SOLASTA Bio secures $14m in Series A funding led by Forbion to scale green insecticide development.
The oversubscribed round was co-led by Forbion, FMC Ventures, and Corteva Inc.
SOLASTA Bio develops nature-inspired peptide-based insecticides designed to protect crops while preserving pollinators.
SOLASTA Bio has raised $14m in Series A funding to accelerate the development of its eco-friendly insect control products. The oversubscribed round was led by Forbion through its BioEconomy fund, with co-lead investment from FMC Ventures and Corteva Inc. Existing backers including Cavallo Ventures, Rubio Impact Ventures, Scottish Enterprise, UKi2S, SIS Ventures, and the University of Glasgow also participated in the round.
The capital will be deployed to advance the company technology platform, scale up biomanufacturing capabilities, expand US operations, and conduct further real-world field trials. Joy Faucher of Forbion will join the board of directors as part of the transaction.
From the founder
"SOLASTA Bio has come a long way since we set out on this journey 3 years ago. Having established operations in the UK and US, we’ve now got an international team with outstanding competencies in technology and agribusiness and, importantly, we have developed our unique technology platform to address grower pain points. The results of our field trials have been hugely encouraging, demonstrating high efficacy of biopeptides against target insect pests, as effective or better than standard insecticides. With Series A now secured, it’s time for SOLASTA Bio to kick on to the next level and successfully hit our targets for commercialisation."
Shireen Davies
CEO at SOLASTA Bio
Investor perspective
"As traditional insect control agents struggle with resistance and impact to biodiversity, SOLASTA is poised to revolutionise the crop protection market at a critical time, with a cost-effective, sustainable, and high-efficacy alternative that can be adopted seamlessly by farmers. The team’s deep expertise in insect neuropeptide modalities, their differentiated tech platform, and proven real-world data provide a unique position to launch a series of first-in-class products that can redefine the agriculture industry."
Joy Faucher
Forbion
Use of funds
- 01Continue product development
- 02Expand into international markets
- 03Build out infrastructure
Investors
Joy Faucher
Forbion
Mark Brooks
FMC Ventures
Tom Greene
Corteva
Cavallo Ventures
Rubio Impact Ventures
Scottish Enterprise
SIS Ventures
University of Glasgow
Categories
About the company
SOLASTA Bio
SOLASTA Bio develops green peptide-based insecticides for agricultural use.