Key Takeaways
- GigaCrop raised $4.5 million in pre-seed funding, led by Playground Global.
- The company is using machine learning and enzyme engineering to improve photosynthesis.
- GigaCrop’s approach aims to double crop yields, increasing agricultural productivity.
- The breakthrough could optimize land, water, and fertilizer use, making farming more efficient.
- The startup’s research has been supported by U.S. DOE, ARPA-E, and the Grantham Foundation.
Funding Secured to Advance Photosynthesis Research
Playground Global Leads $4.5M Pre-Seed Round For GigaCrop
Biotech startup GigaCrop announced that it has raised $4.5 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Playground Global, an early-stage deep-tech venture capital firm. The funding will accelerate research into improving photosynthesis efficiency, with the goal of doubling crop yields.
GigaCrop’s machine learning-driven enzyme engineering technology is designed to help plants use sunlight more efficiently, allowing farmers to grow more food, fiber, and fuel without increasing water, fertilizer, or land use.
A Game-Changer for Agriculture
“GigaCrop has the potential to change the world by doubling crop yields. This breakthrough could drive a more energy-abundant future and unlock economic growth by transforming agriculture at its core.”
— Bruce Leak, General Partner at Playground Global and GigaCrop Board Member
By enhancing photosynthesis efficiency, GigaCrop’s innovations could help farmers boost profitability while reducing the environmental impact of agriculture and food production.
Transforming Plant Efficiency with Machine Learning
Tackling Photosynthesis Bottlenecks
At the heart of GigaCrop’s research is the enzyme Rubisco, which plays a central role in photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight and CO₂ into biomass. However, Rubisco’s inefficiency slows plant growth, forcing plants to produce large amounts to compensate—making it the most abundant protein on Earth.
GigaCrop’s team is applying machine learning and enzyme engineering to bypass Rubisco’s limitations, unlocking higher crop yields than traditional breeding methods can achieve.
“Plants are part solar panel, part fabrication facility, which is pretty amazing,” said Chris Eiben, Founder and CEO of GigaCrop. “Farmers, and the plants they grow, support a robust and self-sufficient biomanufacturing economy. GigaCrop is developing crops to supply the additional yield needed to massively scale this sector, and benefit everyone in the process.”
By optimizing enzyme performance, GigaCrop is working toward more productive crops that can better support global food security and bioeconomy growth.
GigaCrop’s Research Origins and Future Plans
Founded Through Berkeley Lab’s Cyclotron Road Program
Chris Eiben founded GigaCrop—formerly known as Perlumi—as part of a two-year entrepreneurial fellowship at the Berkeley Lab Cyclotron Road program, in partnership with non-profit Activate.
GigaCrop’s early research has been funded by:
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO)
- ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy)
- The Grantham Foundation
