BiocSol secures additional €4.4M to develop its sustainable crop protection solutions

BiocSol succeeds in its ambition to raise a total of €10M since inception to fast-track the development of its sustainable crop protection solutions – testament to the sector’s growing interest in its products

Based on an eco-friendly approach, the company’s biosolutions provide effective and long-lasting protection for major crops such as potatoes, leaf vegetables and grapes, in particular against the rapid and devastating effects of mildew agents

Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, February 3, 2025 – BiocSol, a UCLouvain spin-off specialized in sustainable crop protection solutions, today announces that it has secured €4.4M ($4.58M) in its latest funding round. This figure includes an equity investment from Dutch impact investment fund Pymwymic and non-dilutive financing from the Walloon Region via the Win4company program.

This financing follows on from the €5.2M ($5.4M) in equity funding secured in November 2024 in a round led by Agri Investment Fund and VIVES Partners.

The funding from the Walloon Region in particular will support the future development of BiocSol’s R&D platform. It will also help the start-up demonstrate proof of concept worldwide for its first two biofungicide products.

“With this new financing, we are on target with our €10M goal, the amount we need to really fast-track our development work. It also demonstrates, once again, that our commitment to providing farmers worldwide with access to sustainable and more effective biosolutions is the right one,” said Denis Payen, CEO of BiocSol. “We are thrilled to welcome Pymwymic as an investor in BiocSol. Its support will accelerate our growth and empower us to integrate impact into our everyday lives, ensuring that our path remains relevant and transformative. Thanks to our new chairman of the board, Pierre Ferrand, and our dedicated team, we now have everything in place to write the next chapter in the BiocSol story.”

“We wish to thank the Walloon Region for supporting our start-up from the very beginning. Likewise, we are grateful to the Laboratory of Plant Pathology (SAVE), led by Anne Legrève and Claude Bragard, and the Laboratory of Food and Environmental Microbiology (MIAE), headed up by Jacques Mahillon and Annika Gillis at UCLouvain; all have been instrumental in the creation and successful growth of BiocSol,” said Simon Caulier, CTO and founder of BiocSol.

“Given BiocSol’s strong biosolution pipeline and ability to develop microbial substances for a wide range of different crops, we believe that it has real potential to make a positive impact on the agricultural sector by providing farmers with alternative crop protection solutions at an affordable price,” said Pieter Vis, partner at Pymwymic. “We are proud to be part of a project with such great potential, well-respected co-investors and partners, and, of course, an expert team led by Denis Payen and Simon Caulier.”

Emerging fungal and oomycete pathogens infect staple calorie crops and economically important commodity crops, thereby posing a significant threat to global food security. Indeed, each year plant pathogenic fungi destroy between 20 and 40% of the global annual harvest. 

Legal adviser: Harvest Avocats SRL

Further information on the Win4company mechanism

About Pymwymic

Since 1994, Pymwymic (Put Your Money Where Your Meaning Is Community) has taken a frontrunner role in the transition towards investing with care for both people and the planet. Backed by over 250 individuals, families, entrepreneurs and angel investors, and joined by institutional investors, it has launched two Article 9 compliant impact funds and is currently investing through the Healthy Food Systems Impact Fund II. This fund focuses on early-stage AgriFood scale-ups that offer pioneering solutions in areas like sustainable farming, food waste reduction and regenerative agriculture.

www.pymwymic.com

About UCLouvain’s SAVE and MIAE Laboratories

The MIAE laboratory focuses on two key research areas. Firstly, it strives to enhance our understanding of foodborne and environmental pathogens’ virulence. Secondly, it develops innovative biocontrol strategies against animal and human pathogens using harmless bacteria, antimicrobial molecules and bacteriophages. These strategies also aim to control antibiotic-resistant bacteria within the One Health framework.

For more information, contact annika.gillis@uclouvain.be or jacques.mahillon@uclouvain.be

The SAVE laboratory dedicates its research to unravelling plant-pathogen-environment interactions. Its goal is to devise innovative strategies and technologies for sustainable biological control of bacterial, fungal and viral plant diseases in temperate and tropical regions. The team also develops diagnostic tools and characterises the biodiversity of populations involved in these pathosystems to monitor and predict disease epidemiology and pathogenesis. Additionally, SAVE shares its expertise and provides cutting-edge advice to producers and consumers through its Plant Clinic.

For further details, contact anne.legreve@uclouvain.be or claude.bragard@uclouvain.be

About BiocSol

Founded in 2023, BiocSol, a UCLouvain spin-off, develops innovative, next generation microbial-based biopesticides with increased stability and efficiency that empower farmers to protect their crops sustainably. The company’s unique approach leverages specific microbial substances to deliver reliable, affordable solutions for key agricultural challenges like mildew, which affects row crops such as potatoes, including high-value crops such as other vegetables and grapes.

For more information, follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/biocsol