Key Takeaways
- Oerth Bio, a joint venture between Bayer and Arvinas, has ceased operations after four years in the AgTech sector.
- The company was launched in 2019 with $55 million in funding to apply protein degradation technology from medicine to agriculture.
- Former employees confirmed the closure in October 2025, with staff now seeking new opportunities.
- Oerth Bio was led by John Dombrosky, previously CEO of AgTech Accelerator.
- The company’s closure reflects broader challenges faced by R&D-intensive startups working at the intersection of biotechnology and agriculture.
Oerth Bio: Aiming to Bridge Medicine and Agriculture
Founded in October 2019, Oerth Bio (pronounced “Earth”) was established as a joint venture between Bayer and Arvinas. The company’s goal was to adapt targeted protein degradation—a therapeutic approach used in human health—for use in crop protection and plant biology.
Headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Oerth Bio sought to build a platform for “Ag PROTACs,” aiming to create new modes of action for pest and disease control while reducing environmental impact.
Led by CEO John Dombrosky, the startup assembled a multidisciplinary leadership team in 2020 that included Megan Lyman (General Counsel), Dr. Jason Speake (Director of Chemistry), and Dr. Daniel Joo (Vice President of Biology). At the time, Dombrosky described the company’s mission as “bringing technology born out of medicinal science to farmers and consumers around the globe.”
Oerth Bio Confirmation of Closure
In October 2025, several employees confirmed on LinkedIn that Oerth Bio had ceased operations. Among them was Daniel Saltzberg, a senior scientist, who noted that the company “was forced to wind down operations,” and highlighted the efforts of the research team that had developed a full R&D pipeline spanning molecular design, validation, and field phenotyping.
As of now, no official public statement has been issued by Bayer, Arvinas, or Oerth Bio’s management. Reports suggest that operations at the Research Triangle Park facility have concluded and that many employees are seeking new roles in the region’s biotech sector.
Challenges for Deep-Tech Ag Startups
Oerth Bio joins a growing list of AgTech and biotech startups that have declared bankruptcy or wound down operations in 2025, reflecting the broader funding slowdown across the sector. Deep-science companies, in particular, have faced rising R&D costs, longer validation timelines, and tighter investor scrutiny amid shifting market conditions.
The company’s experience illustrates the financial and operational pressures that research-driven ventures face when transitioning from early-stage innovation to field-scale adoption.
For organizations seeking to better understand these shifts, iGrow News’ Market Dashboard provides real-time insights into funding rounds, expansions, partnerships, and bankruptcies across the global AgTech industry.
👉 Explore the dashboard here: https://network.igrownews.com/c/dashboard/
