Pitch for Investment

SugaROx

UKI2S > Our Impact > SugaROx

Introduction

It’s predicted that 208.3 million people will experience high levels of acute food insecurity in 2024. And with the global population projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050, that figure is only going to increase – unless we can grow crop yields by up to 60% in developed countries, and 200% in developing ones.

That’s why SugaROx is on a mission to support global food security, by developing biostimulants to help farmers improve the productivity, resilience and sustainability of cropping systems. Biostimulants on the whole are emerging as one of the most promising solutions to help farmers with cropping systems, with demand for these products growing at 12% CAGR.

Recent global field trials show that the team’s technology has the potential to deliver up to a massive 22% yield gain on wheat, which is up to 4 times the benefit of existing products on the market. As a result, this Rothamsted Research and Oxford University spin out is set to shake up this market dominated with its precision technology.

The Science

“Our secret lies in using a single active ingredient (AI) whose mode of action is well understood, in combination with a proprietary approach able to deliver naturally occurring specialised metabolites to where they have maximum effect”.

The first biostimulant formulations are based on trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) – a natural plant sugar-based molecule that acts as a signalling compound for energy use. The product, applied by spray, enables farmers to enhance carbon allocation in the crop and increase yield.

Although the first product is targeted at wheat, the T6P mechanism is universal in all plants. SugaROx is investigating the use of its technology in a wide range of crops.

UKI2S Impact

£350,000

as Investor Partner alongside an Innovate UK grant

£250,000

follow on investment

£1.5M total

capital raised to date

Dr Cara Griffiths, co-founder & CTO said:

“We are marrying up the powers of chemistry and biology to develop new solutions for increasing yield and resilience in arable and horticultural crops, driven by a passion to improve agricultural sustainability in our changing climate. We wanted investors on board with us who saw our vision and would work with us to bring the academic discoveries to market reality. UK12S is a valuable partner for early-stage companies bringing innovative ideas to the commercial space as they understand the complexities doing so, and bring with them an extensive network of advisors and experts to guide you through company development.”

As first institutional investors and post-accelerator funding contributors, UKI2S has invested £600,000 in SugaROx’s mission to date. We’ve been involved at board level ever since, as the company scales up manufacture of the product, expands the technical team, assembles the regulatory package for submission and delivers field tech trials around the world.

SugaROx now holds an exclusive worldwide licence for its biostimulant technology, which is based on an incredible 25 years of cutting-edge science. UKI2S is delighted to continue supporting this dynamic, passionate team as they work to prove the concept in an ever wider range of crops, ensuring farmers can be confident that the SugaROx solutions will deliver great results.

Weather extremes, conflict and economic shocks are the key drivers behind food insecurity. With the help of SugaROx biostimulants, farmers can optimise productivity from every unit of agricultural land, and improve the resilience of crop systems amidst adverse weather conditions, to support food security globally.

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