Articles

Agriodor, a French Agtech company using natural scents to protect crops, has successfully raised €15 million Series A to accelerate its growth and the global deployment of its olfactory biocontrol technology. The round was led by the Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund, financed by the societal dividend of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale and managed by Crédit Mutuel Impact. Regional funds Région Sud Investissement and CAAP Création (Crédit Agricole Alpes-Provence), alongside historical investors Capagro, Ambra Capital, and SWEN Capital Partners, also participated in the round. The financing will support the development of the company’s technology platform and research and development programs, as well as the international rollout of Agriodor’s solutions.

Founded by Alain Thibault and Dr. Ené Leppik, spin-off of INRAE, Agriodor develops a new class of crop protection solutions based on scents naturally emitted by plants to influence insect behavior. The approach offers a high performance, sustainable and scalable alternative to traditional pesticides, as the agricultural sector faces mounting pest resistance, regulatory pressure and biodiversity loss.

Agriodor recently achieved a worldwide first by successfully deploying a semiochemical (allomone) in row crops - a breakthrough application in sugar beet fields in France. This investment will now enable the company to apply this new technology to additional crops and insect families, accelerate its commercial expansion in Europe, Latin America and North America, and further strengthen its R&D capabilities through artificial intelligence.

Addressing both insecticide resistance and biodiversity loss

Dozens of insect pest species (notably among aphids, whiteflies, thrips) have developed resistance to insecticides and represent major threats to global agriculture. More than 1,000 cases of insecticide resistance have been documented in aphids alone (Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2023). Climate change is further accelerating their spread, making sustainable alternatives increasingly essential.

At the same time, the collapse of insect populations observed worldwide over the past 20 years has major consequences for biodiversity. In some regions, insect biomass has declined by around 70–75% over recent decades (Hallmann et al., PLOS ONE, 2017), and up to 40% of insect species may be at risk of extinction (Sánchez-Bayo & Wyckhuys, Biological Conservation, 2019). This biodiversity loss has direct implications for agriculture, particularly for soil health and pollination — with insects supporting over 75% of global food crop types (IPBES, 2016) — as well as broader impacts on ecosystems at a global scale.”

Agriodor’s R&D platform relies on innovative high-throughput chemical ecology approaches and continues to accelerate thanks to reverse chemical ecology. By reproducing natural plant scents and combining them with formulations adapted to different cropping systems around the world, the company provides tools that attract, repel, or disrupt pest insects to control their populations. This approach makes it possible to bring products to market with development costs up to 10 times lower and timelines twice as fast as conventional insecticides, while also addressing key challenges such as resistance management and selectivity.

A portfolio of biocontrol solutions at multiple development stages

The company’s first product, targeting sugar beet aphids, is commercialized through an exclusive distribution agreement with Syngenta, supporting French sugar beet growers in the fight against yellows virus. Agriodor is now expanding its portfolio to new crops and insect families such as fruit flies, whiteflies and thrips, markets that collectively represent more than $4 billion.

For some of these projects, Agriodor is adopting a co-development model by partnering with established crop protection companies to accelerate adoption and regulatory approval while aligning with sustainability objectives.

With 8 patents across 3 patent families, Agriodor brings together a multidisciplinary team of 42 specialists from 6 nationalities, including 8 PhDs, and relies on strategic advisors including senior experts from leading crop protection companies. To further expand its impact, 15 R&D partnerships have been established across Europe, China and Brazil.

Alain Thibault, Co-Founder and President of Agriodor, said:
“ We are convinced that the future of crop protection lies in biology, not chemistry. With this funding round, we mark Agriodor’s transformation — from a leading French Agtech startup into a global specialist in scent-based biocontrol. Our technology provides farmers with an effective tool to protect yields while preserving the environment and human health.”

Dr. Ené Leppik, Co-Founder and CTO, added:
“ Olfaction is a universal language for insects, and we cracked it. Our technology represents a revolution in crop protection — high-performing, residue-free and biodiversity-friendly — that can be used alone or in combination with any other crop protection tool.”

Nadia Bouzigues, Managing Director of Crédit Mutuel Impact, said:
“ The biocontrol technology developed by Agriodor is highly distinctive in its mode of action and represents a promising solution to protect both crops and biodiversity in a sustainable way. We are delighted to support the talented Agriodor team and provide them with the means to deploy their innovative platform across Europe and worldwide. This investment is fully aligned with the strategy of our Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund, financed by the societal dividend of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale.”

Key figures and data

• Founded: 2019
• Founders: Alain Thibault (President), Ené Leppik (CTO)
• Laboratories: Rennes (headquarters) and Aix-en-Provence, France
• Team: 42 FTE (8 PhDs, 6 nationalities)
• Patents: 8 across 3 patent families
• Platform: 10× less costly and 2× faster than conventional pesticides
• First product: commercialized via Syngenta
• Target markets: aphids, fruit flies, whiteflies, thrips and others
• Funding round 2026: €15 million Series A
• Lead investor: Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund managed by Crédit Mutuel Impact
  SAS Agriodor
  6 rue Pierre Joseph Colin, 35000 RENNES – France
  contact@agriodor.com
• Transaction advisors: Trachet (financial advisor to Agriodor), Parallel Avocats (legal advisor to Agriodor), Alérion Avocats (legal advisor to Crédit Mutuel Impact)

About Agriodor
Founded in 2019, Agriodor develops scent-based biocontrol solutions that sustainably protect crops by influencing insect behavior using natural plant scents. The company operates in Europe with developments planned overseas, particularly in Latin America. Agriodor has two laboratories in France: its headquarters in Rennes, dedicated to strategic R&D and the company’s technological core, and a second site in Aix-en-Provence focused on pests specific to the Mediterranean basin.

About the Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund
Managed by Crédit Mutuel Impact within the asset management division of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, the Environmental and Solidarity Revolution Fund — financed by the societal dividend of Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale — is a sustainable impact fund (Article 9 under SFDR regulation). With the ambition of reaching €1.5 billion by 2027, the Fund does not pursue a shortterm financial return target, prioritizing ecological and social value creation. It aims to accelerate the transformation of production models and invest in key sectors of the climate and environmental transition where financial needs are significant and existing investors remain insufficient. Since its launch in July 2023, the Fund has completed 25 investments.

About Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale
A leading bancassurer in France with 81,000 employees serving 31 million customers, Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale provides a full range of financial services to individuals, local professionals and companies of all sizes through its network of 4,000 branches. Crédit Mutuel Alliance Fédérale, the first bank to adopt the status of a mission-driven company, brings together Crédit Mutuel regional federations across France as well as the Caisse Fédérale de Crédit Mutuel, Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel (BFCM), and its subsidiaries including CIC, Euro-Information, Assurances du Crédit Mutuel (ACM), TARGOBANK, Cofidis, Beobank (Belgium), Banque Européenne du Crédit Mutuel (BECM), Banque Transatlantique, Banque de Luxembourg and Homiris.