Solasta Bio, a Glasgow-based agritech startup, has raised $14 million (£10.7 million) to further develop its innovative, nature-inspired pest control technology. This funding will enable the company to accelerate the production of its eco-friendly, peptide-based insecticide, which avoids synthetic chemicals in favor of sustainable alternatives.
This latest funding will allow Solasta Bio to scale its operations and bring its innovative insecticide solutions to the global agricultural market, supporting farmers in adopting sustainable practices while maintaining crop yields.
Founded in 2021, Solasta Bio focuses on creating insecticides that meet industry standards for efficacy while protecting the environment. The startup’s biopeptide technology targets harmful pests without affecting beneficial insects, such as bees, thus promoting biodiversity in agricultural systems.
“Solasta Bio has made remarkable progress since we began three years ago,” said Shireen Davies, co-founder and CEO of Solasta Bio. She highlighted the success of the company’s field trials, which demonstrated that the biopeptides were as effective as—or in some cases more effective than—traditional chemical insecticides.
The funding round was led by Forbion, a Dutch venture capital firm, through its BioEconomy fund. Additional investors included FMC Ventures, Corteva, Cavallo Ventures, Rubio Impact Ventures, Scottish Enterprise, UKi2S, SIS Ventures, and the University of Glasgow.
Joy Faucher, partner at Forbion BioEconomy, noted the significance of Solasta Bio’s work at a critical time for agriculture, as conventional insect control products are increasingly facing issues related to resistance and negative biodiversity impacts. Faucher praised Solasta Bio for providing a cost-effective and sustainable alternative that can easily be integrated by farmers.
Since its inception, Solasta Bio has raised a total of $19 million, including a £4 million round in April 2023. The company is poised to launch a series of first-in-class products that could transform the crop protection industry by offering an environmentally friendly, high-efficacy solution for pest control.
