NuCicer has closed its latest seed investment round, led by Bayer AG’s unit Leaps by Bayer, alongside Lever VC, Blue Horizon and Trellis Road.

NuCicer is a US-based crop genetics company pioneering ultra-high protein varieties of chickpeas, which are said to contain 75% more protein content than conventional chickpeas.

NuCicer will use the capital to scale the production of its chickpea varieties, targeting a 50% reduction in the cost of chickpea protein ingredients and expanding existing partnerships with partners in order to provide consumers with affordable, sustainable plant proteins by 2023.

Kathryn Cook, CEO and co-founder at NuCicer, said: “Expanding affordable, scalable plant protein beyond currently available soy ingredients is a critical and urgent need for our food system. Today’s investment round is a significant moment for both NuCicer and the wider plant protein market. With Leaps by Bayer’s support, we look forward to taking the next step in our journey: driving natural ingredient technologies to the next level and bringing improved plant-based products to market.”

Jürgen Eckhardt, head of Leaps by Bayer, added: “Leaps by Bayer was founded on the principle of driving real change to the world we live in via our investments, and NuCicer is an ideal example of how we’re working collaboratively to make a positive difference. NuCicer is a fascinating business that we believe will assist the development of climate resilient, natural, and plant-based protein alternatives that will help decarbonise our food supply chains.”

Financial details of the round were not disclosed.

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