About AgroSpheres
AgroSpheres is an Agriculture company based in Charlottesville (United States) founded in 2016 by Ameer Shakeel. Manufacturer and supplier of biological agrochemicals. AgroSpheres has raised $97.55 million across 9 funding rounds from investors including United States Department of Agriculture, FMC Corporation and Zebra Impact Ventures. The company has 23 employees. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Payam Pourtaheri. AgroSpheres offers products and services including Biodegradable Encapsulation and RNAi Pest Control. Its focus areas include Food and Agriculture Tech, Crop Tech, Farm Inputs and Biologicals. Its legal entity is AGROSPHERE INC. Its competitors include Ginkgo Bioworks, Zymergen and Pluton Biosciences; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
AgroSpheres was founded in 2016 in Charlottesville, United States, within the agricultural sector. Biological agrochemicals are manufactured and supplied by the company. Nanotechnology is developed for bio-based delivery of active ingredients, targeting nutrition and protection of crops. Plant health is safeguarded, and soil nutrients are restored through these operations, which focus on sustainable agricultural solutions.
- Headquarters Charlottesville, United States
- Employees 23
- Founders Ameer Shakeel
- SectorsAgriculture
- Email••••••••
- Website agrospheres.com
- Social LinkedIn
- Legal Name Agrosphere Inc
- Total Equity Funding$97.55M (USD)
in 9 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$37M (USD), Series B
Oct 2024
- Investors
- Employee Count23
Products & Services of AgroSpheres
AgroSpheres offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Biodegradable Encapsulation and RNAi Pest Control.
Encapsulates actives for targeted, non-toxic pest control in crops
Uses RNA interference to target and disable pest genes effectively
Funding Insights of AgroSpheres
AgroSpheres has successfully raised a total of $97.55M across 9 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $37 million completed in October 2024. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $97.55M
- Total Rounds 9
- Last Round Series B — $37M
- First Round $750,000
(Aug 2017)
- Investors Count 9
All 9 funding rounds of AgroSpheres with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2024 | $37M | Series B | – | Zebra Ventures | |
| Nov 2023 | $25M | Series B | – | FMC | – |
| Oct 2022 | $22M | Series B | – | Lewis & Clark Agrifood, Ospraie Ag Science | |
| Nov 2021 | $600,000 | Grant | – | – | |
| Jul 2021 | $99,262 | Grant | – | – | |
| Sep 2020 | $8.8M | Series A | – | Ospraie Ag Science | |
| Sep 2019 | $4M | Series A | – | Ospraie Management | |
| Jul 2019 | $225,000 | Grant | – | – | |
| Aug 2017 | $750,000 | Seed | – | – | – |
9 investors in total: 9 institutional.
Investors in AgroSpheres
AgroSpheres has secured backing from 9 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include United States Department of Agriculture, FMC Corporation and Zebra Impact Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
A Swiss-based venture capital firm focused on impact investing. | zebraventures.ch | Geneva, Switzerland | ||
Venture capital investments are directed toward agriculture and food sectors. | lewisandclarkagrifood.com | St. Louis, United States | ||
Solutions are identified by Ospraie Ag Science for sustainable farming. | ospraieagscience.com | Rye, United States | ||
Bidra is focused on investing in innovative startup companies. | bidra.vc | United States | ||
Venture capital is provided by Cavallo Ventures in multiple sectors. | cavallovc.com | San Francisco, United States | ||
FMC Corporation is engaged in agricultural sciences and crop protection. | 1883 | fmc.com | Philadelphia, United States | |
Virginia Catalyst is focused on life sciences funding initiatives. | virginiacatalyst.org | Richmond, United States | ||
Leadership is provided on agriculture, food, and rural development matters. | 1862 | usda.gov | ||
An asset management firm specializing in investment services. | 1999 | ospraie.com | New York, United States |
Investor details for AgroSpheres
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People of AgroSpheres
16 people are tracked at AgroSpheres (5 in leadership, 3 in board & advisors, 8 in team); the tracked headcount is 23.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Ameer Shakeel | Co-Founder & CTO | Leadership |
Payam Pourtaheri | CEO | Leadership |
Jake Englaender | Senior Director Of Bioprocess | Leadership |
Sergio Madrigal-Carballo | Director of Green Chemistry | Leadership |
Karen Warkentien | Director of Regulatory Affairs | Leadership |
Robert Fraley | Board Director | Board & advisors |
Larry Page | Board Director | Board & advisors |
Carl Casale | Board Member | Board & advisors |
Quillan Arico | Operations Leader | Team |
Anindya Ganguly | Team Lead | Team |
Haritha Sasikumar | Research Associate | Team |
Elisabeth Somers | Research Associate | Team |
Lisa Chen | RNAi Discovery Scientist | Team |
Emmanuel Chavarria | Senior Fermentation Scientist | Team |
Narges Reiahisamani | Research And Development Scientist | Team |
Jose Alfredo Caro | Senior Scientist | Team |
Complete people profiles for AgroSpheres
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Timeline of AgroSpheres
3 dated milestones of AgroSpheres across 8 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded AgroSpheres is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $750K.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B, of $37.0M.
