Last updated 2026-07-20
- Raised $10M Series B led by Orbia Ventures, Jan 2022
- Raised $1.5M Seed round led by Oxen9, Jan 2018
Total raised
$11.5M
Last: Undisclosed Round 2022-02
Stage
Series B
Founded
2017
Headcount
6
HQ
Ness Ziona, Israel
Sector
Agriculture & Food Technologies
About
Founded in 2017, FortePhest is an Israeli biotechnology company focused on crop protection. The company develops innovative products to control both regular weeds and weeds that are resistant to herbicides. FortePhest's technology is inspired by natural plant protectors and aims to provide potent, environmentally friendly, and sustainable solutions to improve crop productivity. Their flagship product, H-Forte™, is a revolutionary herbicide leveraging a newly discovered Mechanism of Action (MOA) to disrupt protein synthesis in weeds, offering a long-term solution for herbicide-resistant weeds. FortePhest's technology is based on research from Cornell University, The Weizmann Institute of Science, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Funding history · 2 rounds · $11.5M total
2022-01
B Round
$10.0M
★ Orbia Ventures★ BASF Venture CapitalSIBF IISadot InnovationTrendlines GroupSherpa InnoVentures
2018-01
Seed
$1.5M
★ Oxen9★ Sherpa InnoVentures★ Southern Israel Bridging Fund (SIBF)Trendlines Group
Q&A
- What is FortePhest's primary focus?
- FortePhest is a biotechnology startup developing H-Forte, a herbicide designed to combat herbicide-resistant weeds by targeting a key enzyme in protein synthesis.
- When was FortePhest founded?
- FortePhest was founded in August 2017.
- What is FortePhest's current employee count?
- FortePhest has 6 employees, falling within the 1-10 employee bucket.
- What is FortePhest's total funding raised to date?
- FortePhest has raised a total of $1,400,000 USD.
- Which investors participated in FortePhest's February 2022 funding round?
- In February 2022, BASF Venture Capital and Orbia Ventures participated in FortePhest's funding round.
- Who are the co-founders of FortePhest?
- The co-founders of FortePhest are Alex Kozak, Israel Shapiro, and Mark Safro.
- What is FortePhest's primary sector?
- FortePhest's primary sector is Agriculture & Food Technologies.
- What is the mechanism of action for FortePhest's H-Forte herbicide?
- H-Forte targets phenylalanine tRNA synthetase, a key enzyme of protein synthesis, to control resistant weeds by disrupting the structure of their proteins.
Team · 3
Alex Kozak
Founder · CEO & Co-Founder
Mark Safro
Founder · Co-Founder and Discovery Director
Israel Shapiro
Founder · Co-Founder and Head of Chemistry
Sectors & technology
Primary sector
Agriculture & Food Technologies
Sub-sectors
Climate TechFood & Land UseSustainable FarmingAgriculture & Food TechnologiesAg TechFarm Equipment & Treatment
Technologies
BiologicalsMicroorganisms
Target customers
Agriculture & FoodCrops
Business model
B2B
Tags
sustainable-farmingclimate-techfarmersplant-protectionherbicidesagtechbiotechnologyagriculturecrops
Full data — links, identifiers, deals & radar signals (jobs, patents, research, more)
External links
| Website | fortephest.com |
|---|
Identifiers & details
| Founded | 2017 |
|---|---|
| Employees (exact) | 6 |
Radar intelligence
Patents
| EPO | 8 |
|---|
Web history (Wayback)
| Domain | fortephest.com |
|---|
Certificate / subdomain footprint
| Subdomains | 2 |
|---|
Israeli Companies Registrar (רשם החברות / ICA)
| Registrar # (ח.פ.) | 515705770 |
|---|---|
| Status | פעילה |
| Corp type | ישראלית חברה פרטית |
| Incorporated | 2017-08-13 |
| Purpose | לעסוק בכל עיסוק חוקי |
| Liability | מוגבלת |
| In violation (unfiled) | no |
| Last annual report | 2025 |
| Active charges / liens | 1 |
| Registry events | 1 — charge (1) |
| Registered address | דן 3 נס ציונה |
Recent registry events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2025-08-20 | רישום שעבוד |