- Living Roots is expanding into a broader suite of biological crop inputs.
- The startup is using AI to speed up product development.
- Rising fertiliser prices are helping drive farmer interest in biological alternatives.
Co-founded by Avika Narula and Abhi Agarwal, Living Roots specialises in high-performance bio-fertilisers made from waste products that are designed to replace chemical inputs entirely.
The products are manufactured locally from regional feedstock and reach farmers through partnerships with agribusinesses, cooperatives, and food companies.
Speaking to AgNavigator, Agarwal said the company has spent this year expanding its personnel and breaking into new markets.
Today, the company operates in Thailand, India, Indonesia, and West Africa, with dedicated science and field teams supporting product development and deployment.
Its significant growth has also been driven by the sharp increase in fertiliser prices this year, which Agarwal said has increased farmer interest in alternative solutions.
In light of the soaring prices, the startup’s products became a more cost-competitive option for growers seeking to reduce input costs.
This market environment has strengthened the company’s mission of providing alternatives to conventional inputs.
Developing a holistic solution
Now that Living Roots has demonstrated that its products can reduce conventional chemical inputs while still achieving yield increases, Agarwal said it will build on this success by developing additional biological solutions, including biopesticides and herbicides.
“Now we’re moving towards a full solution, offering everything farmers would need to grow crops,” said Agarwal.
The company has observed that farmers currently rely on inputs sourced from different suppliers that are not designed to work together.
“A holistic solution doesn’t really exist today because farmers are using products from different pesticide, fertiliser and herbicide companies. What we’re trying to do is create a suite of products that work really well together,” he said.
He added that its long-term strategy is to offer a comprehensive portfolio of agricultural inputs that can work together within a single system, helping farmers improve crop management while delivering more consistent performance in the field.
With a little help from AI
Central to this ambition is the use of its artificial intelligence platform Hypha, which allows it to adapt formulations by crop type, soil condition, and growth stage.
The platform is used internally to accelerate scientific development, helping researchers identify suitable combinations of biological materials and test potential formulations before advancing them to field trials.
“We can take nine months of scientific work and bring it down to two to three weeks. You can test things on a computer before you get to the field, so it saves us a lot of money,” said Agarwal.
The company recently received its second investment from Epic Angels following a 2025 bridge round backed by its network of angel investors.
The funding will be used to further expand the team, scale field deployment, and build out local manufacturing capacity.
The company is also exploring the development of a farmer-facing AI tool.
According to Agarwal, current AI tools on the market have not been accurate enough for practical agricultural decision-making.
To address this, Living Roots is working with AI and design partners to evaluate ways of delivering more reliable agronomic advice in the future.