Competitors of AgroSpheres
AgroSpheres has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Ginkgo Bioworks, Zymergen and Pluton Biosciences.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ginkgobioworks.com | 2008 | Boston, United States | $795.75M | 1,218 | Gene editing-based cultured ingredients are provided for agriculture. | |
| zymergen.com | 2013 | Emeryville, United States | $882.64M | 542 | Provider of microbe-based diversified farm inputs | |
| plutonbio.com | 2017 | St. Louis, United States | $24.18M | 15 | Assay-based microbial research services are offered for industrial applications. |
Detailed competitors of AgroSpheres
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Web traffic of AgroSpheres
The website of AgroSpheres (agrospheres.com) receives about 2.1K visits a month.
- Monthly visits2.1K
▲ 84.8% vs previous month
Websites whose visitors overlap most with AgroSpheres. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| futurecobioscience.com | 100% | 5.2K | #3,294,375 | View details | |
| elementalenzymes.com | 87% | 2.9K | #5,426,005 | View details | |
| ascribebio.com | 86% | 4.9K | #3,446,816 | View details | |
revistacultivar.com | revistacultivar.com | 78% | #1,401,449 | – | |
martinsproducesupplies.com | martinsproducesupplies.com | 76% | #3,514,517 | – |
Top companies in Crop Tech & Equipment
3 companies that operate in the same segment as AgroSpheres (Crop Tech & Equipment) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provider of plant-based food ingredients | 2012 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | USD 406.99 M | USD 470 M | ||
Robotic equipment for automating weeding on vegetable farms is developed. | 2016 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 139.96 M | 73 | ||
Provider of farmers networking platform | 2014 | San Carlos, California, United States | USD 981.09 M | 808 |
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Related news about Agrospheres
Complete news archive for AgroSpheres
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Frequently Asked Questions about AgroSpheres
AgroSpheres was founded in 2016 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
AgroSpheres is headquartered in Charlottesville, United States. It is registered at Charlottesville, Virginia, United States.
Payam Pourtaheri is the CEO of AgroSpheres, as recorded in our data.
AgroSpheres is a funded company, having raised a total of $97.55M across 9 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $750K, raised on Aug 2017.
AgroSpheres has 23 employees.
AgroSpheres was founded in 2016 in Charlottesville, United States, within the agricultural sector. Biological agrochemicals are manufactured and supplied by the company. Nanotechnology is developed for bio-based delivery of active ingredients, targeting nutrition and protection of crops. Plant health is safeguarded, and soil nutrients are restored through these operations, which focus on sustainable agricultural solutions.
AgroSpheres's top competitors include Ginkgo Bioworks, Zymergen and Pluton Biosciences.
AgroSpheres offers Biodegradable Encapsulation and RNAi Pest Control.
AgroSpheres has 9 investors. Key investors include United States Department of Agriculture, FMC Corporation, Zebra Impact Ventures, Lewis & Clark Agrifood, and Ospraie Ag Science.
AgroSpheres operates through Agrosphere Inc.