Concert Bio

About the Solution

Founded by Paul Rutten in 2021, Concert Bio develops plant beneficial microbes to improve plant growth for greenhouse growers. Like humans, plants rely on their microbiome to thrive. Crops grown traditionally in soil have access to a rich ecosystem of microbes, most of which are missing in hydroponic greenhouses. There are enormous untapped benefits for improving yield, disease resistance and even crop taste by re-introducing the right microbes into these systems.

In collaboration with greenhouse operators all over the world, Concert Bio has built the world’s largest database of hydroponic microbiome data. Using ML models built from this data, Concert Bio identifies microbes tailored to address the unique needs of crops growing outside soil. Their first product, Overture™ has been shown to dramatically improve yield across multiple crops in over a dozen independent grower trials.

Concert Bio’s approach is set to revolutionize an industry poised for growth. The $125BN hydroponics market, growing at 15-20% annually, offers significant potential for Concert Bio’s tailored solutions. With its demonstrated significant yield improvements, their technology offers farmers a promising path to boost crop production in a sustainable and resource-friendly manner. The company is positioned to move from research and development toward commercialization, with plans to expand their greenhouse operations and launch their product at scale in 2025.

EQT Foundation’s Investment

The EQT Deal Team, consisting of Andrew Lewis, Jasper van Delft, and Armin Catovic will support Concert Bio on business development, data analytics, and US expansion. Concert Bio can leverage EQT’s commercial and sustainability expertise to gain access to connections to greenhouse customers and agricultural advisors within the EQT network.