What Elicit Plant does

Elicit Plant is a French agro-biotech company founded in 2017 and headquartered in Moulins-sur-Tardoire (Charente, France), operating in the biological crop-input segment with a focus on drought stress management. The company develops and commercializes EliTerra, a proprietary phytosterol-based technology platform that triggers plants' natural physiological defense mechanisms to reduce water consumption by approximately 20% and protect yields under water stress. Formulations are protected by more than a dozen patent families and applied preventively at defined growth stages (e.g., 6-10 leaf stage for corn) using conventional spray equipment, making the products compatible with existing agronomic practices.

The commercial product range covers four major broad-acre crops through crop-specific brands: Best-a/EliZea for grain and silage corn, EliSun-a for sunflower, EliGrain-a for wheat and spring barley, and EliZon for soybean, with a potato biostimulant in co-development with Certis Belchim. Revenue is generated through one-time product sales distributed via a hybrid channel model that combines a network of agricultural input distributors with flagship distribution agreements with Bayer, BASF, and Certis Belchim; the company also maintains direct farmer engagement and large-scale demonstrator programs (notably the FASEP-funded Ukraine program covering 123 farms and 15,000 hectares). The company operates in 15+ countries across Europe (FR, DE, ES, IT, UK, PL, RO, BG, HU, HR, RS), Ukraine, Brazil (with an Alphaville sales office), and is actively entering the US Corn Belt.

Elicit Plant is venture-backed, having raised approximately $48M+ cumulatively across a EUR16M Series A (Sofinnova Partners, 2022), a EUR7.5M EIC Accelerator package (2022), and a $48M Series B (2024) led by Carbyne with Sofinnova, Bpifrance, and ECBF. The company employs 51-100 people across R&D (molecular biology, formulation chemistry), regulatory, and commercial functions, holds B Corp certification (January 2025), and has been recognized with multiple industry awards in 2024-2025 including THRIVE Top 50 AgTech, EY Entrepreneur of the Year, AgTech Breakthrough, and European AgriFoodTech Top 50.

Name

Elicit Plant

Legal name

ELICIT PLANT

Website

https://www.elicit-plant.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Elicit Plant is a French agro-biotech company that develops proprietary phytosterol-based biostimulants (EliTerra) reducing crop water consumption by 20% and protecting yields under drought stress. It sells to broad-acre crop farmers globally via distributors and strategic partnerships with Bayer, BASF, and Certis Belchim.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Biostimulants

NAICS

Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (32532)

SIC

Agricultural Chemicals (2870)

akta.pro primary industry

Foliar Fertilizers & Foliar Nutrition Programs (AFABACAC)

Keywords

• Agricultural biostimulants
• Drought stress solutions
• Crop protection products
• Plant biosolutions
• Phytosterol formulations

Headquarters

HQ city

Vilhonneur

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Biostimulant product sales: Elicit Plant generates revenue through the sale of phytosterol-based biostimulant products for broad acre crops (corn, wheat, sunflower, soybean). Products are sold through distributor networks and direct engagement with farmers. The company operates across France, Europe, Ukraine, Brazil, and is expanding to the US market.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Elicit Plant manufactures and sells phytosterol-based biostimulant products that reduce crop water consumption by 20% and protect yields under drought stress. Its EliTerra® technology platform underpins a product range covering broad acre crops including grain corn, silage corn, sunflower, wheat, spring barley, and soybean. Products are applied preventively as a single foliar spray at the 6-10 leaf stage using standard agricultural equipment and are sold to farmers through distributors and strategic partnerships with major agribusinesses.

Product overview

Elicit Plant is a French AgTech company that has developed EliTerra®, a proprietary patented phytosterol-based technology platform, which forms the foundation of its product portfolio for broad acre crops. The company offers a comprehensive suite of biosolutions addressing drought stress across four major crop categories: corn (EliZea/Best-a for both grain and silage corn), cereals (EliGrain-a for wheat and spring barley), sunflower (EliSun-a), and soybean (EliZon). All products work through a unique preventive application mechanism that triggers plants' natural defense mechanisms, reducing water consumption by 20% while maintaining or improving yields. The products are applied at specific growth stages using conventional agricultural spray equipment, making them easy to integrate into existing farming practices. Elicit Plant positions its offerings as disruptive innovations that complement rather than replace traditional agronomic practices like genetics and irrigation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Best-a: Product for corn drought stress management (also marketed as EliZea)
• EliZea
• EliSun-a
• EliGrain-a
• EliZon
• EliTerra®

