SugaROx, an Oxford-based agri-biotech spinout, has secured an additional €1.1 million (£1 million) in a seed round extension to accelerate the development and production of its crop-enhancing biostimulant, targeting improvements in food production and sustainability. The round includes £400k from The Mosaic Company and £600k from returning angel investors and funds, including UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (managed by Future Planet Capital) and Regenerate Ventures.
Founded in 2021 as a joint spinout from the University of Oxford and Rothamsted Research, SugaROx is developing next-generation biostimulants designed to optimise plant metabolism. Its first product, based on the active ingredient Trehalose-6-Phosphate (T6P), is designed to support crop growth, yield, and resilience under stress, responding to growing demand for sustainable agricultural inputs.
“In response to increasing demand for product samples, we decided to accelerate our manufacturing timeline, fast‑tracking the shift from in‑house lab production to a pilot facility. The Innovate UK grant and additional investment allows us to do that,” said Mark Robbins, CEO of SugaROx.
T6P works by influencing key metabolic signals in plants, particularly by inhibiting the SnRK1 enzyme that triggers stress responses related to energy scarcity. The company’s delivery system, developed through two decades of academic research, allows this otherwise immobile molecule to be absorbed efficiently through the leaf and activated at precise sites within the plant.
With a £2.4 million grant from Innovate UK already secured earlier in the year, this latest funding injection will support pilot-scale production and field trials. SugaROx plans to launch its wheat-focused biostimulant in the UK by 2027 and in the EU by 2028, while also advancing soybean and maize trials in preparation for the US and Brazilian markets.
“Our existing investors were quick to subscribe to the seed round extension, which we are delighted to complete with Mosaic as a strategic partner. We have the ambition to transform the biostimulants industry with science-based solutions – something that is only achievable in collaboration with other players,” added Mark Robbins.
Dr Cara Griffiths, CTO and co-founder of SugaROx, said: “With Mosaic, we gain access to an established network of trial sites for validation of our first product in the US at scale. Mosaic will also provide us with access to TruResponse, a digital platform to visualise field results, which will be extremely valuable for our research.”
Biostimulants, which enhance plant functions rather than merely protect them, represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the crop input market, currently growing at around 11% CAGR. Unlike fertilisers or pesticides, they work by activating plant systems to improve stress tolerance, nutrient uptake and overall productivity.
SugaROx is aiming to position itself at the forefront of this movement, using molecular tools that integrate deep plant science with practical farming outcomes. Its scalable delivery mechanism for metabolic regulators addresses one of the key bottlenecks in biostimulant adoption, effective absorption and activation.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2025/08/oxford-based-sugarox-secured-e1-1-million-to-accelerate-the-development-and-production-of-its-crop-enhancing-biostimulants/
