ProJini AgChem

growth-positive

Microsoft for Startups Israel is launching its fourth cohort and has selected 14 Israeli companies focused on sustainability to participate in its accelerator program. The selected companies will receive benefits worth more than $350,000 and access to Microsoft and Open AIs AI tools. The program aims to support AI-based ventures that promote environmental and social sustainability. The startups will receive mentorship from experts in Israel and abroad, and will also have the opportunity to connect with international companies through partnerships with Start-up Nation Central, ESOP, and Pearl Cohen. Microsofts support will help the companies improve their technology and realize their full potential.

growth-positive

Projini Agchem has raised $2.5 million to develop safe ingredients for the crop protection industry. The company aims to replace 15% of synthetic chemicals with biological chemicals through innovation and a revolution in chemistry. Projini has raised funds from investors such as Bayer-Trendlines Fund, Trendlines Group with IIA, Sirius Global, and Migal. The company plans to offer a safe chemical discovery platform to international pesticide giants in the future. The crop protection market is expected to adopt AI-discovered small molecules, which will drive growth for AgChem giants. The market for crop protection is currently valued at $60 billion and is projected to reach $150 billion by 2050. Projinis main customers are AgChem giants like Bayer, BASF, and Syngenta. The company expects to secure licensing deals for AI-driven compounds in 2025. The main competitors in the sector include ENKO, a company founded by ex-Monsanto founders.

growth-positive

Bayer CropScience LP and The Trendlines Group Ltd. have established ProJini Agchem Ltd., a new company focused on developing a platform technology to develop novel pesticides with new modes of action. The current solutions in the pesticide market are insufficient due to increased resistance and regulatory pressure. ProJini Agchem is developing a solution based on protein-protein interactions, which is challenging to develop using conventional approaches. The company has received an exclusive license to use a platform developed by scientists at the Migal Galilee Research Institute Ltd. The establishment of ProJini Agchem is a result of the collaboration between Bayer and Trendlines through the Bayer Trendlines Ag Innovation Fund. The Fund was established in 2016 and includes a $10 million investment from Bayer.