Moa Technology
An Oxford University spinout developing new herbicides and molecules that may reduce doses of existing products.
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Podcast Episode
🎙️ Deep Dive
Arrakis, Moa Technology, TidalSense — $30M for industrial AI, £22.2M against weeds and £14.2M for breath diagnostics — Daily News July 24, 2026
Listen to the episodeAbout Moa Technology
Moa Technology was founded in 2017 as an Oxford University spinout by Liam Dolan and Clément Champion, with the goal of finding new solutions to the growing problem of herbicide resistance. The startup uses its proprietary GALAXY platform, a high-throughput biological screening system, to discover new modes of action against resistant weeds — having already screened more than 900,000 compounds and identified more than 80 novel mode-of-action areas. Moa licenses its discoveries to the crop-protection industry, with collaborations already established with Nufarm, Gowan, Certis Belchim and Corteva. Its portfolio also includes Moa Amplifiers, molecules capable of reducing doses of existing herbicides. In July 2026 the startup closed a £22.2 million Series C co-led by Oxford Science Enterprises and Supernova Invest, with participation from Agri Investment Fund, GrainInnovate, Infinity Investment Partners, Magdalen College Oxford, Lansdowne Partners, Parkwalk and Oxford University Innovation. Funds will be used to move three programmes closer to commercialisation and expand the pipeline and Moa Amplifiers.
The Story
Spun out of the University of Oxford in 2017 by Liam Dolan (plant molecular biologist) and Clément Champion.
How Moa Technology works
Business Model
A B2B discovery platform for the agrochemical sector: screening, programme development and licensing.
Revenue Model
Research agreements, upfront payments, milestones and royalties on licences; equity funding is supplemented by industrial-partner payments.
Products & Services
Key Products
- GALAXY discovery platform
- Novel mode-of-action programmes
- Moa Amplifiers
Core Use Cases
- Discovery of new herbicides
- Control of resistant weeds
- Dosage reduction of existing herbicides
- Research for agrochemical companies
Market & Clients
Key Customers
Crop-protection companies; disclosed collaborations with Nufarm, Gowan, Certis Belchim and Corteva.
Geographic Presence
How Moa Technology competes
Competitive Advantages
- More than 80 novel mode-of-action areas identified — broad pipeline diversity
- Proprietary GALAXY platform with more than 900,000 compounds screened
- Validated commercial collaborations with leading agrochemical operators
How Moa Technology grows
Growth Strategy
Move three programmes closer to commercialisation and expand the pipeline and Moa Amplifiers.
Distribution Model
Research and licensing agreements with agrochemical companies.
Moat (Defensibility)
Intellectual property on discovered mechanisms, screening experimental data, field validations and industrial-partner relationships.
Regulatory Context
Products require complete environmental and toxicological testing and specific registrations in target agricultural markets.
Key Risks
- Long timelines for environmental, toxicological testing and regulatory approval
- Compound failure during field validation
- Dependence on industrial partners for commercialisation
- Regulatory uncertainty around agrochemicals across different markets
Strategic Insights
- Industrial partnerships with Nufarm, Gowan and Corteva fund part of the route to commercialisation and validate the technology.
- A discovery platform — not a single compound — allows multiple programmes to emerge from one technology base, reducing single-programme failure risk.
Funding & Investors
Funding Rounds
- - Series C: 22200000
Lead: Oxford Science Enterprises
Key Investors
Founding Team
Founders
Key Executives
- Virginia Corless - CEO
Key Metrics
Lessons from Moa Technology
- Agricultural biotechnology requires patient capital and long horizons for field validation and regulatory approval.
- Early commercial collaborations with industry operators can reduce both technical and financial development risk.
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Read AnalysisSources
- Moa announces Series C funding round — Moa Technology
- Moa Technology raises $30m to advance novel modes of action in weed management — AgFunderNews