Led by Finistere Ventures and Radicle Growth acceleration fund, New Zealand-based agtech startup BioLumic, which has created a new solution using ultraviolet (UV) light to complement traditional chemicals or biologicals to increase crop yield, announced the close of $5 million in Series A financing. Rabobank’s recently launched Food & Agri Innovation Fund and existing investors from New Zealand also participated. The funds will be used for research and commercialization. BioLuimic also plans to boost its staff in both New Zealand and the United States.

Founded by Dr. Jason Wargent, a world-renowned photobiologist specializing in UV/plant interactions, and spun out of leading agtech research from Massey University in New Zealand, BioLumic‘s patented technology precisely applies UV light treatments that deliver long-term crop benefits—including improved crop consistency, increased yield, and disease resistance. The process is in use with large-scale produce growers and processors in California and Mexico with yield gains of up to 22 percent, and commercial trials focusing on lettuce, strawberry, and tomato seedlings are taking place in Spain and the United Kingdom.

“Light is an extremely powerful biological tool that can safely manipulate plants without the concerns often associated with genetic modification, chemical usage, and other unnatural treatments,” said BioLumic CEO Warren Bebb. “BioLumic is the only company using light as an Ag treatment at the beginning of a plant’s life. Exposure to a short-duration treatment of UV-enriched light at a critical stage in a plant’s development turns on characteristics to help the seed or seedling more effectively defend itself against disease or pest attacks and more efficiently use water and nutrients from the soil for its entire lifespan.”

As part of the investment, Arama Kukutai of Finistere Ventures and Radicle’s Kirk Haney will join the BioLumic Board.