Cheshire-based CroBio, an AgTech startup on a mission to reshape the future of agriculture by harnessing the power of enhanced microbes, announced €805k in new funding to enhance their living soil amendment, a technology designed to improve nutrient retention, water retention, and carbon sequestration in soils.
The funding comes in the form of a grant in partnership with the University of York and the Biorenewables Development Centre.
This funding, provided by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)’s Farming Innovation Programme , and supported by Innovate UK, will drive the next phase of CroBio’s pioneering work in soil health and nutrient management.
“This project brings together a diverse and multidisciplinary consortium and addresses key challenges facing agriculture. The project will see CroBio’s technology be developed for nutrient management purposes, with the aim to support farmers by reducing the need for fertiliser while providing benefits to soil and environmental health. I am excited to get started on this project and to be supporting CroBio in developing its technology to be applicable across widespread territories and with multiple benefits”, said Dr Daniel J Upton, Senior Scientist at CroBio.
CroBio was founded in 2019 by Ross Mulhall during the YES19 competition at Syngenta’s Jealott’s Hill Facility. With the support of his father, Wayne Mulhall, the company was established through a bootstrap funding round and intellectual property was secured.
In 2020, CroBio leveraged a modest initial investment from Catapult Ventures GM&C Life Sciences Fund to develop and refine their bacterial strains for greenhouse trials. In 2023, the company gained a significant foothold by securing a €505k investment from SOSV and a spot in the IndieBio program, an SOSV start-up accelerator based in New York City.\
CroBio’s living soil amendment is applied in liquid form once per growing season. The product has a two year shelf life and is compatible with typical processes and equipment. Its low cost and ease of use makes it a viable solution for large acreage row crops.
After each growing season, the bacterial cellulose produced by the microbes degrades, increasing the organic carbon in soil. Bacterial cellulose is composed of chains of glucose, which when broken down, become a feedstock for the microbiome. Carbon-rich soils are the ideal environment to promote crop productivity, yield stability, and climate neutrality.
CroBio’s living soil amendment absorbs atmospheric CO2, which results in a healthy environment for plant growth. CroBio builds soil that is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and micro-nutrients as a result of heightened biodiversity. According to their website, in greenhouse studies, CroBio improved water retention in sandy soil by 200%.
Their living soil amendment works by farmers applying the product in liquid form after sowing seed, just once per growing season. After application, the living microbes grow with the plant. CroBio’s living microbes consume root exudates from the plant and produce bacterial cellulose, a sponge-like material that’s carbon-rich and able to hold 1,000x its weight in water. Bacterial cellulose forms a scaffold around the plant roots that helps hold water and nutrients for the plant when it needs it most.
This grant follows an April 2023 €1.4 million Seed round, as reported by EU-Startups.
The project will enhance CroBio’s living soil amendment, an innovative technology designed to improve nutrient retention, water retention, and carbon sequestration in soils.
This award marks CroBio’s first government-funded grant, reinforcing their commitment to sustainable agriculture, climate resilience, and future food security.
The funding will accelerate strain development for use in the UK and across Europe, expanding CroBio’s impact in regenerative agriculture.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/02/agtech-startup-crobio-raises-850k-to-reshape-agriculture-through-enhanced-microbes/
