What Peptyde Bio does

Peptyde Bio was an agtech startup founded in 2022 as the first company spun out from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The company discovered, designed, and characterized novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) intended as biological alternatives or complements to chemical fungicides for crop protection, addressing sustainability concerns around traditional pesticide use in vegetables, row crops, and perennials. Its technology platform rested on more than 20 years of antimicrobial peptide research conducted by Danforth Center scientists Dilip Shah, PhD and Kirk Czymmek, PhD, and produced a pipeline of peptide lead candidates with novel modes of action against crop pests and diseases.

The company's business model was pre-commercial. Peptyde Bio raised approximately $1.45 million in external capital — a $1.2 million oversubscribed Pre-Seed round in November 2022 from Danforth Technology Company, St. Louis Arch Angels, BioGenerator Ventures, and QRM Capital, plus up to $250,000 in non-dilutive funding through the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2) 11th cohort. The intended go-to-market was enterprise B2B field sales of biological peptide products to commercial agricultural growers, but no commercial revenue, pricing, or named customer relationships were disclosed.

On December 7, 2023, Peptyde Bio was acquired by Invaio Sciences, a Flagship Pioneering-founded bio platform company. The acquisition brought Peptyde Bio's peptide platform and IP portfolio into Invaio's AI/ML-enabled Discovery Engine and Biological Delivery Systems, accelerating Invaio's nature-positive crop protection pipeline. The transaction represented the first exit for a Danforth Technology Company portfolio company, validating the Danforth Center's startup-spinout strategy.

Name

Peptyde Bio

Legal name

Peptyde Bio

Website

https://peptydebio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Peptyde Bio was a St. Louis-based agtech startup developing antimicrobial peptide (AMP) alternatives to chemical fungicides for crop protection, founded on 20 years of Danforth Center research and acquired by Invaio Sciences in December 2023.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Biotechnology

NAICS

Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (325320), Pesticide and Other Agricultural Chemical Manufacturing (32532), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Agricultural Chemicals (2870), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Biostimulants & Plant Health Biologicals (Microbial/Non-microbial) (AFABAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Amino Acids & Peptides (BCAAs, Collagen Peptides, Bioactive Peptides, L-Theanine) (AFAJAKAG)

Keywords

• Antimicrobial peptides
• Biological crop protection
• Sustainable agriculture
• Agricultural biotechnology
• Peptide discovery

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Biological Peptide Products for Crop Protection: Peptyde Bio developed and commercialized biological peptide solutions that protect crops from pests and diseases. These environmentally friendly peptides were positioned as alternatives or complements to chemical fungicides for agricultural growers. As a pre-commercial stage company acquired by Invaio Sciences in December 2023, the revenue model was in development stage.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Peptyde Bio discovered, designed, and characterized novel antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) for use in agricultural crop protection. The company's technology produced a pipeline of biologically active peptides with novel modes of action that can complement or replace chemical fungicides for protecting crops from pests and diseases. These peptides were positioned as effective, environmentally friendly, and lower-cost alternatives to traditional fungicides for vegetables, row crops, and perennial crops.

Product overview

Peptyde Bio was an agtech startup that discovered, designed, and characterized novel antimicrobial peptides for agricultural applications. The company operated as a technology platform with a pipeline of peptide lead candidates developed over 20 years of research. Following its acquisition by Invaio Sciences in December 2023, this technology and IP portfolio was integrated into Invaio's AI/ML-enabled Discovery Engine and Biological Delivery Systems to accelerate nature-positive crop protection solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Antimicrobial Peptide Technology Platform A peptide discovery, design, and characterization platform for developing novel antimicrobial peptides for sustainable agricultural crop protection. The platform identifies biologically active peptides that protect crops from pests and diseases with lower environmental impact compared to traditional chemical fungicides. Targeted at commercial agricultural growers seeking sustainable alternatives to chemical crop protection in vegetables, row crops, and perennials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lower cost of development compared to traditional chemical fungicides
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Invaio SciencesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2023Invaio Sciences acquired Peptyde Bio in December 2023 to accelerate its nature-positive crop protection pipeline. The acquisition brings Peptyde Bio's portfolio of confirmed peptide lead candidates and established platform and IP to Invaio's AI/ML-enabled discovery platform and delivery systems. This was the first exit for Danforth Technology Company.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Invaio Sciences: Invaio Sciences acquired Peptyde Bio in December 2023 and is the direct commercial home for the peptide platform. It is a Flagship Pioneering-founded bio platform company developing nature-positive crop protection solutions across tree, vegetable, and row crops, making it the most directly comparable player.
• Indigo Ag: Indigo Ag uses microbial seed treatments and biological products to improve crop yield and sustainability. It operates across multiple row crops with a broader portfolio, making it a comparable broad incumbent in biological agriculture.
• Bayer Crop Science (Biologics): Bayer's Crop Science division operates a large biological crop protection portfolio alongside its chemical and seed businesses. As a broad incumbent, it competes for the same grower demand for sustainable alternatives to chemical fungicides.

Direct peers

• AgBiome: AgBiome discovers and develops microbial and biological crop protection products (including biological fungicides and insecticides) using a microbiome-driven discovery platform. It competes directly with Peptyde Bio in the biological crop protection space targeting similar growers.
• Pivot Bio: Pivot Bio develops microbial nitrogen-fixing crop nutrition products that replace synthetic fertilizers. It is a peer in the broader biological crop input category pursuing sustainable alternatives to conventional agrochemicals for row crop growers.
• NewLeaf Symbiotics: NewLeaf Symbiotics develops pink pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFMs) as biological solutions for crop health, including biocontrol and plant health products. It is a direct peer in the biological crop protection category.
• BioConsortia: BioConsortia discovers microbial consortia for nitrogen fixation, biocontrol, and yield improvement. It is comparable as a microbial and biological discovery platform targeting similar row crop and specialty crop growers.
• Sound Agriculture: Sound Agriculture develops on-demand nitrogen and biocontrol products using microbial and chemistry approaches for sustainable crop production. It is comparable in biological crop inputs and sustainability positioning.

Emerging players

• Concentric Ag: Concentric Ag develops biological crop inputs leveraging peptide and protein-based technologies for nutrient use efficiency and crop protection. It is a focused emerging player in the peptide-based crop biology space adjacent to Peptyde Bio's technology.

Others

• Donald Danforth Plant Science Center: The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is the research institution where Peptyde Bio's founding AMP technology was developed over 20 years. It functions as an enabling ecosystem participant, spinning out the company via its Danforth Technology Company subsidiary.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors5 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 Peptyde Bio