jul 2018 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Aug 2015 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Sep 2021 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2014 | ||
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Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
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Start Free TrialAgBiome Competitors
AgBiome competitors include listed companies like CF Industries, Qinghai Salt Lake Industry, Industries Qatar and SABIC Agri-Nutrient, and private ones like Biobest and Colossal Biosciences.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly listed | $7.1B | $3.2B | $20B | 3.1x | ||
| Publicly listed | $2.3B | $1.2B | $20B | 4.5x | ||
| Publicly listed | $4.4B | $1.6B | $17B | 4.4x | ||
| Publicly listed | $3.5B | $1.4B | $16B | 4.1x | ||
| Private | - | - | $1.5B | - | ||
| Private | - | - | $10B | - |
AgBiome Public Comps
AgBiome is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Wuxi AppTec, Corteva, BASF, Samsung BioLogics, Lonza Group, IQVIA, Archer-Daniels-Midland, Nutrien, Muyuan Foods and Novonesis.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $6.8B | $4B | 10.0x | 8.2x | 17.0x | 16.2x | |||
| $17B | $2.9B | 3.3x | 3.2x | 19.5x | 13.9x | |||
| $69B | $8.2B | 1.1x | 1.0x | 8.9x | 8.6x | |||
| $3.3B | $2B | 14.0x | 12.5x | 23.3x | 23.6x | |||
| $7.9B | $2.5B | 6.4x | 5.9x | 20.5x | 18.0x | |||
| $16B | $3.4B | 3.6x | 3.4x | 17.2x | 14.8x | |||
| $80B | $2.9B | 0.6x | 0.6x | 17.4x | 11.2x | |||
| $27B | $6.1B | 1.9x | 1.8x | 8.2x | 8.0x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all AgBiome competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about AgBiome
| When was AgBiome founded? | AgBiome was founded in 2012. |
| Where is AgBiome headquartered? | AgBiome is headquartered in Raleigh, NC, United States. |
| Is AgBiome publicly listed? | No, AgBiome is a private, VC-backed company. |
| How much funding has AgBiome raised? | AgBiome has raised $251M across 5 funding rounds. |
| What was AgBiome's last funding round? | AgBiome's last funding round was a $116M Series D in September 2021, led by Blue Horizon Corporation and Novalis LifeSciences. |
| Who are AgBiome's investors? | AgBiome's investors include Polaris Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, Innotech Advisers, Aliment Capital, Leaps by Bayer, 180 Degree Capital, UTIMCO, Syngenta Ventures, Volta Circle, Fidelity and 5 others. |
| Which companies are comparable to AgBiome? | Companies comparable to AgBiome include CF Industries, Qinghai Salt Lake Industry, Industries Qatar, SABIC Agri-Nutrient, Biobest and Colossal Biosciences. |
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