Indigo Launches Indigo Partners(TM), an Innovative Platform Designed to Evaluate and Accelerate Adoption of New Technologies in Agriculture

- The Indigo PartnersTM program gives growers access to innovative ag technologies, including Indigo's microbial products

- With partner growers, Indigo will assess, validate, and determine the impact of new technologies based on field data and grower experience

- This program will serve as a broad-reaching R&D platform for growers and innovators in the agriculture industry

CHARLESTOWN, Mass., April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Indigo, a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, today announced the launch of Indigo PartnersTM. The 2017 program involves collaborating with 25 leading growers and agronomic experts across the United States to evaluate agricultural technologies, including Indigo's microbial seed treatments, on over 15,000 acres. The Indigo Partners program shares company success with growers through equity grants. With the data and insights gathered from growers' fields, Indigo aims to bring products to market that will profoundly improve both grower profitability and the way that seven billion people are fed.

"Using bioinformatics and data analytics, we are creating a unique agricultural R&D platform. Together with leading growers around the world, we will assess and validate new technologies, generating insights that will bring innovative products to market," said David Perry, CEO and Director of Indigo. "With Indigo Partners, we seek to discover and launch technologies that improve farmer profitability, and to champion change with new sustainable farming practices."

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"The Indigo Partners program is going to be transformative in agriculture," said Kip Tom, Chairman of the Indigo Partners program and Chairman of Tom Farms. "Indigo's approach addresses the most critical pressure point for farmers, helping to understand the value new innovative technologies bring. I look forward to watching growers worldwide benefit from the Indigo Partners program."

During the 2017 spring planting season, Indigo will be providing the participating growers with access to Indigo's microbial seed treatments and agronomic advice. Growers will benefit from Indigo's microbial products, which are developed to increase plant health and yield, while optimizing their crops with tailored planting and management recommendations. Throughout the growing season, growers will work with agronomic experts to collect data. They will then attend an annual Indigo-hosted event to discuss their insights, which will inform further refinement of products and technologies. In future years, Indigo plans to launch the program globally to assess a broad range of products and new technologies sourced from Indigo and other ag innovators.

About Indigo

Indigo is a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. The company utilizes beneficial microbes residing within plant tissues to optimize crop health and improve productivity. To date, Indigo has tested beneficial microbes on more than a dozen different crops, with trials consistently showing significant yield increases under target stress conditions. The company intends to consider a wide range of stresses, including environmental and biotic stresses. Indigo's 2017 portfolio is focused on water use efficiency and yield in cotton, wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans. To date, Indigo has closed $156 million in funding. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, with commercial and customer service based in Memphis, TN. Indigo was founded by Flagship VentureLabs, the innovation foundry of Flagship Pioneering, a firm that conceives, creates, resources and develops first-in-category life sciences companies. https://www.indigoag.com.