Agrimetis raises $23.5 million

Agrimetis, a biotechnology firm developing crop protection chemicals, has raised $23.5 million in a second round of venture funding. Investors included Anterra Capital and Syngenta Ventures. The Maryland-based firm, one of C&EN’s 10 Start-ups to Watch last year, identifies target chemicals by searching the scientific literature and working with external researchers. It then uses organic chemistry and synthetic biology tools to synthesize new molecules with improved effectiveness. Its most advanced candidate is an herbicide.