Key Takeaways
- Tony Klemm, CEO of Enko, brings over three decades of agricultural experience to lead AI-driven crop protection innovation.
- Enko’s ENKOMPASS™ platform accelerates molecule discovery by 75% and reduces costs by up to 90%.
- The company focuses on herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides through global partnerships with major agrochemical firms.
- Enko addresses key industry gaps caused by resistance and regulatory phase-outs of older products.
- By 2035, Tony Klemm envisions Enko as a leading force in redefining how crop protection solutions are discovered.
Tony Klemm: A Lifetime in Agriculture, A New Chapter in Innovation
With more than three decades in the agriculture industry, Tony Klemm, now CEO of Enko, brings deep-rooted experience and perspective to one of the most pressing challenges in modern farming — the need for faster, safer, and more effective crop protection solutions.
“I’m a Midwest farm kid still involved in my family’s grain operation,” said Tony Klemm. “That keeps me grounded in understanding what growers face every day.” After three decades with Corteva Agriscience and its heritage companies—where he helped commercialize major technologies such as Enlist™ and PowerCore™—Klemm joined Enko in early 2025 to lead its next phase of scientific innovation.
Tony Klemm and Enko’s Data-Driven Revolution in Crop Protection
At the heart of Enko’s approach is its ENKOMPASS™ platform, which merges molecular data, machine learning, and field biology to identify and optimize crop protection molecules. “The industry traditionally takes 10 to 15 years and roughly $300 million to bring a new product to market,” said Tony Klemm. “Our technology can accelerate that process by about 75% and reduce costs by up to 90%.”
Enko’s method represents what Klemm calls a “true paradigm shift” — similar to what the pharmaceutical industry underwent two decades ago. By using DNA-encoded libraries, machine learning, structural biology, and AI models, the company can screen billions of molecules and identify those with the highest likelihood of regulatory and field success. “It’s not about predicting the future — it’s about using data to make discovery faster and smarter, guided by human expertise” Klemm said.
Addressing Resistance and Renewing the Toolbox
Klemm points out that a lack of discovery investment during the early years of GMO adoption left the industry with significant gaps. “We’ve gone 30 years without a new herbicide mode of action,” he said. “Mother Nature always wins. We’re now seeing weeds and pests evolve, and that demands new chemistry.”
Enko’s focus is on multi-crop, multi-geography products that can help farmers manage widespread challenges — from blackgrass in the UK to palmer amaranth in the U.S. “Our next-generation herbicide controls blackgrass, which can reduce wheat yields by up to 40% if unmanaged,” said Klemm. “These new products are designed to meet both performance and sustainability standards.”
Partnerships and Market Direction
Enko currently collaborates with global industry leaders such as Syngenta, Bayer, NewFarm,, and the Gates Foundation. With over 50 projects in development, the company serves as a discovery engine for partners needing to fill portfolio gaps.
“Our philosophy is about speed, safety, and smart design,” Klemm explained. “We’re working with major companies to deliver products that can move into regulatory pipelines and ultimately reach growers faster.”
Despite margin pressure and regulatory complexity, Klemm remains optimistic about the crop protection sector’s outlook. “There’s a lot of opportunity ahead,” he said. “Farmers always adapt, and our job is to give them the right tools to keep doing what they do best — feed the world.”
Tony Klemm on the Future: 2035 and Beyond
Looking ahead, Tony Klemm envisions Enko as a defining force in agriculture’s evolution. “By 2035, Enko will be recognized as the company that drove the paradigm shift in crop protection,” he said. “We’ll continue to be a science-forward partner — connecting innovation to what growers truly need.”
For Klemm, the excitement lies in the continuous transformation of agriculture. “I’ve watched this industry evolve my entire life. The integration of data, chemistry, and technology has improved yields, efficiency, and sustainability. Enko is part of that story — providing the innovations that keep farming viable for the next generation.”
