New Effort to Advance Biologicals That Better Protect Crop Yields

Robigo, a Cambridge, MA-based biotechnology company, has announced Series A funding led by Leaps by Bayer with participation from Illumina Ventures, SVG Thrive, Congruent Ventures, and Endeavor8. The round will accelerate the commercial launch of engineered microbial biopesticides combatting fungal diseases in soybeans and specialty crops in the U.S. The round of funding also will support Robigo’s pipeline expansion to target additional soilborne pathogens in broadacre crops, tapping into an addressable market of $10 billion.

Robigo’s solutions to address crop diseases are rooted in a fundamentally new approach that leverages synthetic biology to precisely engineer the genetics of living microbes, giving them the traits needed to consistently control pests and disease. The company’s ARGO platform delivers rapid programmability with computationally designed active ingredients, enabling novel modes of action that silence the pathogen’s essential genes. The platform delivers unparalleled speed, shortening development from computational design through microbe engineering, lead validation, and field testing to under 20 months, compared with an industry norm of three to five years.

“The scalability of the ARGO platform is what sets Robigo apart,” says Dr. Juergen Eckhardt, EVP and Head of Leaps by Bayer. “They are not just developing a single product but rather building an engine that can rapidly address diverse soilborne pathogens across broadacre crops. Robigo’s pipeline of crop protection programs targets urgent, devastating diseases, and offers a strong complement to Bayer’s crop protection portfolio.”

Robigo’s engineered microbes are applied as a one-time treatment and continuously produce and deliver ARGO-designed active ingredients where the plant needs them most. This approach provides season-long protection with no change to grower practices.

“We believe in building on nature’s foundation to engineer biological products that match or exceed the performance of today’s chemistries,” adds said Dr. Andee Wallace, Founder & CEO of Robigo.

For more information, visit Robigo’s site and/or LeapsbyBayer.com.