SugaROx secures $1.28 million to advance field testing of biostimulant research

SugaROx, a UK-based agtech start-up, has raised an additional £1 million ($1.28 million) in seed funding to accelerate field testing of its first crop biostimulant. The round included £400,000 ($510,000) from The Mosaic Company, one of the world’s largest fertilizer producers, alongside £600,000 ($770,000) from existing backers, including the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, Regenerate Ventures and several angel investors.

The investment follows a £2.4 million ($3.1 million) grant awarded earlier this year by Innovate UK to scale up manufacturing of SugaROx’s lead active ingredient, Trehalose-6-Phosphate (T6P). The company’s T6P biostimulant is designed to boost yields and crop resilience by inhibiting SnRK1, an enzyme that signals energy scarcity in plants. Safety testing was completed in early 2024, clearing the way for large-scale trials.

SugaROx is targeting a UK launch of its wheat biostimulant in 2027, followed by entry into the European Union in 2028. Trials on soybean and maize are underway in 2025, with plans to expand into the US and Brazilian markets shortly thereafter.

Chief Executive Mark Robbins said the latest investment will allow the company to speed up its transition from lab-based production to a pilot facility. “In response to increasing demand for product samples, we decided to accelerate our manufacturing timeline,” he said. “The Innovate UK grant and additional investment allows us to do that.”

Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, Dr. Cara Griffiths, said the partnership with Mosaic brings strategic benefits. “With Mosaic we gain access to an established network of trial sites for validation of our first product in the U.S. at scale,” she noted. “Mosaic will also provide us with access to its TruResponse digital platform to visualize field results, which will be extremely valuable for our research.”

Biostimulants remain one of the fastest-growing segments in agricultural inputs, expanding at an estimated annual rate of 11%. SugaROx’s backers say the firm is well positioned to capture demand as growers seek technologies that improve yields while reducing reliance on traditional inputs.