AgBiome, the startup focusing on improvements in crop science and backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has received EPA approval for its first fungicide product.
The company, which has raised some $52 million in venture capital since 2013, on Monday said the FDA had approved its product known as Zio.
SePRO will market and sell the product.
“Our ever-growing collection of sequenced microbes, combined with AgBiome’s proprietary screening capabilities, results in unique and powerful discoveries that will benefit horticulturists, landscapers, nursery operators and turf professionals,” said Dr. Lee Simmons, AgBiome’s Innovations Technical Director.
Zio targets a variety of pathogens.
AgBiome analyzes microbes found in and on crop plants and in surrounding soil for their potential use as biological products and as sources of genetic traits that can reduce crop damage and improve yields. The company recently moved into a new 30,000 square foot facility in TRP.
SePRO focuses on specialty chemical and pharmaceutical products.
“SePRO’s knowledge of the turf and ornamental market and expertise in commercializing products make them the perfect partner to bring our first product to these markets” Ted Piatt, Sales Director at AgBiome Innovations, said in a statement.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
AgBiome has numerous other fungicides and insecticides under development.
The company is backed by a long list of high-profile investors, including Syngenta, Monsanto and Novozymes plus the University of Texas Investment Management Company, Pontifax Global Food and Agriculture Technology Fund, and Polaris Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, Harris & Harris Group, as well as Innotech Advisers.