Products and services

• EliZea for Grain Corn Phytosterol-based biosolution for grain corn that reduces water consumption by 20%, limits water stress, and maintains yields during drought periods through preventive application at the 6-10 leaf growth stage using conventional spray equipment.
• EliZea for Silage Corn Phytosterol-based biosolution specifically formulated for silage corn crops to enhance drought resilience and preserve biomass production under water stress conditions.
• EliSun-a for Sunflower Phytosterol-based biosolution for sunflower crops that improves plant physiological resilience against water scarcity, reduces water consumption by 20%, and maintains yield performance under drought stress.
• EliGrain-a for Wheat Phytosterol-based biosolution for wheat crops that enables plants to better manage water consumption and resist drought stress through preventive application, with proven average yield gains of 10%.
• EliGrain-a for Spring Barley Phytosterol-based biosolution for spring barley that reduces water requirements by 20%, promotes root development, and protects against water stress during critical growth stages.
• EliZon for Soybean Phytosterol-based biosolution for soybean crops that helps plants manage water more efficiently and withstand drought stress, protecting yields during the pod-filling stage which is particularly sensitive to water deficit.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% reduction in water consumption
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• BayerflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic collaboration for promoting bio-solutions in agricultural markets. Partnership mentioned in context of $48M Series B funding to accelerate global expansion.
• BASFflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to promote new bio-solutions in the sunflower and cereal markets in France. Leverages BASF's market presence and distribution capabilities.
• Certis BelchimflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership to co-develop a potato-specific biostimulant. Collaboration leverages Elicit Plant's patented phytosterol-based EliTerra technology combined with Certis Belchim's market-leading potato portfolio, with first development phase producing promising product candidates.
• Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University (DSAEU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUkrainian academic partner ensuring independent evaluation in FASEP demonstrator program. Collected yield data using conventional methodology based on harvested weights over defined areas.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Pivot Bio: US-based biological crop input company with a flagship corn nitrogen-fixing microbial product addressing a related input-efficiency / sustainability use case in broad-acre row crops. Closely comparable to Elicit Plant in product type (biological, foliar/in-furrow applied), target crop (corn), and customer (broad-acre growers).
• Valagro: Italian biostimulant pioneer (now part of Syngenta Group) producing a range of biostimulants and specialty plant nutrition products for broad-acre and high-value crops globally. Directly comparable to Elicit Plant in product category (biostimulants/plant nutrition) and channel model (distributor-led, multi-country).
• Symborg: Spanish-origin biostimulant and biological crop-input company (now part of Corteva), focused on broad-acre crops with a portfolio of microbial and biochemical solutions. Comparable in product format (biostimulant), target market (broad-acre), and Iberian/European commercial footprint.
• Biolchim: Italian biostimulant specialist (now part of FMC) with a broad portfolio of foliar fertilizers, biostimulants, and specialty plant nutrition products for arable and specialty crops. Comparable in product technology, foliar delivery format, and broad-acre European go-to-market.
• Bioceres: Argentina/US-listed agricultural biologicals company developing biological inputs (including biostimulants and drought-tolerance traits) for broad-acre crops such as soybean, wheat, and corn. Most directly comparable to Elicit Plant as a biologicals specialist targeting the same crop categories and abiotic-stress use cases.
• Indigo Ag: US-based biological agriculture company selling microbial seed treatments and biological crop inputs to broad-acre row crop growers. Comparable to Elicit Plant as a venture-backed biologicals company targeting the same broad-acre farmer base with sustainability-positioned crop input products.
• Rovensa: Portugal-headquartered pure-play biostimulants and crop nutrition group (parent of Tradecorp, SDP, and other brands). Closely comparable to Elicit Plant as a dedicated biostimulant company with a portfolio of foliar plant-nutrition and stress-management products sold through agricultural distributors.

Emerging players

• Sound Agriculture: US biologicals company developing microbe-based nitrogen efficiency and on-demand crop nutrition solutions, primarily for corn and soybean. Partial overlap with Elicit Plant in broad-acre biologicals and sustainability positioning, though focused on nutrient efficiency rather than drought stress.
• AgBiome: US-based biological crop protection and input company leveraging a microbial discovery platform for agriculture. Partial overlap with Elicit Plant in the biologicals category and broad-acre target crops, though AgBiome is more focused on biopesticides than drought-stress biostimulants.

Broad incumbents

• Corteva Agriscience: Global seed and crop protection major with an expanding biologicals portfolio (including the acquired Symborg biostimulant business). Comparable as both a competitor in biostimulants and a potential acquirer/partner for Elicit Plant, with broader resources and global distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Elicit.Plant
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elicit-plant

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elicit Plant