Sofinnova Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in the life sciences sector, from seed to later-stage. The firm manages over €2 billion of assets dedicated to life science investing and actively partners with ambitious entrepreneurs as a lead or cornerstone investor to develop transformative innovations that have the potential to positively impact its collective future. It invests in start-ups, early-stage companies, corporate spin-offs, and occasionally turnaround situations with a focus on Life Sciences (Biopharmaceuticals / Biotech, Medical Devices, Industrial Biotechnology). Sofinnova Partners proactively sources deals, takes a lead role, is most often the first institutional investor in Round A financings, and leads its portfolio companies until exit. They sit on the boards of their portfolio companies and play an active role from the formation phase alongside entrepreneurs. It was headquartered in Paris, Ile-de-France in 1972.

Sofinnova Partners

Credit Agricole is a universal banking corporation active with focuses on corporate and investment banking, retail banking, insurance, consumer finance and savings management. Crédit Agricole Group is serving 54 million customers (Individuals, farmers, small businesses, local authorities, institutions, corporates) across 46 countries Crédit Agricole is : - Number 1 provider of financing to the French economy (Internal source: ECO 2023) - Number 1 European asset manager with its subsidiary Amundi (Source: IPE “Top 500 Asset Managers”, June 2023) - Number 1 insurer in France (Source: L’Argus de l’assurance, 13 December 2023 - data at end-2022) - Number 1 retail bank in the European Union based on number of customers - 9th largest global bank by balance sheet size (Source: The Banker 2024) Crédit Agricole Group supports its customers in their plans and projects in France and around the world, through its operations in all segments of the market including insurance, real estate, payment systems, asset management, leasing and factoring, consumer finance, and corporate and investment banking.  Crédit Agricole also stands out for its dynamic, innovative corporate social responsibility policy serving the economy. This policy is based on a pragmatic approach that permeates throughout the entire Group and engages all its employees. Its recent inclusion in the Vigeo-NYSE Euronext extra-financial indices is recognition of this engagement.

Crédit Agricole

Bpifrance provides financial solutions for companies that are booting up the listing on the stock exchange and credit equity. It includes OSEO, CDC Entreprises, FSI, and FSI Regions to offer in your area of financial solutions at every stage of the life of your business.

Bpifrance

Floated in 1998, thanks to the local authority ''Conseil Régional d’Aquitaine'' and the ''Caisse des dépôts'', our venture, growth and LBO funds (Aquitaine Amorçage, ACI, Aqui-Invest) now benefit from the support of public and private influential shareholders and sponsors.  Up to now, AQUITI GESTION has invested in more than 200 operations contributing to the creation and development of about 150 companies and thousands of jobs.  Currently, ACI and Aqui-Invest manage a portfolio gathering 50 companies which revenues scale from 0 € (early stage) to 30 M€.

AQUITI Gestion

Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by the territorial reform of French Regions in 2014 through the merger of three regions: Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes.

Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine

European Circular Bioeconomy Fund invest and partner with entrepreneurs to accelerate late-stage circular bioeconomy companies.

European Circular Bioeconomy Fund

Carbyne Equity Partners is a private equity firm that invests in growing European businesses with strong market positions.

Carbyne

Elicit Plant

Elicit Plant is an agro-biotech company specializing in crops’ water resistance and the development of innovative phytosterol-based solutions. The company develops products that significantly reduce water stress in field-grown plants, making them better equipped to handle water shortages.

Elicit Plant is an agri-biotech company that develops innovative phytosterol-based solutions to address water stress in crops, helping farmers respond to climate change challenges. The company's proprietary EliTerra technology platform harnesses phytosterols, plant-derived molecules that stimulate plants' natural defenses, reducing their water consumption and increasing their resilience to water stress.

Elicit Plant awarded up to €7.5 M funding from the European Commission through the EIC Accelerator program for deep tech start

Elicit Plant Raises €16M in Series A Funding

Elicit Plant Breakthrough: First European Registration Obtained for Innovative and Sustainable Agri-Biotech Solution Mitigating Climate Change Impacts

Our Company : Mission, Vision & Objectives

ecological innovation that increases sunflower yields

The Agritech Firm, Elicit Plant Announces the Launch of EliSun

ELICIT PLANT, the Future World Champion That Helps the Field Crop Industry Tackle Water Stress and Scarcity

Elicit Plant Raises €16M to Accelerate R&D and Marketing of Its Natural Solution Dedicated to the Reduction of Water Consumption by Plants in Agriculture

French champion of agroecology Elicit Plant bags €16M to bud its water

based Elicit Plant raises €16M, works to improve crop resilience

Biologically protecting plants from pests

Biopesticides

Elicit Plant: Redefining Agricultural Resilience with Nature’s Molecules

BASF

To enhance biostimulant development for sunflowers and cereals, improving yields and resilience, while supporting sustainable agricultural practices and addressing climate change challenges.

