SugaROx Raises €1.1M To Fast-Track Crop-Boosting Biostimulants

The Mosaic Company contributed £400K, while existing UK angel investors and funds including the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (managed by Future Planet Capital) and Regenerate Ventures—added £600K to the round.

SugaROx has raised an additional £1M in its seed round following a £2.4M grant from Innovate UK. The funds will advance production of Trehalose-6-Phosphate (T6P), the company’s first active biostimulant ingredient.

T6P acts as a signaling molecule regulating plant growth, development, and metabolism. Unlike fertilizers or pesticides, biostimulants enhance nutrient uptake, yield, and stress tolerance, representing one of the fastest-growing crop input sectors with an 11% CAGR.

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SugaROx’s T6P boosts crop yield and resilience by inhibiting the SnRK1 enzyme, which signals energy scarcity in plants. Successful safety tests in early 2024 strengthened regulatory confidence and generated partner interest for field trials.

The company plans to launch its wheat biostimulant in the UK by 2027 and in the EU by 2028, with soybean and maize trials underway to support future entry into US and Brazilian markets.

Mark Robbins, CEO of SugaROx says, “In response to increasing demand for product samples, we decided to accelerate our manufacturing timeline, fast‑tracking the shift from in‑house lab production to a pilot facility. The Innovate UK grant and additional investment allows us to do that.”

“Our existing investors were quick to subscribe to the seed round extension, which we are delighted to complete with Mosaic as a strategic partner. We have the ambition to transform the biostimulants industry with science-based solutions – something that is only achievable in collaboration with other players.”

Dr Cara Griffiths, CTO and co-founder, adds, “With Mosaic, we gain access to an established network of trial sites for validation of our first product in the US at scale. Mosaic will also provide us with access to TruResponse, a digital platform to visualise field results, which will be extremely valuable for our research.”

SugaROx’s technology addresses the challenge of delivering molecules that naturally regulate plant metabolism but are typically difficult to transport due to their charge, localisation, and immobility.

Using proprietary methods developed at Oxford and Rothamsted, the company designs plant-permeable versions of these molecules. Once applied, they are absorbed through the leaf, transported into plant cells, and activated at their target site.

The company’s active ingredients build on over 20 years of research into trehalose-6-phosphate, a natural plant molecule that regulates carbon use and allocation. The first product in development is a biostimulant aimed at increasing wheat yields.

SugaROx collaborates with partners that provide market access, working together to develop this and future applications ensuring that its innovations reach farmers efficiently and deliver measurable benefits in crop performance.

About SugaROx

Founded in 2021 SugaROx is a spin-out from the University of Oxford and Rothamsted Research, focused on developing crop biostimulants. The company creates precision biostimulants that enhance plant metabolism, boosting farming productivity, efficiency, resilience, sustainability and profitability.