Ecophage
Founded 2018 · 9 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
EcoPhage develops and commercializes phage-based biopesticides and bactericides that target bacterial plant diseases across a range of crops. The company operates in agricultural biotech with a focus on sustainable crop protection.
Also known as EcoPhage
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026EcoPhage is an agri-biotechnology company that develops and commercializes bacteriophage-based biopesticides and bactericides for the control of bacterial plant diseases. Bacteriophages are naturally occurring viruses that infect bacteria specifically and are described by the company as inert to humans, animals and plants; EcoPhage positions phage cocktails as an alternative to copper-based and antibiotic crop protection chemistries, with products characterized as non-GMO, residue-free and selective enough to preserve beneficial organisms.
The company's product line includes GoldenEco (bacterial diseases of tomatoes and peppers caused by Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas), EcoFire (fire blight in apples and pears caused by Erwinia amylovora), EcoStonia, EcoBrass (black rot of Brassicaceae crops caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris) and EcoStraw for strawberries. Its team spans microbiology, agronomy and formulation R&D alongside business development, led by CEO Guy Elitzur, with Iftah Mazor as Chief Scientist, Orit Dagan heading formulation and Tsafrir Weinberg heading agronomy. The board is chaired by Nitza Kardish and includes Bob Trogele and Jose Alfredo Gracia.
Founding story
EcoPhage was founded in 2018 around proprietary technology co-developed with, and licensed from, the Weizmann Institute of Science, where the underlying research on bacteria–bacteriophage interactions was conducted by Professor Rotem Sorek. The company was formed on the premise that roughly 10% of world food production is lost to plant diseases, with bacterial infections a significant contributor, and that phages could provide a specific, effective and low-impact alternative to conventional pesticides.
Business model
Business-to-business developer and commercializer of phage-based crop protection products, taking candidates from its discovery platform through regulatory registration and to market via partners and distributors.
Sale of phage-based biopesticide and bactericide products for crop protection; the Trendlines portfolio page marks the company as having reached a revenue stage.
Traction
Three products submitted to the U.S. EPA based on its research platform (GoldenEco, EcoFire and EcoBrass), plus an EcoStraw submission announced in April 2026, and announced progress with Dole Food Company on Moko disease in bananas in May 2026. The Trendlines portfolio page indicates the company has progressed to the revenue stage.
Latest developments
In April 2026 the company submitted EcoStraw to the U.S. EPA for U.S. strawberry growers, and in May 2026 it announced advances with Dole Food Company on biopesticide application against Moko in banana production. Its third EPA submission, EcoBrass for black rot in Brassicaceae crops, followed earlier submissions of GoldenEco and EcoFire. A market-signal entry dated September 2025 notes the appointment of Dr. Lu Wei Liu to the board of directors.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positions itself as a pioneer in phage-based crop protection, addressing more than 200 bacterial diseases that cause substantial annual yield losses, where existing copper- and antibiotic-based treatments face efficacy loss, resistance development and tightening regulation.
Specificity of phages to target bacteria, absence of residues and GMO content, compatibility with beneficial organisms, and a screening platform said to enable rapid development of scalable products; the technology base originates from Weizmann Institute research.
Technology
A proprietary discovery and mapping platform for bacteriophages, licensed from the Weizmann Institute of Science, that screens and characterizes phage collections to select high-performing candidates ("super phages"). Selected phages are combined into cocktails and formulated into bactericides intended to integrate into existing crop protection spray programs, producing non-GMO, zero-residue products.
Go-to-market
Regulatory registration of individual products with the U.S. EPA, combined with partnerships and distributor relationships and collaboration with large growers such as Dole Food Company; the CEO's remit includes expansion into new markets and scaling production.
Growers and the agricultural crop protection channel, including producers of tomatoes and peppers, apples and pears, Brassicaceae crops, strawberries and bananas; distributors and agribusiness partners.
Geography
Headquartered in Ness Ziona, Israel, with regulatory activity targeting the United States and product work involving banana production with Dole Food Company.
History
Founded in 2018 (the Trendlines portfolio page lists 2019), the company built on Weizmann Institute research and was backed by The Trendlines Group, the Bayer-Trendlines Ag Innovation Fund and the Israel Innovation Authority. Guy Elitzur, previously founder and CEO of Vertical Field and earlier CEO of STK Bio-ag Technologies, became CEO in 2022 with a mandate to bring products to market and expand into new geographies. The company subsequently pursued a sequence of U.S. EPA registrations: GoldenEco and EcoFire, followed by EcoBrass as its third submission, and EcoStraw for strawberry growers in April 2026. In May 2026 it announced advances with Dole Food Company on biopesticide application against the Moko threat in banana production.
Risks & controversies
Commercialization depends on U.S. EPA registration outcomes for products that remain under review at the time of the sources; reported founding year differs between the company site (2018) and its lead investor's portfolio page (2019).
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsEcoPhage and Dole Food Company announced advances in the application of biopesticides against the Moko threat to banana production.
EcoPhage announced the submission of EcoStraw to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, extending its phage-based product line to U.S. strawberry growers.
EcoPhage submitted EcoBrass, targeting black rot in Brassicaceae crops caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, to the U.S. EPA. It is the company's third product submission, following GoldenEco for tomatoes and peppers and EcoFire for fire blight in apples and pears.
Guy Elitzur, previously founder and CEO of Vertical Field and formerly CEO of STK Bio-ag Technologies, became CEO of EcoPhage in 2022.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Ecophageecophage.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Ecophage do?
- Israeli agri-biotech developing phage-based biopesticides and bactericides against bacterial plant diseases in crops.
- Who are Ecophage's investors?
- Ecophage's investors include Trendlines Group.