Quercus Biosolutions
Category: AI in Agriculture
An agricultural biotechnology company using generative AI to design novel mini-protein-based crop protection products for sustainable agriculture. Quercus Biosolutions was founded in 2024. The company is led by Dr. Jonathan (Jon) Lightner. Based in St. Louis, Missouri / Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Team size: 2-10. Total funding raised: $5M. Latest round: Seed. Key investors include Serra Ventures (lead), Starshot Capital, Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, Flyover Capital, Rootstock Capital, Iowa Corn Opportunities Fund, AgriCap Fund, Kentucky Corn Plus, AgVentures Alliance, Ag Startup Engine, Grit Road Partners, Missouri Technology Corporation.
- Founded
- 2024
- Headquarters
- St. Louis, Missouri / Madison, Wisconsin, United States
- Team size
- 2-10
- Total funding
- $5M
Value proposition
Generative AI-designed mini-proteins that combine the consistent efficacy of synthetic chemical herbicides with the environmental and regulatory advantages of biologicals — delivering new modes of action against resistant weeds at lower cost and faster development timelines.
Products and solutions
AI-designed mini-proteins (designer peptides) for crop protection, targeting herbicide-resistant weeds as first application, five active herbicide programs with field trials underway, platform expanding into fungi, insects, and other pests.
Unique value
Unlike competitors screening natural peptide libraries, Quercus uses generative AI (licensed from drug discovery) to design mini-proteins from scratch, optimizing for efficacy, manufacturability, environmental safety, and field stability simultaneously from day one.
Target customer
Row crop farmers (corn, soy, etc.); seed & chemistry companies; retail ag cooperatives; regional ag input distributors.
Industries served
Agriculture (crop protection / herbicides), expanding into fungicides, insecticides, and other pest control.
Technology advantage
Generative AI platform (via Ordaos Bio partnership) for de novo mini-protein design; multitask meta-learning and reinforcement learning; lab-in-the-loop rapid iteration; cell-free expression for rapid testing; precision fermentation for scalable manufacturing; exclusive license to Ordaos platform for agriculture.
How they differentiate
De novo AI protein design (not library screening); exclusive license to Ordaos Bio's validated generative AI platform originally built for pharma; designs for manufacturability from the outset (microbial secretion, low-cost fermentation); rapid design-test-iterate cycle (days for computational design, cell-free expression for next-day in vitro testing).
Main competitors
Solasta Bio (Glasgow, UK — peptide-based crop protection), Enko (US — AI-driven crop protection discovery), Moa Technology (UK — AI for novel herbicide modes of action), Vestaron (US — peptide-based insecticides)
Key partnerships
Ordaos Bio (exclusive license & strategic partnership for generative AI protein design platform), Solis Agrosciences (fast-track partnership for in-planta testing, data generation, optimization & validation)
Major milestones
Founded mid-2024, emerged from stealth with pre-seed funding (March 2025), demonstrated mini-proteins work in live plants via Solis Agrosciences partnership, closed oversubscribed $5M seed round led by Serra Ventures (July 2026), five active herbicide programs with multiple field trials underway
Market positioning
Early-stage disruptor in the $60B+ crop protection market, positioned at the intersection of AI-driven drug discovery and ag biologicals — targeting the gap between failing chemical herbicides and inconsistent biologicals.
Geographic focus
United States (row crop agriculture); global potential via partnerships with major seed/chemistry companies.
Patents and IP
Exclusive license to Ordaos Bio's generative AI platform for agriculture; building IP portfolio around AI-designed mini-proteins for crop protection
About Dr. Jonathan (Jon) Lightner
Ex-Chief Scientific Officer & Head of R&D at Genus PLC (FTSE 250); inventor on 50+ issued patents; led development of first FDA-approved food animal gene editing technology (PRRSv Resistant Pig); former CSO at multiple agbiotech firms; Scientific Advisory Board Chair at Benson Hill.
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Official website: https://quercusbio.com
