• Startup: AgriTech.
• Founding date: 2018.
• Country: Saudi Arabia.
• Investors: Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF), Global Ventures, Dubai Future District Fund (DFDF), Kanoo Ventures, Globivest, and Bonaventure Capital.

Saudi Arabia-based agritech iyris, formerly RedSea Farms, has closed a $16 million Series A round, led by Ecosystem Integrity Fund (EIF), with participation from Global Ventures, Dubai Future District Fund (DFDF), Kanoo Ventures, Globivest, and Bonaventure Capital.

iyris develops technologies that help growers increase crop yields and extend growing seasons in difficult farming environments. It has developed SecondSky, greenhouse covers and nets, and works on innovative heat-blocking products and resilient plant genetics.

The investment will be used to support sales coverage for its strong international sales pipeline of SecondSky. It will also underpin ongoing commitment to empowering farmers to sustainably mitigate the impact of climate change.

iyris was founded in 2018 in Saudi Arabia and uses technologies that were originally developed by leading scientists and professors at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia. The company had raised $34 million before this round which helped it to expand to other markets; including Egypt, UAE, Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Mexico and North America.