Companies that use biologically-derived substances such as microorganisms, seaweed extracts, and other organic matter that are applied to the plants or the soil to improve nutrient uptake, enhance tolerance of plant stress, and in turn improve crop growth and yield.

Elicit Plant is an agri-biotech company that develops innovative phytosterol-based solutions to address water stress in crops, helping farmers respond to climate change challenges. The company's proprietary EliTerra technology platform harnesses phytosterols, plant-derived molecules that stimulate plants' natural defenses, reducing their water consumption and increasing their resilience to water stress.
Through its laboratories and precision farm in France and Brazil, Elicit Plant has developed a line of products called BEST-a, designed specifically for corn crops. Following market approval from French authorities in April 2021, the company launched BEST-a in France, Brazil, and Ukraine, with yield gains of up to 20% reported in field trials. In November 2023, Elicit Plant obtained European registration for its EliTerra products, including BEST-a for corn, EliGrain-a for cereals, and EliSun-a for sunflowers, unlocking major markets across the EU.
Elicit Plant's solutions have demonstrated consistent performance, offering farmers a three-fold return on investment. By the end of 2023, BEST-a was available in Europe, treating over 300,000 hectares of land, with sales forecasts up to seven times higher than the previous year. The company continues to innovate, developing new products for crops like wheat, barley, and soybeans, with marketing authorizations underway in the US.

Groundwork BioAg is an Israeli bioagriculture company that produces mycorrhizal inoculants for mainstream agriculture. Its flagship product line, Rootella, consists of highly concentrated mycorrhizal fungi that establish a symbiotic relationship with plant roots, extending their reach into the soil. This symbiosis enables plants to access otherwise unavailable nutrients, especially phosphorus, leading to significant crop yield improvements. Additionally, Rootella enhances plant resilience to various stresses like drought and salinity while reducing fertilizer dependency.
Groundwork BioAg's Mycorrhizal BioPlatform, driven by innovative high-volume production techniques, has been successfully commercialized across major agricultural regions globally. These include the US, Brazil, China, India, Canada, Ukraine, Europe, Asia, and Africa, catering to crops like corn, soybeans, grains, fruits, and vegetables. A standout offering is Tormos, a granular mycorrhizal inoculant tailored for Indian farming practices, developed through a collaboration with ADAMA.
In 2022, Groundwork BioAg raised USD 18 million in Series B funding led by Climate Innovation Capital, underscoring the demand for yield-enhancing biologicals that sequester carbon and promote regenerative agriculture. The company's technology enables conventional and regenerative farmers to achieve higher profitability while permanently sequestering carbon in their fields. Groundwork BioAg has also launched the Rootella Carbon program in 2023, aiming to sequester one gigaton of CO2 within a decade through its mycorrhizal inoculants.
Key customers and partnerships
In 2023, Groundwork BioAg expanded its North American team by appointing Andrew Duff as General Manager to accelerate the adoption of Rootella mycorrhizal inoculants among mainstream growers in the US.
In June 2022, Groundwork BioAg partnered with ADAMA, a leading global crop protection company, to offer the Tormos mycorrhizal inoculant in India. This collaboration leverages ADAMA's extensive farmer network and Groundwork BioAg's Mycorrhizal BioPlatform to provide cost-effective solutions to Indian growers.

Groundwork BioAG

Solasta Bio is a Glasgow-based agritech company specializing in the development of peptide-based bioinsecticides for crop protection. Founded in 2020 as a spin-out from the University of Glasgow, the company has created the world's first technology platform for producing neuropeptide-based Insect Control Agents (ICAs) derived from nature rather than synthetic chemistry.
These ICAs are designed to disrupt targeted physiological processes in insect pests, effectively controlling them while leaving beneficial pollinators like bees and other non-target species unharmed. Solasta Bio's solutions offer unique insect specificity, proven efficacy on par with traditional chemical insecticides, and an environmentally friendly, biodegradable approach that does not accumulate residues in nature.
Solasta Bio's platform enables the company to target a wide spectrum of pests, including those resistant to synthetic chemistries. The company aims to bring its first ICA products to market by 2027/2028, approximately half the time traditionally required for synthetic pest control products. Its technology is patent-protected, and an additional patent application is pending.
In February 2024, Solasta Bio announced the successful completion of over 20 field trials across Europe, the UK, and the US, demonstrating the efficacy and safety of its ICAs across various crops and pests, including aphids, Spotted Wing Drosophila, caterpillars, and leafhoppers.

