Slush 2026 Profile: BugBiome
Alicia Showering will be headed to Helsinki this November to showcase BugBiome, who are reinventing pest control in agriculture.
Who Are BugBiome?
BugBiome is developing biological insecticides to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing crop protection: increasing insecticide resistance combined with the withdrawal of established chemical products.
Building on Dr Alicia Showering’s research into interactions between insects and microbes, BugBiome has built an insect-first discovery platform that combines underexplored microbial diversity with behavioural phenotyping. Rather than simply screening for whether a microbe kills an insect, the platform helps identify how microbes and their metabolites affect insect behaviour and survival, creating opportunities to discover differentiated modes of action.
The company develops biological insecticides that meet the practical requirements of modern agriculture: strong efficacy, commercially viable application rates, compatibility with existing farming systems and credible routes to manufacture and registration.
BugBiome is building a pipeline of microbial-derived actives for major crop pest markets, including aphids and beetles in horticulture and arable crops.
Since founding the company, the team has raised more than £3 million in grant and investment funding and secured commercial agreements with leading biocontrol companies. BugBiome is increasingly focused on translating its discoveries into field-ready products through formulation, scale-up and real-world trials.
Investment Sought
We just completed a seed fundraise and are now looking for Series A investors for a future round. AgTech/ climate investors who can provide feedback on our Series A milestones and we can build relationships with over the next 12-18 months ahead of raising that round.
