Portfolio overview

Solasta Bio

Solasta Bio is a Scotland-based bioinsecticides with a unique proposition: insect control products that are nature-inspired. In other words, it kills the insect pest and does not affect bees, other insects, or animals.

Green insecticides with a reason to Bee 🐝

Protecting crop yields while preserving the environment is one of the biggest challenges of today. Conventional approaches are damaging our ecosystems and failing to deliver safe effective food production. In fact, the global insecticides market is currently dominated by synthetic chemicals accounting for 94% of insect control solutions. While 75% of food crops are dependent on pollinator insects, other insects cause enormous social, health and economic damage that accounts for at least $70 billion in US crop losses alone.

For Solasta Bio we track the impact targets:

➡️: Filed a dossier for regulatory approval in US, EU, LatAm (50%)
➡️: Proven efficacy and non-toxicity in commercial trial (50%)*

SDG Alignment

The next generation of green insecticides

This is where Solasta Bio comes in. Their proprietary technology enables farmers to use small, protein-based crop protection products that are both effective and highly specific. Solasta’s bioinsecticides target a wide spectrum of insect pests, including those resistant to conventional chemistries, while preserving bees and other beneficial species. This combination of efficacy and selectivity represents a major white space in the market and a profound shift in how insect control agents are discovered.

As CEO Professor Shireen Davies explains: “The global market for insecticides has been under intense scrutiny for many years now, with growing demands on food production requiring greater levels of crop protection, counterbalanced by heightened concerns for the environment. Through our proprietary technology platform, we have developed a world-leading solution which represents a profound change for how insect control agents are discovered, and a step-change in how we not only protect our crops worldwide but also our ecosystem.”

Scaling up and go-to-market in 2027

Founded by scientist and entrepreneur Professor Shireen Davies and insect biology expert Professor Julian Dow, Solasta Bio is taking its breakthrough biopesticides from the lab into real-world trials. The company is on track to launch its first products in 2027, around half the time it takes for traditional synthetic insecticides to reach the market.

Since Rubio’s initial investment, Solasta Bio has successfully raised a follow-on round, bringing in additional investors to accelerate its R&D pipeline, expand its platform, and strengthen its commercialisation strategy. This fresh capital is enabling Solasta to broaden its candidate portfolio and build the partnerships needed to scale globally.