Toronto's Molagri Aims to Outpace Pest Evolution with AI-Driven Pesticides
AI-generated image · Bay Street Wire
Founded by U of T PhDs, the startup is leveraging protein design to combat insecticide resistance after securing $1 million USD in pre-seed funding.
Toronto-based startup Molagri is attempting to solve a fundamental problem in agriculture: the ability of pests to evolve resistance to pesticides. As BetaKit first reported, the company is developing a system to "evolve" pesticides in tandem with pests to mitigate the risk of resistance.
Founded by University of Toronto PhD candidates Zaky Hassan and Min Jin—who specialized in common cold coronaviruses—the startup utilizes AI-driven advancements in protein design. BetaKit reports that Molagri's technology is built upon a non-infectious insect virus, allowing the team to engineer targeted proteins that can "blacklist" or "whitelist" specific targets. This framework enables the company to adjust formulations to stay ahead of anticipated pest resistance.
Hassan likened the approach to the flu vaccine, telling BetaKit that just as patients do not have to worry about which flu strain is circulating because the vaccine is handled in the back end, Molagri intends to provide that same seamless protection for farmers.
The path to funding the venture highlighted a divide between domestic and international investor appetite. Hassan told BetaKit that the founders sought Canadian investors but were unsuccessful, a result Hassan attributed to risk aversion within the Canadian investment landscape. Consequently, the startup secured $1 million USD ($1.4 million CAD) in pre-seed funding from Y Combinator and the US-based deeptech VC firm Julian Capital.
These funds allowed Molagri to hire a scientist, secure lab space within the MaRS Discovery District, and prepare for Y Combinator's Demo Day on Sept. 10. Hassan told BetaKit that the goal is to use the seed raise to build a "war chest" for hiring additional scientists and developing commercial products.
While the company's long-term ambition is to become a global pesticide producer and strengthen the Canadian bio-company ecosystem, its immediate commercial focus is geographic. BetaKit reports that Molagri's initial "wedge product" targets tree fruits and tree nuts due to an "acute insecticide need," which directs much of the company's early focus toward California.