CAMBRIDGE: Robigo, a biotechnology company developing biological solutions for crop protection, announced today that it has raised a Series A funding round led by Leaps by Bayer, with participation from Illumina Ventures, SVG Thrive, Congruent Ventures and Endeavor8.

The company said the funding will accelerate the commercial launch of engineered microbial biopesticides that combat fungal diseases in soybeans and specialty crops in the United States, making the biological products economically viable without sacrificing performance.

The round also will support Robigo’s pipeline expansion to target additional soil-borne pathogens in broadacre crops, tapping into an addressable market of $10 billion.

Robigo’s approach to crop disease uses synthetic biology to precisely engineer the genetics of living microbes, giving them traits needed to consistently control pests and disease. The company’s ARGO platform delivers rapid programmability with computationally designed active ingredients, enabling novel modes of action that silence the pathogen’s essential genes, according to the company.

Robigo said the platform shortens development from computational design through microbe engineering, lead validation and field testing to under 20 months, compared with an industry norm of three to five years.

The engineered microbes are applied as a one-time treatment and continuously produce and deliver ARGO-designed active ingredients where the plant needs them most, providing season-long protection with no change to grower practices, the company said.

Crop disease causes significant economic losses. Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans alone causes an estimated $200 million to $500 million in annual losses for U.S. soybean farmers, and effective chemistries are costly and limited, according to Robigo. Fusarium wilt is currently the top disease problem for lettuce and berry growers, the company said.

“At Robigo, we believe in building on nature’s foundation to engineer biological products that match or exceed the performance of today’s chemistries,” said Dr. Andee Wallace, founder and CEO of Robigo. “Growers shouldn’t have to choose between a product that works and one that’s affordable or sustainable.”

Dr. Juergen Eckhardt, executive vice president and head of Leaps by Bayer, said the scalability of the ARGO platform sets Robigo apart.

“They are not just developing a single product but rather building an engine that can rapidly address diverse soil-borne pathogens across broadacre crops,” Eckhardt said. “Robigo’s pipeline of crop protection programs targets urgent, devastating diseases and offers a strong complement to Bayer’s crop protection portfolio.”

Leaps by Bayer, the strategic investment unit of Bayer, has invested more than $2.1 billion in more than 65 companies focused on emerging platforms and technologies in health and agriculture.

Robigo describes itself as crop protection without compromise.