Catalera Series A Funding to Catalyze a New Era of Biological Pest Control

Company brings over a decade of experience in the formulation and commercialization of natural, biological pest control products for plant, home and public health.

Catalera BioSolutions (“Catalera”), a pioneering innovator in biological pest control solutions, today announced the initial close of its Series A funding round. Launched mid-May, Catalera is an independent company spun out from Terramera, an ag-tech company based in Vancouver.

The launch of Catalera is made possible through a US$8M investment round led by S2G Ventures (“S2G”), with follow-up investment from Farm Credit Canada (FCC) Capital, and a second and final close expected in Q4 of 2024.

Catalera creates innovative biological products using a purpose-built toolkit of patented technologies to overcome the core challenges that have so far prevented the broad based adoption of biological products. Building on a solid foundation from existing commercial products including: RANGO® for specialty crops, SOCORO® for row crops, Vaporpad® for professional bed bug treatment and the recent registration of TRIFECTO® in Mexico, the company is well positioned to deploy several new biological products over the next few years and substantially grow its portfolio.

The $70 billion synthetic chemistry industry for agriculture and consumer pest control is facing significant challenges stemming from nearly a century of overreliance on synthetic chemicals. This has created far-reaching impacts in the world including food security risks, soil and water damage, and negative effects on human health.

“Consumers, government, and industry, including the world’s largest agriculture companies, are wanting to move to biologicals. But natural solutions need a helping hand to meet the needs of industry, growers, and consumers. As an experienced and agile company, Catalera holds the keys to unlocking the potential of biologicals and making a major impact in agriculture and beyond,” said Matthew Dahabieh, CEO of Catalera.“ Our team has been developing safe, effective, and cost-competitive biological products for over a decade. We have launched numerous products with leading partners, and have an exciting pipeline of new products in development, which this new funding will help us get to market.”

“We are at a pivotal moment in the biologicals market. The convergence of global events leading to severe supply chain disruptions, as well as growing concerns around the impacts of fertilizer use, are causing many farmers to reevaluate their approach,” said Sanjeev Krishnan, managing partner at S2G. “We believe Catalera's distinctive platform capabilities for unlocking biological formulation and cutting-edge product portfolio signals a promising future for the industry. We look forward to supporting them in their mission.”

This is FCC Capital’s first investment by the newly created arm at the Canadian lender that is proud to be 100% invested in Canadian agriculture and food.

"FCC is thrilled to announce our first co-investment in Catalera BioSolutions alongside S2G, which has a decade of experience investing in the global food and agtech space. This transaction aligns with FCC's commitment to build a capital solutions platform which delivers impactful financing for innovative companies with the potential to advance the Canadian food and agriculture industry," said Justine Hendricks, FCC president and CEO. "We are excited to support Catalera BioSolutions and leverage our expertise, data, and relationships to help them grow and succeed."

About Catalera BioSolutions

Catalera BioSolutions Inc. is a leading developer of biological solutions for plant, home, and public health. Based out of Vancouver, Canada, the company has over a decade of experience innovating formulation technology to create efficacious biological pesticides for the consumer, professional, and agricultural markets. Inspired by the question, “What if synthetic chemistry was never invented?”, Catalera is on a mission to unlock the power of biologicals in our lives and accelerate the transition to a more beneficial future! For more information visit catalera.com.

About S2G Ventures

S2G is a multi-stage investment firm focused on venture and growth-stage businesses across food and agriculture, oceans and energy. The firm provides capital and value-added resources to entrepreneurs and leadership teams pursuing innovative market-based solutions that S2G believes are cheaper, faster or better than traditional alternatives. With a commitment to creating long-term, measurable outcomes, S2G structures flexible capital solutions that can range from seed and venture funding through growth equity to debt and infrastructure financing. For more information about S2G, visit s2gventures.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.

About FCC

FCC is proud to be 100% invested in Canadian agriculture and food. The organization’s employees are committed to the long-standing success of those who produce and process Canadian food. FCC provides flexible financing and capital solutions, while creating value through data, knowledge, relationships and expertise. FCC offers a complement of financial and non-financial products and services designed to support the complex and evolving needs of the industry. As a commercial Crown corporation, FCC is a stable partner that reinvests profits back into the industry and communities it serves. For more information, visit fcc.ca.

For more information or interviews, please contact:

Jill McAlister
Corporate Communication 
Farm Credit Canada
306-540-4840
jill.mcalister@fcc.ca

Kim Haakstad
Catalera BioSolutions
kim.haakstad@catalera.com

Ally Dunne
S2G Ventures
ally@s2gventures.com