A New Chapter for Micropep, and for Me
Authored By: Thomas Laurent
A New Chapter for Micropep—and for Me
Today marks a deeply meaningful milestone—for both Micropep and me. After ten extraordinary years of building and growing Micropep into a global leader in sustainable crop protection, I am extremely pleased to announce that I am stepping out of my CEO position and am handing over the keys of the company to Georg Goeres.
Welcoming Georg Goeres as CEO
Georg is the best successor I could have dreamt of for Micropep: With decades of leadership experience in agriculture and crop protection—spanning both major corporations and high-growth startups—Georg is uniquely equipped to guide Micropep into its next phase.
His commercial acumen comes at a pivotal time, as we begin to unlock the full business potential of our Krisalix™ discovery platform and prepare for the commercial launch of our first micropeptide fungicide.
But beyond his impressive credentials, what matters most to me is that Georg shares the values that have shaped Micropep from day one. Having worked closely with him during this transition, I’m confident he will lead with integrity, ambition, and vision. The future is in excellent hands!
My Next Chapter
While I step away from the CEO role, I’m not stepping away from Micropep. I’ll continue to support Georg and the board as a strategic advisor and shareholder while I take time to reflect on my next professional chapter.
Having recently returned to France after three incredible years in Boston, I’m shifting my focus—at least for now—toward my family. I’ll focus my time on recharging, reconnecting with friends and family, and take some time to think about what the next ten years could look like.
But what I do already know is this: I will remain committed to my personal mission of contributing to a more sustainable future for my two daughters. This has been my core personal driver since day one when we first talked about starting Micropep with Jean-Philippe and Dominique back in 2015: I wanted to do something that could have a positive impact on our planet. So that one day, when my daughters would finally ask me “You knew back then. What did you do to protect our future?” I could look at them in the eye and tell them without lying that I tried my best. Whatever I’ll do next, whether with startups or VCs, in Agtech or in other industries, I will do it with the same purpose in mind.
A Heartfelt Thank You
As I’m moving on to a new chapter, I must say that I’m extremely grateful for the things I learned, the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met over the last 10 years. This journey would not have been possible without the trust and support of so many remarkable people.
To my co-founders, Jean-Philippe Combier and Dominique Lauressergues: thank you for entrusting me with your scientific “baby” back in 2015. What a journey it’s been! Nothing would have been possible without you.
To our shareholders, board members, and investors, your belief in our mission has been a constant source of strength. I’m especially grateful to the team at Toulouse Tech Transfer (Gaston Nicolessi, Laurent Auret, Patrick Cazeneuve today and Pierre Dufresne back in 2015) who made the transition of Micropep from an academic discovery into a young startup possible.
I’ve also been blessed to work with other incredible CEOs who helped me as independent board members at different stages of growth of Micropep: Luc Mathis and Alain Godard, Diego Casanello, and of course Eric Rey and Kevin Smith whom I have had the pleasure to work with since 2017 – 2018.
I’m also extremely grateful to have met and worked with world class investors since our first seed round in 2018 with Sofinnova Partners (Denis Lucquin and Guillaume Baxter) and Irdi Soridec (Jean- Michel Petit). I was fortunate enough to work with both top European and US VCs in a unique combination of Corporate, Biotech, Agtech and Impact investors. Thanks to all of you for your support over the years: Romain Sautrau from Supernova Invest; Sara Olson, Mark Brooks, Zack Zaki and Christian Guezo from FMC Ventures; Baptiste Tellier, Yanniv Dorone, Giulia Stellari and Eric O’Brien from Fall Line Capital; Lionel Artusio and Pierre Jouve from Zebra Impact; Edouard Combette and Etienne Montange from BPI Green Venture; Anouk Weber and Ricardo Bras s from Sparkfood; Josh Liebes from Ducera and Tom Greene from Corteva Catalyst. Thank you for helping me grow in the CEO role over the last few years.
Finally, and most importantly: to the incredible Micropep team: thank you. It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead this company and work alongside such a talented, passionate group of people. Every entrepreneur knows that success is never a solo act. It’s the result of a shared vision, relentless collaboration, and mutual trust. You are building something truly unique and impactful; I will continue to do my best to support you in this new role as shareholder and strategic advisor.
This is not the end, this is just a new chapter. And it will be remarkable. Onwards!
To read more about the transition and what Micropep will be focusing on for the future, check it out here.