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HomePosts Tagged "Corteva Inc."
Agribusiness, Company News, Finance, Funding, World

The capital will propel ongoing support for Micropep’s pipeline of sustainable micropeptide solutions to develop affordable, effective crop protection solutions.

Micropep Technologies (Micropep), the global leader in micropeptide crop protection technologies, announced that it has successfully closed its Series B funding round with an additional $11 million commitment. This investment, from new investors Corteva Inc. through its Corteva Catalyst platform, Sparkfood SA, as well as all existing investors brings the total Series B round to $40 million and elevates the company’s total funding to over $60 million.

The capital will propel ongoing support for Micropep’s pipeline of sustainable micropeptide solutions by harnessing the power of its proprietary discovery platform, Krisalix™, to develop affordable, effective crop protection solutions.

Micropep’s proprietary discovery platform, Krisalix™, allows researchers to discover new micropeptide molecules seamlessly and rapidly for more efficient and environmentally friendly crop protection compared to traditional methods used within the industry. Krisalix™, a robust screening tool, measures efficiency, stability, and production feasibility by combining proprietary micropeptide design algorithms with a unique suite of bioassays.

“On the heels of the initial raise of $29 million for this round, this increased investment in Micropep will accelerate our time to market,” said Thomas Laurent, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Micropep. ‘We are grateful to our incoming investors, Corteva and Sparkfood, for their partnership and confidence in our ability to be a new hope for sustainable agriculture for future generations.”

Corteva, Inc., through its Corteva platform, collaborates with entrepreneurs and innovators to accelerate the development of early-stage, disruptive technologies that enable farmers to sustainably produce more food and feed.

“Micropep is helping shape the accelerated delivery of sustainable innovation through their micropeptide crop health solutions, and we’re excited to stand with Micropep among the leading investors in this funding round,” said Tom Greene, senior director at Corteva, Inc. and global leader for Corteva Catalyst, the company’s investment and partnership platform. “The technologies they are developing—particularly as leaders in the peptide space—complement Corteva’s own leadership in biologicals and natural products and are crucial for the expansion of environmentally friendly and effective crop protection solutions.”

Sparkfood is a subsidiary of Sonae, a multinational Portuguese holding company backed by a long-term value-driven family. Sparkfood funds & fuels next-generation of food companies towards a sustainable, healthier future. Micropep’s addition to Sparkfood’s portfolio highlights their commitment to invest in food impact companies in all sectors from the farm to the table.

“We see the combination of three pillars of innovation built by Micropep to produce micropeptide-based biosolutions as a major breakthrough in the industry,” said Anouk Veber, Head of Ventures at Sparkfood. “Between an AI tool, a platform approach capable of producing multiple end applications from various modes of action, and a low-cost and scalable production approach, we believe Micropep is well positioned. Sparkfood will support the company over time through its market expertise, potential subsequent fundings depending on needs, and portfolio complementarity, including potential synergies with our latest investment, BCF Life Sciences, as both companies are tackling the bio-inputs space through different approaches.”

The capital will propel ongoing support for

Agri Genomics, Agribusiness, Collaborations, Company News, R&D, World

The joint venture, which spans five years, will leverage both companies’ advanced gene editing capabilities to accelerate the delivery of gene edited products.

Corteva, Inc., a global leader in agricultural technology and Pairwise, a technology company pioneering the application of gene editing in food and agriculture, have announced a collaboration to accelerate the delivery of advanced gene editing solutions to farmers, ultimately benefitting both the environment and everyday consumers. Gene editing uses a plant’s own DNA to make precise improvements, providing growers with another critical tool to keep pace with the challenges facing food production, including those presented by climate change.

Anchoring the collaboration is Corteva’s $25 million equity investment in Pairwise, made under the umbrella of Corteva Catalyst, the company’s new investment and partnership platform focused on accessing agricultural innovation to drive value creation. The investment aims to help expand the reach and benefits of gene editing to a wide variety of staple and specialty crops.

In addition, Corteva and Pairwise have formed a joint venture to accelerate and expand the delivery of advanced gene edited technologies aimed at increasing crop yield for food, fuel and fiber production, despite increasing climate change.

The joint venture, which spans five years, will leverage both companies’ advanced gene editing capabilities to accelerate the delivery of gene edited products by generating and evaluating unique gene edits across multiple traits in a range of crops. Building on Corteva’s longstanding leadership in plant breeding and genetics, the companies will collaborate on the development and deployment of gene edited products that are more resilient to extreme weather events and climate change.

“Gene editing is a transformational technology for agriculture that will advance climate resilience in farming and drive the increased farm productivity needed to feed and fuel the world’s growing population,” said Sam Eathington, Corteva’s chief technology and digital officer. “As a gene editing technology leader ourselves, we are proud to work with Pairwise to accelerate the benefits of gene editing not only to farmers, but ultimately to those who rely on the availability of sustainably grown and affordable food – and that’s all of us.”

“Gene editing is poised to revolutionize agriculture, enabling the cultivation of crops that are more adaptive to climate change, are more nutritious and convenient for consumers, and deliver greater economics for growers,” said Tom Adams, Pairwise CEO and co-founder. “Through our Fulcrum Platform, we’re proud to be at the helm of applying this transformative technology in agriculture and, alongside partners like Corteva, accelerate the realization of these benefits across global stakeholders.”

Pairwise is a leader in using gene editing to make differentiated crops. Last year, the company launched the first CRISPR food in North America, and has multiple products in development across significant crops, including corn, soy, wheat, canola, blackberries, and more. The Pairwise Fulcrum™ Platform includes proprietary gene editing tools that provide the ability to not only turn a characteristic on or off but also, with base editing and related technologies, “tune” it to find it’s sweet spot for highest performance. Pairwise’s novel editing tools allow scientists to precisely tailor a wide range of genetic variation to develop new, distinctive plant varieties much faster and more effectively than through conventional breeding alone.

This is the first joint venture and major equity investment in gene editing made by Corteva Catalyst, the company’s new investment and partnership platform. The investment reflects Corteva’s nearly century-long track record (through its Pioneer brand) of championing innovation through partnerships, including with the global scientific community.

The joint venture, which spans five years,

Agribusiness, Agrotech, Company News, Digital Technologies, World

Corteva Catalyst will partner with entrepreneurs and innovators to accelerate the development of early-stage, disruptive technologies.

Corteva, Inc.  announced the launch of Corteva Catalyst, a new investment and partnership platform focused on accessing and bringing to market agricultural innovations that advance the company’s R&D priorities and drive value creation. Corteva Catalyst will partner with entrepreneurs and innovators to accelerate the development of early-stage, disruptive technologies that enable farmers to sustainably produce more food and feed.

“Corteva has a long tradition of addressing the critical challenges farmers face around the world by advancing innovation in partnership with the global scientific community,” said Sam Eathington, EVP and Corteva Chief Technology and Digital Officer. “Through Corteva Catalyst, we will build upon that tradition by pairing our considerable expertise and resources with the agility of start-ups and universities to deliver new solutions for farmers globally. This initiative will expand our pipeline and accelerate growth.”

Leveraging Corteva’s expertise, recognized R&D capabilities, global footprint and go-to-market infrastructure, Corteva Catalyst is uniquely positioned to support the development and commercialization of groundbreaking technology and deliver it directly into farmers’ hands.

Corteva Catalyst will initially focus on identifying opportunities across four strategic verticals aligned with the company’s R&D priorities: genome editing; biologicals and natural products; technology platforms; and decision science. 

Corteva Catalyst will partner with entrepreneurs and