Terra Genomics raises $3.3M seed to engineer microbes for farm biologicals
What's the deal? Brazilian deeptech Terra GenomicsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised 18 million reais ($3.3 million) in a seed round to build a research platform that engineers improved microorganisms for agricultural biological inputs. Pitanga Redux led the round, with participation from Bold.t CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2025, Terra Genomics wants to shift biological-input development away from screening naturally occurring microbes toward genetically engineering strains with specific traits. It uses metabolic engineering — modifying cellular processes in bacteria and yeasts — to optimise functions or produce new compounds.
The company plans to improve microorganisms for nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilisation, bioactive molecule production, and biological control of pests and diseases. The approach could also cut manufacturing costs by letting producers use less microbial biomass.
Why now? The funding backs research infrastructure at the High Technology Center in Campinas, São Paulo state. Terra Genomics estimates its AI-driven Design-Build-Test-Learn cycle can produce a strain in as little as two months, versus two to three years for conventional selection and field validation.
Who buys it? The startup targets biological-input manufacturers, many of which see metabolic engineering as key but lack in-house teams. Companies seeking this expertise often turn to international providers such as Ginkgo Bioworks, which chief executive Mateus Schreiner Garcez Lopes said can be prohibitively expensive for the Brazilian market.
Terra Genomics does not aim to replace natural screening but to add engineered strains as another layer. "It does not compete with the current model. It will always be important to have base microorganisms," Lopes said.
The signal: The raise sits in the smaller tier of deals tracked, at roughly the 36th percentile by amount — modest capital for a capital-intensive deeptech field. It reflects Brazil's push to build local synthetic-biology capacity rather than depend on costly foreign providers.
Read more: news.agropages.com
Image credit: Terra Genomics
