Foray Bioscience, a startup focused on developing plant-based products without the need for actual plants, has secured $3 million in seed funding. The investment, led by ReGen Ventures, brings the company’s total funding to $3.875 million.
The funds will be used to expand Foray’s predictive plant cell culture platform, launch product development partnerships with select companies, and grow its Boston-based team.
The startup’s mission is to use biomanufacturing to produce plant-based goods while protecting and restoring natural ecosystems. Foray’s technology uses cultivated plant cells to produce a variety of products, including molecules, materials, and seeds, more efficiently than traditional methods.
This development comes at a critical time, as vital plant populations are under pressure from human demands, climate change, and increasing threats from pests and diseases. New technologies are needed to ensure continued access to critical plant-sourced goods while replenishing natural resources.
“We believe plant cell culture is a critical and underutilized tool for plant conservation, restoration, and production. With Foray’s technology, our goal is to make biomanufacturing accessible across species and applications by significantly reducing the barriers to entry,” said Dr. Ashley Beckwith, founder and CEO of Foray. “Our platform is powered by a first-of-a-kind predictive database and advanced optimization strategies that will improve success rates, shorten development timelines and make plant cell culture accessible to the 99% of species that remain largely unexplored in biomanufacturing today.”
