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Moa Technology raises Series C round co-led by Oxford Science Enterprises and Supernova Invest

  • Written by: Business Daily Media

OXFORD, England, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Moa Technology ("Moa"), an agricultural biotechnology company focused on discovering novel mode of action herbicides, announces a £22.2 million Series C financing round, co-led by Oxford Science Enterprises ("OSE") and Supernova Invest ("Supernova").

Moa Technology CEO Dr Virginia Corless in the company
Moa Technology CEO Dr Virginia Corless in the company's glasshouse research facility in North Yorkshire, England (credit: Gary Brown)

Joining Supernova as new investors in Moa are Agri Investment Fund ("AIF"); GrainInnovate, a fund investing on behalf of the Grain Research Development Corporation ("GRDC") and managed by Artesian; Infinity Investment Partners; and Magdalen College Oxford. The round has also been supported by existing investors OSE, Lansdowne Partners, Parkwalk, and Oxford University Innovation.

This new investment reflects the proven strength of Moa's IP and the progress it has made to become the innovation partner of choice for the crop protection industry. In the last 24 months, Moa has formed R&D collaborations with four leading companies - Nufarm, Gowan, Certis Belchim and Corteva Agriscience - to develop different novel solutions to help farmers protect their harvests from crop-killing weeds, and expects to continue to sign further commercial research partnerships. 

In a major breakthrough for the industry, Moa's proprietary technology platforms have already discovered over 80 novel mode of action areas, which work in completely different ways to control weeds and break resistance. After successful validation in the lab and glasshouse, Moa's most advanced novel mode of action programmes are performing strongly to control some of the world's toughest weeds in successive seasons of international field trials. In 2025, the company discovered a new category of products - Moa Amplifiers™ - which are not herbicidal on their own but have the potential to reduce the amount or concentration of herbicides required, supporting productivity and environmental stewardship. 

The Series C funding will enable Moa to bring its three most advanced programmes significantly closer to commercialisation, to build its pipeline of early-stage novel mode of action herbicides and to further develop the Moa Amplifiers programme. The new equity investment will be supplemented by upfront and milestone payments from current and future industry partners working with Moa. 

Martin Fiennes of Oxford Science Enterprises, said: "When we helped spin Moa out from the University of Oxford's Plant Sciences Department in 2017, we saw that its technology platform had a unique and important approach to address the market's need for herbicides capable of breaking weed resistance. The success of the platform's discoveries since in the lab and field trials has confirmed Moa is on track to provide the new solutions farmers need to sustain agricultural productivity, and we're delighted to be supporting the company again in this fundraising round."

Alexandre Biau of Supernova Invest, said: "Weed resistance continues to spread. It is causing increasing yield losses, further undermining the resilience of farming operations, while climate change is expected to make weed control even more challenging. In response, the Moa team is redefining the innovation playbook for weed control by advancing both novel modes of action and its Moa Amplifiers strategy, expanding the toolbox available to farmers. Building on the company's strong momentum and proven ability to execute, Supernova Invest is proud to support Moa's journey to market." 

Dr Virginia Corless, CEO of Moa Technology said: "This marks a major milestone for Moa Technology – a validation of the outstanding progress we have made not just in the laboratory, but also in striking commercial deals with leading industry partners around the world. We are particularly pleased that, through AIF in Europe and GrainInnovate in Australia, the farming sector itself is closely connected to the next phase of Moa's development, helping accelerate delivery of our solutions to the fields where they are so urgently needed." 

About Moa Technology:

Spun out of Oxford University in 2017, Moa Technology aims to help farmers sustainably protect their harvests from crop-killing weeds and ensure food security for all. The company's proprietary platforms have screened over 900,000 compounds and discovered more than 80 promising novel mode of action areas capable of breaking weed resistance to existing herbicides, with several advanced programmes now in their third year of international field trials. 

For more information, please visit www.moa-technology.com.

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