Tropic Secures $105 Million Series C to Scale Gene-Edited Crop Production

Key Takeaways

• Major Funding Milestone: Tropic closed an oversubscribed $105 million Series C round led by Forbion and Corteva Catalyst.
• Commercial Expansion: Capital will be used to scale global production of the company’s banana and rice portfolios and accelerate climate-resilient crop pipelines.
• Proven Innovation: The funding follows the 2025 launch of the first new commercial banana varieties in 75 years, including non-browning and extended shelf-life traits.
• Disease Mitigation: Tropic is advancing a resistance program for Panama Disease (TR4), an existential threat to the $25 billion global banana industry.
• Supply Chain Impact: New varieties have demonstrated the ability to reduce transportation waste by up to 50% by extending “green life” by 12 days.

Tropic Accelerates Global Scale-Up of Gene-Edited Tropical Crops

Tropic, a biotechnology firm specializing in gene-edited tropical agriculture, has announced the successful closure of a $105 million Series C financing round. The investment aims to meet growing global demand for resilient food solutions by expanding the company’s large-scale plant production capabilities and strengthening international supply chains.

The financing round was co-led by Forbion, via its Bioeconomy Fund, and Corteva, through its Corteva Catalyst platform. Other participants included Just Climate, IQ Capital, and new investors ABN Amro and Invest International, alongside several existing shareholders.

Advancing Disease Resistance and Shelf-Life Innovation

The investment follows a year of significant milestones for Tropic, notably the commercial introduction of a non-browning banana and a variety with an extended shelf life. The extended shelf-life variety lengthens the fruit's green life by 12 days, which facilitates new export routes and significantly reduces waste during transit.

A primary focus for Tropic remains the fight against Panama Disease (TR4), a soil-borne fungus currently threatening the global banana supply. In 2025, the company established a mother plantation for TR4-resistant plants, with full commercial deployment projected to begin in 2027.

“This funding is a powerful endorsement of our team’s ability to bring breakthrough products to the hands of growers, exporters and consumers around the world,” said Gilad Gershon, CEO of Tropic. “With two banana varieties already on the market and demand outstripping supply, this investment enables us to scale global production and expand into new crops faster than ever before.”

Strategic Board Appointments and Industry Support

As part of the Series C agreement, representatives from Forbion, Corteva, and Just Climate will join the Tropic Board of Directors. Investors emphasized that the company’s technology addresses crops that have historically been difficult to improve through traditional breeding methods.

“Tropic’s non-browning banana varieties are a promising example of how the agriculture industry is leveraging innovation to deliver new and improved choices for farmers and consumers worldwide,” noted Tom Greene, Senior Director at Corteva.

Tropic Product Impact and Timeline

By targeting high-impact crops like bananas and rice, Tropic aims to address the environmental footprint of the global food system at its source, focusing on reducing methane emissions from food waste and increasing field yields for growers in tropical regions.