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Indigo’s olympian $156M Series D haul is a first close of Homeric proportions, supporting Indigo’s continued investment in plant microbiome research, development of software and data tools, and rapid commercial expansion. Overall the company has raised $300 million. New investors, including Baillie Gifford and Activant Capital, join the company’s founder and first investor, Flagship Pioneering, and existing investor, the Alaska Permanent Fund,

Indigo is a leader in the study and application of the plant microbiome in agriculture. Identifying beneficial microbes that naturally reside within plants, Indigo applies these to modern seeds to increase crop productivity and resilience in the face of stress. While Indigo’s initial work focused on water stress, the company is building out a broad product portfolio to address a range of environmental stresses, as well as pests and disease. Addressing nitrogen use is a top priority for Indigo research and development. Harnessing natural microbes and leveraging data-based agronomic practices, Indigo is working to improve nitrogen uptake and efficiency in row crops, with the goal of dramatically reducing nitrogen use in agriculture.

Last month, Indigo announced its intention to contract with leading farmers to produce 10.5 million bushels of Indigo Wheat for a 43 cent per bushel premium. This significant premium represents buyer willingness to pay more for high-quality and transparently sourced wheat. In addition to the premium price, growers can also expect yield improvements of up to 16 percent based on recently announced data. In the coming months, Indigo will begin production of Indigo Corn and Indigo Soybeans across the United States. With these crops, Indigo will also provide growers a premium at harvest.