Solasta Bio

Enko Chem, Inc. is a crop health company focused on developing sustainable crop solutions to address global food security challenges. The company utilizes its proprietary ENKOMPASS technology platform, which combines DNA-encoded library screening, machine learning, and structure-based design, to discover novel crop protection chemistries. This approach enables Enko to rapidly identify new, better-performing, and more targeted molecules across various categories of crop protection products.
Enko's current pipeline is led by a range of herbicides designed to break cycles of weed and pest resistance while reducing environmental impact compared to existing solutions. The company aims to provide effective crop protection solutions that help growers adapt to and mitigate challenges exacerbated by climate change, such as pesticide-resistant weeds, fungus, and pests.
Since its inception in 2017, Enko has generated hundreds of leading molecules through its technology platform. In January 2023, the company announced an USD 80 million Series C funding round, bringing its total capital raised to USD 150 million. The additional funds will be utilized to advance Enko's product pipeline and support the company's efforts to bring new crop protection solutions to market.

Enko Chem

BioPhero is a Denmark-based company that has developed a pioneering and highly efficient yeast fermentation process for manufacturing pheromones at significantly lower costs and with fewer production steps compared to traditional chemical synthesis methods. Pheromones are compounds used in integrated pest management programs for controlling insect populations by disrupting the mating process, thereby reducing egg-laying and decreasing the next generation of the target insect species. BioPhero's patented fermentation technology allows for the sustainable and cost-effective production of pheromones, expanding their potential application from specialty crops like fruits and vegetables to large-scale row crops such as corn, soybeans, and rice.
Through its innovative bioprocessing platform, BioPhero aims to make pheromones widely available and contribute to sustainable agriculture by offering an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional insecticides. The company's pheromone products are highly specific to target pests, promoting biodiversity and posing no threat to pollinators or beneficial insects. FMC Corporation, a leading agricultural sciences company, acquired BioPhero in July 2022 for approximately USD 200 million, integrating its pheromone platform into FMC's biologicals business. FMC projects revenue from pheromones and pheromone-based insect control products to reach approximately USD 1 billion with above company-average EBITDA margin by 2030.

BioPhero

Redag Crop Protection is a biotechnology research and development company focused on developing novel crop protection products. The company's core technology is the Redox Switch platform, which allows for the creation of new compounds by modifying the oxidation state of existing best-in-class products. This approach provides Redag Crop Protection with a pipeline of candidates across multiple high-value applications in the crop protection industry.
The Redox Switch platform offers several advantages. It enables the company to secure intellectual property rights around existing products by creating structurally similar but chemically distinct compounds. These new compounds share similarities with well-characterized parent compounds, reducing the risk profile, development time, testing redundancy, and overall cost of bringing products to market. Additionally, the structural similarity to existing product classes means that Redag Crop Protection can leverage current manufacturing assets, further reducing market entry costs.

Redag Crop Protection

Companies that use microscopic living organisms (such as viruses, bacteria or nematodes) or toxins produced by these organisms to act as pest control. This also includes companies developing technology platforms to use microorganism chemistry to develop different kinds of microbial pesticides.

Companies that develop pesticide substances produced by plants as a result of genetic manipulation. These companies use technology such as genetic engineering to derive natural substances that plants can produce to kill pests that feed on them.

Companies that use machine learning and artificial intelligence technologies to develop plant-based replacements to synthetic chemical. These companies develop biochemicals that use naturally occurring substances such as pheromones, and insect attractants to trap and control pests in plants.  This also includes companies that offer plant intelligence for creating biochemicals.

Companies that use naturally occurring plant materials such as Azadirachtin, nicotinoids, natural pyrethrins, rotenoids,  and neem products in full or dilute form for pest and insect controls.

Companies that use natural enemies or predators like lady beetle, true bug, lacewings or parasitoids to protect the plants from pests.

Companies that use natural resources such as diatomaceous earth, mineral oil, water, minerals such as sulfur, potassium, or even organic acids for controlling various types of pests.

Provides natural alternatives to chemical pesticides

Processes often use AI and machine learning-based tech platforms to formulate biopesticides

Elicit Plant

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