Light Bio engineers plants that glow continuously by introducing genes from naturally bioluminescent mushrooms into plant genomes. Its initial commercial product is a tranche of glowing petunias—50,000 plants priced at $29 each—available direct-to-consumer after USDA regulatory approval, with a reported wait list of 10,000. The company uses a four-enzyme fungal pathway to convert plant caffeic acid into luciferin and regenerate the precursor, enabling perpetual illumination without added substrate. Light Bio has intellectual property covering fungal bioluminescence applications in plants and is pursuing relationships with breeders and growers to scale beyond its direct-sales launch. The startup has collaborated with Ginkgo Bioworks (work documented in Nature Methods) to optimize brightness and color, with published methods claiming up to 100x enhancement in some cases. Light Bio says it can further engineer enzymes to achieve at least tenfold brighter plants as development continues. The company raised seed capital and is positioning the product both as a consumer novelty and a demonstration of synthetic-biology capabilities.

Total raised

$2M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Feb 2024