AI startup raises $10.3M to help crops fight disease naturally

UK-based biotech startup Resurrect Bio has expanded its Series A funding round to $10.3 million to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence technology designed to help crops naturally defend themselves against diseases. According to AgFunderNews, the company plans to use the investment to grow its team and expand disease-resistance programs in major agricultural crops.

The round was led by Corteva, through its Corteva Catalyst platform, with participation from investors including Calculus Capital, Pymwymic, Future Planet Capital, SynBioVen and AgFunder. With the latest extension, the company’s total funding has now reached $12.4 million.

Founded as a spinout from The Sainsbury Laboratory in Norwich, England, Resurrect Bio is developing technology aimed at restoring plants’ natural immune systems. Over time, many crops have become more vulnerable as pathogens evolved mechanisms to suppress plant defenses.

The startup’s core innovation is an artificial intelligence platform called FloraFold AI, which predicts how proteins from pathogens interact with proteins inside crops. By identifying those molecular interactions, the company can determine the exact genetic edits needed to stop pathogens from disabling plant immunity.

The process focuses on helping seed companies identify where to make precise gene edits using technologies such as CRISPR. Resurrect Bio itself does not perform the editing, but instead provides partners with highly specific biological targets.

According to the company, even a minimal genetic modification can sometimes restore resistance. “The magic of it is that some of those changes are as little as one amino acid,” explained head of operations Robert Lo Bue in statements reported by AgFunderNews. “One small change will break that interaction and make the plant resistant to the pathogen again.”

One of the major advantages of the technology is its flexibility. Unlike traditional breeding approaches that often focus on a single crop or disease, Resurrect Bio says its platform can work across multiple crops and against a broad range of threats, including fungal diseases, oomycetes and nematodes.

The company initially demonstrated its technology in potato cyst nematode resistance, but it has since expanded into additional crops. More recently, it signed a joint development agreement with Corteva to develop disease resistance in corn.

CEO and cofounder Cian Duggan said the latest funding round reflects growing confidence in the company’s technology. “The strength of this raise reflects growing conviction in what we’re building: a scalable, AI-driven platform for resurrecting disease resistance in the world’s most important crops,” he said.

The platform combines three main components: the FloraFold AI prediction system, rapid screening tools capable of testing thousands of molecular interactions, and what the company calls “resurrection technology,” which identifies how crops can regain their natural defenses.

The broader goal is to reduce agriculture’s dependence on chemical crop protection products while improving yields and resilience. By helping plants defend themselves more effectively, the technology could lower the need for fungicides and other agricultural inputs.

The funding announcement also highlights a broader trend in agtech investing. Duggan noted that corporate venture capital has become increasingly important for agricultural startups, especially in sectors requiring long development timelines and large-scale commercialization.

He argued that partnerships with major agricultural companies can provide startups not only with capital, but also with credibility and clearer paths to market adoption.

As climate pressures and plant disease threats continue to grow globally, technologies that combine biotechnology and artificial intelligence are attracting increasing interest from both investors and the agricultural industry.