Indigo Agriculture

Indigo Agriculture is a Boston, Massachusetts-based agricultural technology company that works with plant microbes, aiming to improve yields of cotton, wheat, corn, soybeans, and rice.[1] The company also offers crop storage and other logistics programs for farmers.[2]

Indigo Agriculture
Private
IndustryAgriculture
Founded2016
HeadquartersBoston, MA
Key people
David Perry
Geoffrey von Maltzahn
Websitehttp://indigoag.com/

History and funding

In 2014, Indigo was founded as Symbiota by Noubar Afeyan and Geoffrey von Maltzahn; led by CEO David Perry.[3] In February 2016, the company rebranded as Indigo Agriculture. The company has raised over $300 million in venture capital funding, with help from investors Flagship Pioneering,[4] the Alaska Permanent Fund, Baillie Gifford, the Investment Corporation of Dubai, and Activant Capital.[5] Indigo’s Series D in 2016 was noted to be the largest private equity financing in the agricultural technology sector.[6] In September 2017, the company raised USD$156 million, giving it a total valuation of USD$1.4 billion and making it a "unicorn", the term given to start-ups worth more than USD$1 billion.[7]

Products and services

Indigo's seed treatments contain microbes that live within plant tissue, unlike existing microbial seed treatments that contain microbes that live around the roots.[8] The first product, Indigo Cotton, a seed treatment containing bacteria isolated from cotton plants that is intended to improve yields under drought conditions was launched in July 2016.[9] By 2018 the company has also launched similar seed treatments to improve drought resistance in wheat, corn, soybeans, rice, and barley.[10] During 2016, the company released commercial data about its various products targeting cotton, wheat, and corn.[10][11] In the United States, Indigo contracts with growers to purchase their crops at a premium and resell them to buyers, and assists with logistics.[2] In 2017, the first year this model was implemented, Indigo contracted approximately half a million acres in cotton, wheat, corn, soy, and rice.[11]

gollark: imagine being so acidic as to be sinthorion
gollark: ++delete <@319753218592866315> (unacceptable deletions)
gollark: łłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłłł
gollark: > he hasn't even done itHe is *obviously* trying to.
gollark: Not only do you do STUPID AND ANNOYING THINGS, but you CAN'T EVEN DO THEM CORRECTLY.

References
  1. Lynley, Matthew. "Indigo Is Mapping Plant Microbiomes To Produce Next Generation Crops". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  2. Hopkins, Matt. "Indigo Launches On Farm Storage to Facilitate A Direct Farmer to Buyer Grain Marketplace". PrecisionAg.com. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  3. "One startup's plan to grow more crops: put the germs back in". The Verge. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  4. "Flagship Pioneers New Name, $285M 'Special Opportunities' Fund | Xconomy". Xconomy. 2016-12-15. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
  5. "This Bug Startup Just Raised $100 Million To Fight Hunger". Fortune. 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  6. Brokaw, Alex (2016-07-21). "New probiotic seeds grow crops that require less water to survive". The Verge. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  7. "Indigo Agriculture is Boston's newest 'unicorn' startup". bostonglobe.com. 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2018-08-06.
  8. "Startup Bets Its Magic Touch on Seeds Can Boost Crop Yields". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  9. Brewster, Signe. "A seed grows in Boston". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  10. Shaw, Jonathan. "Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  11. Steadman, Jim. "Indigo Offers Premium for Cottom Production". CottonGrower.com. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
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