Biostimulants for
global food security
The SugaROx Mission
To increase the productivity, resilience, sustainability and profitability of crop production
Food security will become one of the biggest challenges faced by humanity as the global population is projected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. Crop yields will have to grow by up to 60% in developed countries and 200% in developing ones.
At SugaROx we are developing biostimulants to help farmers optimise productivity from every unit of agricultural land and improve the resilience of crop systems amidst adverse weather conditions such as drought.
Our Solution
Our formulations are based on trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P) a natural plant sugar-based molecule that acts as a signalling compound. The product, applied by spray, enables farmers to enhance carbon allocation in the crop and increase yield.
Our technology is based on 20 years of cutting-edge science by Rothamsted Research and Oxford University, and we have an exclusive worldwide licence to it.
Our Pipeline of Products
Our first product is targeted at wheat. Glasshouse results published in Nature in 2016 show yield increases of up to 20% under typical water conditions. Initial field trials have established proof-of-concept and further trials are being commissioned in 2022 to determine optimal application rate and other use conditions.
The T6P mechanism is universal in all plants and we are investigating the use of our technology in a wide range of crops. We have the potential and ambition to build a very large market, and are looking to rapidly expand our R&D pipeline through strategic partnerships.
Our Team
SugaROx was spun out from Rothamsted Research and Oxford University in early 2021.
Click on our team members below to read more.
Mark Robbins
Chief Executive Officer
Dr Cara Griffiths
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Bianca Forte
Business Development Director
Dr Andrew Muir
Board Member
Paul Rous
Board Member
Rob Hill
Board Member
Rob Jenkins
Synthetic Chemist
Dr Maria Oszvald
Plant Biologist
Chief Executive Officer
Mark Robbins
Mark has 35+ years’ experience managing public and private companies in the speciality chemical/pharmaceutical sectors. Prior to joining SugaROx in Apr 2022, he grew a €130M sales and 850 employee company with manufacturing sites in North America and Europe to provide product development services to start-ups.
Industry Advisor
Dr Michael Peagram
Serial entrepreneaur and investor with a track record in the chemical industry. Michael spent 18 months setting up our venture.
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
Dr Cara Griffiths
Cara manages our research and development activities. She has 12+ years’ experience in crop physiology and molecular biology. Her publications in high-impact journals (e.g. Nature, Plant Physiology) showcase her leading expertise in T6P signalling, source-sink relationships, drought tolerance and yield improvement.
Business Development Director
Bianca Forte MSc
Bianca drives the development of new business opportunities through partnerships. A bioscientist with a track record brokering and managing collaborations, prior to joining SugaROx she raised £25M for open innovation and new ventures at Rothamsted Research.
Board Member
Dr Andrew Muir
Andrew is Head of Seed Investments at Future Planet Capital and Fund Principal for the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund, a fund set up to support spin-outs from top UK academic universities and institutes. Andrew started his career in research, business development and leadership roles in industry, moving into venture capital in 2002.
Board Member
Paul Rous
Paul is a Founder and Managing Director of Regenerate Ventures, a fund set up to support early-stage agri-tech ventures. Paul also has an active role in his family’s 4000-acre arable farm in Suffolk (UK). Paul started his career as an Officer in the Army. After that he joined Goldman Sachs and later went on to co-fund three venture capital funds.
Board Member
Rob Hill
Rob is the Director of Innovation and Commercialisation at Rothamsted Research, where he manages the Institute’s commercial activities and interest in SHAKE Climate Change, a seed fund for start-ups. Rob is a qualified accountant and joined Rothamsted in 2019 with a breath of business finance experience – from banking and debt (Rothschild) to equity investment (CVC Capital Partners).
Synthetic Chemist
Rob Jenkins
Rob has 10+ years of experience in research positions in start-ups, including with the development and scale up of routes for synthesis of active ingredients. He has a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Warwick (UK) and an MSc in Chemistry from the University of Reading (UK).
Plant Biologist
DR Maria Oszvald
Maria has 16+ years’ experience applying genetic, molecular, cellular, and physiological techniques to crop sciences, including research into cereal nitrogen use efficiency, grain quality and T6P signalling. She has an MSc is Bioengineering and a PhD in Cereal Biochemistry.
SUGAROX NEWS
New people and new home
SugaROx expands team and facility as it looks to scale technology and field work The recruitment of a Plant Biologist and Synthetic Organic Chemist comes at a key time for SugaROx. Enabled by recent success with its Seed Round and two grant applications, the new...
SugaROx joins the Innovate UK’s Global Incubator Programme
SugaROx has been selected by Innovate UK to enter its Global Incubator Programme which includes participation in the AGTECH ACCELERATOR in Canada. The accelerator supports the growth of agri-tech start-ups built to solve global problems and was founded by Cultivator...
SugaROx raises £850k from Regenerate Ventures and UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund
SugaROx has raised £850k from Regenerate Ventures (RV) and the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund (UKI2S) to allow investment in the scale up and registration of a cutting-edge biostimulant platform originally developed by Rothamsted Research and Oxford University....
CONTACT US
We are looking to develop contacts with groups who share our mission and ambition. We welcome enquiries from farmers, seed and agchem companies, international agencies and investors.