Enko develops crop protection chemistries by applying drug discovery and development approaches from pharma to agriculture. Its pipeline is currently led by a range of herbicides designed to break cycles of weed and pest resistance and to reduce environmental load versus current solutions. Since its founding in 2017, the company has generated hundreds of leading molecules across crop protection categories via its ENKOMPASS™ platform. ENKOMPASS combines DNA-encoded library screening with machine learning and structure-based design to accelerate discovery of targeted chemistries. Led by CEO Jacqueline Heard, Enko intends to advance its product pipeline to address large-scale global food security challenges. The company recently completed a financing that increased its total capital raised to date. Enko develops crop protection chemistries and technology for faster, targeted discovery by applying pharma drug discovery and development approaches to agriculture. Its core product work centers on crop protection chemistries—particularly herbicides—developed via its ENKOMPASSTM technology platform, which combines DNA-encoded library screening with machine learning and structure-based design. Since its founding in 2017, the company has generated hundreds of leading molecules across all categories of crop protection, and its pipeline is currently led by herbicides demonstrating breakthrough performance compared with industry standards like glyphosate. The company plans to use new capital to advance its pipeline of chemistries targeting critical pests and weeds through novel pathways and to expand the ENKOMPASSTM platform to accelerate discovery of targeted chemistries. Enko is collaborating with Syngenta and Bayer on promising new chemistries. Financially, Enko has raised $140M to date following a $70M Series C. Enko Chem adapts drug-discovery processes and predictive analytics from human pharmaceuticals to advance under-developed modes of action for crop protection. The company seeks to identify and develop targeted compounds for validated modes of action, improving early insight into toxicity and success probability. Enko aims to increase discovery strike-rates, reduce time and cost to bring innovations to market, and advance its first solutions into field testing and regulatory trials. Founded via incubation at Anterra Capital in 2017 and led by founder and CEO Jacqueline Heard, the company emerged from stealth with a focus on translating pharma tools to plant science. Enko also emphasizes broad accessibility, aiming to make new technologies available more rapidly and affordably to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Total raised

$195M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Jan 2023