Aug 23, 2022

Vive Crop Protection adds investments, plans for growth

Vive Crop Protection recently closed its Series C investment round, with the $26 million targeted to expand its North American market and advance research and development.

Emmertech led the investment round, with participation from the Cibus funds and existing investors Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), Export Development Canada (EDC), and Urbana Corp. Vive has also secured debt financing from Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) to provide both working and growth capital in support of their continued expansion.

Vive Crop Protection will have a second close in the next quarter to accommodate top-tier investor groups still completing diligence – all strategically focused on next-generation agriculture technology.

Vive plans to leverage its newest funding to accelerate the commercial deployment of its next-generation product portfolio into new North American markets while advancing its research and development pipeline.

“The investment by Emmertech, the Cibus funds, and existing investors, and the debt financing provided by Silicon Valley Bank underscores our success in delivering innovative solutions to farmers,” CEO Darren Anderson said in a news release. “We’re extremely excited about how these new relationships will propel our business to the next level, including into global markets.”

Vive’s proprietary Allosperse technology is a nanoscale, polymer-based delivery system that improves the targeting and performance of both synthetic and biological active ingredients, enhancing farmers ROI and sustainability profile.

“Since 2018, our products are estimated to have saved farmers 34 million gallons of water, 189,000 gallons of fuel, and 15,000 hours of farm labor,” Anderson said. “In addition, feedback from our annual customer satisfaction survey has been overwhelmingly positive with 97% of respondents indicating their desire to re-use Vive products.”

Fast-Paced Growth

In the last 18 months, Vive has experienced rapid growth which is evident in new product registrations, and increases in customer base, employment roster and revenue – which has more than doubled from sales of its seven EPA-registered products.

Following Vive’s 2021 U.S. launch of AZterknot fungicide, sales opportunities in new crop segments have been significant. Registered across a broad spectrum of crops, AZterknot demonstrates Vive’s ability to more effectively deliver both biologicals and synthetic active ingredients in a single jug.

In its first full marketing season of 2022, AZterknot sales exceeded expectation with product use on more than 50,000 U.S. acres.

“AZterknot showcases our ability to deliver biologicals with proven chemistry,” Anderson said. “As the demand for biologicals increases, Allosperse will be an important technology for bringing more bio-based offerings to market.”

“We are thrilled to be backing Vive’s outstanding team and the trust they’ve built among farmers with solutions that are efficient, sustainable and profitable,” Kyle Scott, managing director of Conexus Venture Capital and Emmertech, said in the release. “We look forward to supporting Vive with their R&D infrastructure and entrance into global markets.”

Vive appointed Kyle Scott to its board of directors.

“Our investment underlines our commitment to disruptive companies like Vive who place innovation at the core of their business model,” Alastair Cooper, head of venture at the Cibus funds, said in the release. “As agriculture continues to embrace new technology, we believe Vive products will become increasingly important for maximizing on-farm efficiency and sustainability.”

Graeme Millen, Managing Director and Climate Tech & Sustainability lead in Canada for Silicon Valley Bank, says,

“Vive’s unique technology exemplifies the power of next-generation solutions to create sustainable yet profitable outcomes for stakeholders, Graeme Millen, managing director of climate tech and sustainability lead in Canada for Silicon Valley Bank, said in the release. “This approach aligns with SVB’s role as an active partner for high impact Agtech companies and we’re excited to support Vive’s important mission.”

Vive Marketplace Achievements

The company lists achievements for its products:

• Seven commercially available products used on more than 2 million acres of U.S. farmland in 2022;
• First to launch a three-way fungicide that combines Allosperse with biological and synthetic chemistries;
• Intellectual property portfolio of more than 100 patents granted with others pending, plus R&D capabilities;
• Recognized as one of Canada’s Sustainability Changemakers for 2022 by the Sustainable Development Technology Canada organization; and
• Corporate recipient of numerous international awards for its innovative Allosperse technology