Edison Agrosciences announces $600,000 in seed financing for sunflower rubber research

St. Louis, MO – Edison Agrosciences announced the closing of a $600,000 seed financing round. This investment was made possible by the support of current and new investors, including BioGenerator, Missouri Technology Corporation (MTC), Crisp & Company, LLC and others.

Edison Agrosciences is at the forefront of developing more sustainable, domestic sources of critical industrial materials, with a current focus on producing natural rubber from sunflowers. Natural rubber is an essential component in thousands of products used daily, known for its unmatched properties compared to synthetic alternatives.

Despite its high demand, the United States lacks a domestic source of natural rubber. Presently, the global supply is sourced from a disease-susceptible tree species grown primary in South and East Asia, with continued demand growth leading to further tropical deforestation.

Edison Agrosciences has identified a promising solution by developing and commercializing natural rubber from sunflowers, a crop already cultivated on approximately one million acres across the United States. U.S. sunflower fields already have the potential to produce over 25,000 tons of natural rubber annually; however, the current concentration of rubber in sunflowers is too low for economical extraction. The company’s pioneering efforts are focused on increasing the concentration of rubber in each plant, thereby improving per-acre yield through advanced computational breeding and agronomic techniques.

The company’s seed financing will be used to advance research and development, including completing its third year of field trials, increasing production capabilities for customer product evaluation, and to further develop the supply chain infrastructure necessary to bring this innovative solution to market.

David Woodburn, CEO of Edison Agrosciences, expressed his gratitude to the investors: “We are thrilled with the support from our investors, which will enable us to accelerate our development and commercialization efforts. This funding will allow us to enhance our technology and IP position, further increase rubber yield in sunflowers, and create a sustainable, domestic source of natural rubber. Our company has significantly matured with non-dilutive funding from supportive and forward-thinking organizations like DARPA, and we are excited about the opportunity ahead to supply much-needed innovation and more sustainable bioindustrial materials.”

In addition to this funding milestone, Edison Agrosciences proudly welcomes Tom Marsh to its Board of Directors. Marsh is a 40+ year veteran of the latex and rubber industry, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise to the company. His extensive career spans various laboratory, R&D, and manufacturing positions within the medical device and sundry goods segments, including roles at Centrotrade Rubber USA, Abbott Laboratories and Ansell Healthcare.

Marsh’s deep involvement in the rubber supply chain also includes senior executive roles at The Ore & Chemical Corporation and Corrie MacColl Limited, a subsidiary of Halcyon Agri, where he was responsible for sales, distribution, processing, production, and technical services for key industrial materials such as natural rubber. Most recently, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Pioneer Worldwide and Chief Technology Officer for Advanced Sustainable Polymers. Additionally, Marsh formerly served as Chairman of the Board of ASTM International, and as Chair of its Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC45 International Committee on Rubber, further demonstrating his leadership and commitment to the industry.

Marsh holds degrees in General Science and Business Management from The Ohio State University and Liberty University, respectively, and has completed additional work in polymer technology and process development.

Tom Marsh commented: “I am very excited about the promise of the approaches that Edison is taking, and to working with the team to further its industry presence. The company’s innovations are poised to be valuable across numerous industrial applications. But importantly, they are also well positioned to be a leader in domestic, cost-competitive, and more sustainable liquid natural rubber solutions, a rare combination.”