Boost Biomes, a company creating bio-fungicides and bio-pesticides for farming, and supported by Y Combinator, has secured an additional $2 million in investment, alongside a new strategic partner in Universal Materials Incubator from Japan.

With this latest funding, Boost Biomes has now raised over $7 million to further the creation of innovative products, including a bio-fungicide derived from the microorganisms naturally found in soil and their beneficial relationship with plants.

The core focus of Boost Biomes is researching how microbes and plants interact within the soil environment. “Our aim is to function as a discovery platform and create novel microbial solutions for the food and agricultural sectors,” explained Jamie Bacher, CEO and co-founder of Boost.

This investment from Universal Materials Incubator in Japan builds upon a previous $5 million funding round. That round was spearheaded by Yara International, a leading global crop nutrition provider, and included venture capital firms such as Viking Global Investors and Y Combinator.

Boost Biomes is focused on resolving significant challenges in agriculture, including crop spoilage, bacterial contamination, and infestations by harmful pathogens, as well as directly addressing plant diseases.

Boost is currently collaborating with a confidential biomanufacturing organization to produce its bio-fungicide.

“UMI’s investment decision was based on our assessment of Boost’s team, their technology, and the potential within the market. We are confident that Boost’s platform produces a distinctive collection of data that can be leveraged to develop significantly improved products with a wide range of microbiome applications in both food and agriculture,” stated Yota Hayama, an investor at UMI. “These are vital areas for ensuring food security and encouraging environmentally responsible farming practices. We also foresee substantial possibilities for Boost in other fields utilizing microbiomes.”