Ag biotech startup Micropep advances technology

French startup Micropep has a new way to control weeds and diseases, and after field-testing the tool, it appears venture capital firms are confident about the technology.

Micropep announced completion of a new round of funding for about $9.24 million. Thomas Laurent, its CEO and co-founder, talks about the new funding round with Farm Progress, as well as about field tests of the new technology.

The first focus for the company was controlling disease, and the product was applied to grapes, tomatoes, potatoes and soybeans. The first field trials, however, focused on grapes in North Carolina and California, as well as some trials in Europe and Argentina.