Biopesticide and salt-tolerant wheat startups raise funding

· Agriculture & Food

Two agricultural startups closed early-stage rounds. Molagri raised $5.8 million to build what it calls updatable biopesticides, with cofounder Zaky Hassan arguing farmers should not have to worry about resistance, comparing it to not tracking which flu strain is circulating before a shot. Separately, OlsAro raised a $5.5 million seed round for salt-tolerant wheat that it says is nearing market; the company aims to enable farming on otherwise unfarmable land and claims meaningful yield gains over elite local varieties in saline soil. Both deals reflect continued venture interest in crop inputs and seed traits aimed at chemical reduction and climate-stressed farmland, even as funding for the broader agrifood sector has tightened.

Why it matters：Early-stage money flowing to resistance-proof crop protection and salt-tolerant seed traits shows investors still back climate and input-reduction tools despite a tougher agrifood funding market.

Key points

  • Molagri: $5.8m for 'updatable' biopesticides addressing resistance
  • OlsAro: $5.5m seed for salt-tolerant wheat nearing market
  • OlsAro claims yield gains over elite local varieties in saline soil

Sources (original reporting)

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