Oversubscribed round co-led by the Forbion Bioeconomy Fund and Corteva
- In 2025, Tropic commercially launched the first new banana varieties introduced in more than 75 years.
- Capital to fund global production scale-up, accelerate banana and rice pipelines, and expand into additional climate-resilient crops.
- Demand for Tropic’s non-browning and extended shelf-life bananas already exceeds supply.
Naarden, The Netherlands, 12 March 2026 - Forbion, a leading life sciences venture capital firm with deep roots in Europe, today announces the close of its oversubscribed $105 million Series C financing in Tropic, a pioneering tropical seeds company. With this financing, Tropic will accelerate the commercial scale up of its banana and rice portfolios, and advance its pipeline of climate resilient crops. The round reflects surging global demand for resilient, sustainable food solutions, Tropic’s proven ability to rapidly and efficiently bring high performance gene‑edited crops to market.
The round was co-led by Forbion through its Planetary Health Bioeconomy Fund and Corteva, through its Corteva Catalyst investment platform, with significant participation from Just Climate and IQ Capital. The round was also supported by new investors ABN Amro and Invest International, and existing investors Temasek, Five Seasons Ventures, Sucden Ventures, Genoa Ventures and Polaris Partners who participated in the round. As part of the financing, Joy Faucher, General Partner at Forbion will join Tropic’s Board of Directors.
With demand for its initial commercial products rapidly outpacing supply, Tropic will use the Series C capital to expand large‑scale plant production capabilities, strengthen global supply chains, and support commercial partnerships across major export markets.
The funding will also accelerate Tropic’s pipeline of banana varieties, developed for natural resistance to devastating diseases such as TR4 and Black Sigatoka, and expand development across its rice portfolio, and support entry into additional high-impact crops to conquer global food supply challenges.
Joy Faucher, General Partner at Forbion, said, “Tropic is an exemplary case of how advanced biotechnology can be applied with precision to challenges in planetary health, starting with banana and rice. Escalating disease pressure, limited innovation and a lack of cost-effective solutions are driving a growing environmental and supply chain risk in our food systems.
Tropic has proven its leading position in addressing these threats by bringing its innovative technology to market and providing durable, scalable and resilient solutions to growers. We are proud to partner with an exceptional management team and a like-minded syndicate as Tropic scales commercially and builds a globally leading, category-defining seeds platform.”
Gilad Gershon, CEO of Tropic, said, “This funding is a powerful endorsement of our team’s ability to bring breakthrough products to the hands of growers, exporters and consumers around the world. We are entering a new era, one where gene‑edited crops will significantly enhance food security and sustainability.
2025 proved that our technology delivers; not in the distant future, but right now. With two banana varieties already on the market and demand outstripping supply, this investment enables us to scale global production and expand into new crops faster than ever before. We are excited to be partnering with our new investors as we progress our mission to build a world leading tropical seeds company.”
The Forbion BioEconomy Fund focuses on innovative companies that leverage biotechnology to clean and feed the planet across four sectors: Food, Agriculture, Materials and Environmental Technologies. Companies in the BioEconomy Fund portfolio include eeden, Novameat, Solasta Bio, PACT and Genomines. At €200M, the BioEconomy Fund is one of Europe’s largest funds dedicated to planetary health.
Read the official company release here.
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About Tropic
Tropic is a pioneering tropical seeds company dedicated to the development of healthier, more robust, high-performing varieties of tropical crops. The company’s current core crop portfolio focuses on banana and rice, which together provide a source of livelihood to billions of people worldwide. Tropic utilises its proprietary GEiGS® platform and other cutting-edge gene editing technologies to develop improved crops with increased disease resistance, higher yields, and environmentally sustainable traits. By harnessing the power of advanced genetic engineering, Tropic is committed to addressing global agricultural challenges and providing innovative solutions that benefit farmers, consumers, and the environment. For more information visit Tropic.bio.
About Forbion
Forbion is a leading global venture capital firm with deep roots in Europe and offices in Naarden, the Netherlands, Munich, Germany, and Boston, USA. Forbion invests in innovative biotech companies, managing approximately €5 billion across multiple fund strategies covering all stages of (bio)pharmaceutical drug development. In addition to its human health focus, Forbion also invests in planetary health solutions through its BioEconomy strategy. The firm’s team of over 30 investment professionals has a strong track record, with more than 130 investments across 11 funds, resulting in numerous approved therapies and successful exits. Forbion is a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and operates a joint venture with BGV for seed and early-stage investments in the Benelux and Germany regions.
About Forbion BioEconomy Fund
The Forbion BioEconomy Fund is Forbion’s dedicated investment platform at the intersection of biotechnology and planetary health. The Forbion BioEconomy Fund focuses on innovative companies that leverage biotechnology to clean and feed the planet across four sectors: Food, Agriculture, Materials and Environmental Technologies. Under the leadership of General Partners Alexander Hoffmann and Joy Faucher, the Forbion BioEconomy Fund applies Forbion’s deep biotech expertise to technologies that combine measurable environmental impact with strong commercial potential.
