ClearLeaf Raises $3.5 Million in Expansive Funding Round

2024 Grow-NY winner ClearLeaf recently closed a $3.5 million seed financing round, taking the next step in formulating non-toxic agricultural products to protect crops. Hawthorne Food Ventures (HFV) led the funding round along with a group of individual investors and M7 Ace NEO.

ClearLeaf’s strategy for entry into the U.S. market includes staffing a regional office out of Grow-NY’s business incubation sibling program, Rev: Ithaca Startup Works. Their initial hires in the region include a business development manager executing research trials and a customer acquisition strategy for the U.S., and an accountant managing compliance with local, state, and federal financial regulations.

“We are delighted to welcome HFV and our other new investors to ClearLeaf. The strategic alignment and complementary skills and experience that HFV brings to the table make them ideal partners for this critical period of growth in our company,” said Lawrence Pratt, President of ClearLeaf.

With a mission to increase farmers’ profits while protecting the environment and the health of producers and consumers, ClearLeaf has progressed significantly since winning a $250,000 at Grow-NY last year.

GotaBlanca, the company’s flagship product, is among the world’s only non-toxic fungi-bactericides. The technology protects plants by coating their tissue with antimicrobial liquid emulsions.