Oxford Biotech Quietly Raises $28M to Fight Herbicide-Resistant Weeds

Jan de Vries · 2026-07-24

Moa Technology, an Oxford-based agricultural biotech company, just closed a massive Series C round to tackle one of farming's biggest headaches: herbicide-resistant weeds. The company raised $28 million (€25.9 million) in a round co-led by Oxford Science Enterprises and Supernova Invest. New backers include Agri Investment Fund, GrainInnovate (backed by the Grain Research Development Corporation and managed by Artesian), Infinity Investment Partners, and Magdalen College, Oxford. Existing investors like OSE, Lansdowne Partners, Parkwalk, and Oxford University Innovation also chipped in. Dr. Virginia Corless, Moa's CEO, called it "a major milestone" and a validation of the company's progress both in the lab and in striking commercial deals globally. She noted that having farming sector investors like AIF in Europe and GrainInnovate in Australia directly involved in the next phase is key to getting solutions to fields faster. ### The Problem: Weeds That Just Won't Die Weeds have developed resistance to many common herbicides, similar to how bacteria become antibiotic-resistant. This happens when farmers rely on the same few modes of action (MoA) year after year. A mode of action is basically a herbicide's way of working—how it disrupts a plant at the cellular level. When you use the same approach repeatedly, weeds adapt and survive. Moa's mission is to reinvent how we discover new herbicides, both synthetic and biological, that can break this resistance cycle. ### How Moa's Technology Works The company combines its own IP and scientific platforms with massive amounts of proprietary data, all powered by AI and machine learning. They use specially miniaturized plants to test potential new modes of action at what they call "unprecedented scale, speed, and cost." So far, Moa has discovered over 80 novel mode-of-action areas. Their most advanced programs are already performing well in international field trials against some of the world's toughest weeds. ### A New Category: Moa Amplifiers In 2025, Moa unveiled a new product category called Moa Amplifiers. These aren't herbicides themselves, but they can reduce the amount or concentration of herbicides needed to kill weeds. Think of them as a force multiplier for existing treatments. ### Commercial Partnerships and What's Next Over the past two years, Moa has formed R&D collaborations with four leading agribusiness companies: - Nufarm - Gowan - Certis Belchim - Corteva Agriscience The goal is to develop different novel solutions to help farmers protect their harvests from crop-killing weeds. Moa expects to sign more partnerships as it moves forward. Founded in 2017 by Professor Liam Dolan and Dr. Clément Champion, Moa spun out of Oxford University's Plant Sciences Department. The company previously secured a $7.6 million Series A round in 2019. Martin Fiennes of Oxford Science Enterprises reflected on Moa's journey: "When we helped spin Moa out in 2017, we saw its platform had a unique approach to address the market's need for herbicides that break resistance. The success of the platform's discovery has been remarkable." With $28 million in fresh funding and a growing list of partners, Moa is well-positioned to bring new solutions to farmers battling resistant weeds worldwide.