UPL Corporation
Ltd. (UPL Corp), a global provider of holistic and sustainable agricultural
solutions, and
Radicle Growth, a company-building platform investing in early-stage
agriculture and food technologies, are delighted to announce SOLASTA Bio as the
winner of ‘the Radicle Natural Plant Protection (NPP) Challenge by UPL’,
securing a $1M investment, with the runner-up Impetus Ag, receiving a $750,000
investment. The Challenge sought to identify entrepreneurs advancing natural
and biological solutions and saw applications from 237 start-ups.
SOLASTA Bio, an ag-biotech company specializing in the
next-generation of green insecticides, was selected as the winner for
developing nature-inspired, selectively targeted and sustainable peptide insect
control products. Shireen Davies, CEO of SOLASTA Bio, said: “We are delighted
to have won The Radicle NPP Challenge by UPL. We look forward to accelerating
our sustainable insect control solutions towards the global market in a new
phase for the company and enhancing this with industry support and global
networks provided by UPL Corp and Radicle Growth”.
Impetus Ag, an ag-tech company developing biological
insect control solutions with the effectiveness of legacy chemical methods, was
selected as the runner-up for creating novel proteins that bind naturally
occurring toxins to targeted pests. Dr. Martha Schlicher, CEO of Impetus Ag
said: “Being a winner of The Radicle NPP Challenge by UPL is a game changer for
Impetus Ag! Investment in parallel with product development resources,
expertise, and access to global networks will ensure our products meet industry
gold standards and will go a long way in authenticating our pest solutions with
grower supply chains critical for product adoption.”
Mike Frank, CEO of UPL Corp., said: “We’re committed to
expanding access to sustainable solutions as a route to shaping healthy,
productive, and climate-positive food systems. Through this investment and our
ongoing support, we’re excited to work with SOLASTA Bio and Impetus Ag to
develop their biological innovations and deliver real-world impacts for
farmers, food chains, and the planet. Thank you to our winners, finalists, and
all of the incredible start-ups that entered this Radicle Challenge.’
Kirk
Haney, Managing Partner of Radicle Growth, said:
“Congratulations to our winners! We have been so inspired by the biological
solutions on display at the Pitch Day Event, and we are deeply proud that the Radicle
Challenge continues to serve as a leading platform for driving global deal flow
and funding the most impressive technologies across the food value chain.”
The winners were announced at a Pitch Day Event on 18th
March 2024. In addition to the funding, SOLASTA Bio and Impetus Ag will gain
access to UPL Corp and Radicle Growth’s expertise and networks to help
accelerate their development and growth.
Learn more about ‘The Radicle NPP Challenge by UPL’ here.
For more information, please contact:
UPL
Reina Behmber
Head of Global Marketing Communications reina.behmber@upl-ltd.com
Radicle Growth
Damaris Mozo
SVP, Head of Operations and Legal dmozo@radicle.vc
