Upstream Biotechnology™ Closes Seed Financing Led by LeVert Ventures to Advance SwitchBlade™ Crop Resilience Platform

Durham, N.C. – 07/28/2026 Upstream Biotechnology™, Inc., a North Carolina plant biotechnology company developing stress-inducible gene-regulation technologies for crop protection and resilience, today announced the closing of its seed financing. The round was led by LeVert Ventures, with participation from Corteva, through its Corteva Catalyst™ investment platform, Silver Blue, Middleland Capital’s VTC Ventures, and other investors. Upstream will use the proceeds to advance its proprietary SwitchBlade™ platform, expand validation across key row and specialty crops, strengthen intellectual property, and support strategic collaborations with leading seed industry partners. SwitchBlade™ is designed to address one of the central tradeoffs in crop biotechnology:...