ProGroBio expanded its portfolio, launching two products ahead of the 2026 U.S. growing season, as the bio-input company works to close a Series A round to reinforce its growth and commercialisation efforts.
Founded in 2021, ProGroBio offers its flagship product Rhizol, a blend of 35 microbes that promote root growth, water retention, and nutrient absorption. The product is also being reviewed by the EPA for use as a bio-pesticide, as AgTechNavigator previously reported.
This year, ProGroBio added Rhizol JumpStart and Phoenix, a dry Bradyrhizobium soil inoculant and a microbial soil recovery product, respectively, to its portfolio.
Designed for peanut production, Jumpstart helps develop a symbiotic relationship with the soil microbiome through nitrogen fixation. The product is “a dry formulation that is fully soluble and very easy to apply,” compared to liquid versions, which tend to have shelf-stability issues, noted Blake Young, CEO of ProGro Bio.
“Every peanut farmer uses some inoculant to farm peanuts, and it is fundamental to how yield and profitability are experienced in a peanut crop. So, if that biology underperforms, then everything else suffers. So, nitrogen fixation in peanuts is not a nice-to-have. It is essentially foundational,” he added.
Field study results for ProGro Bio's Rhizol
At the start of the year, ProGro Bio released results from a study on Rhizol, conducted by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Agronomics Division. The study found that Rhizol increased humic matter, which is associated with improved soil fertility, biological activity, and nitrogen content in the soil, by 5.7%, compared to samples taken before the input was applied.
Phoenix revives soil health with microbial blend
Phoenix is “a 29 species microbial blend,” that is “specifically formulated for survivability in tough soil conditions,” Young explained. The blend is formulated with humic and fulvic acids to establish the microbes in the soil and can be used at 15 grams per acre, he said.
ProGro identified a need in the market for a product like Phoenix, since many soils are damaged due to fumigation, crop residue burning, and aggressive tillage, he noted.
“Modern agriculture today has to be efficient if you are going to make money. So, the flip side of that is — while we have introduced a lot of efficiency in farming practices — some of those efficiencies come at a biological cost to the soil, and so Phoenix is designed to really help rebuild that biology very quickly. It is not a philosophical thing; it is a practical insertion or revival of soil biological activity,” Young elaborated.
ProGro Bio seeks Series A funding to scale up
Looking ahead, ProGroBio is working to close a Series A round, seeking both institutional and corporate investors, to support growth across the U.S., Young said. ProGroBio has already tested and proven the effectiveness of the product, so funding will support business activities, he noted.
“What is unique about our Series A is that we are not looking for resources to invest in research and development. We have a phenomenal product. Really, the emphasis is capitalising the company to pivot much more aggressively into business development, marketing, and sales activities,” Young explained.
Funding will also support the rollout of other products, focusing on specific parts of the U.S., he added.
“We are looking at potential microbial solutions for high salinity soils, which is a big problem in certain parts of the U.S., and obviously, many areas around the world where the salt content is significantly high and is a problem with growing crops. So, we think we have some potential there to be impactful,” Young elaborated.
