Two teenage innovators are taking on one of agriculture’s oldest problems with artificial intelligence, and they’ve managed to convince legendary investor Paul Graham to join them. Bindwell, founded by Tyler Rose (18) and Navvye Anand (19), has raised $6 million in seed funding to develop AI-driven pesticide-discovery technology that could transform global farming.
From Backyard Idea to $6 Million Backing
The story began in Paul Graham’s backyard, where the young founders pitched an AI tool for pesticide design. What started as a conversation became a startup idea strong enough to secure funding from General Catalyst, A Capital, SV Angel, and Graham himself.
Instead of selling AI tools to traditional agrochemical companies, Bindwell is developing its own next-generation pesticide molecules and licensing the intellectual property (IP) directly. This strategy lets the company stay agile while addressing an urgent global challenge: the growing ineffectiveness of traditional pesticides.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 40% of global crop yields are still lost to pests and diseases each year, despite pesticide use doubling in the past 30 years. Bindwell’s AI-driven approach aims to break this destructive cycle with new, targeted, and eco-friendly molecules.
How AI Is Powering the Next Agricultural Revolution
Bindwell uses advanced AI models inspired by drug discovery to accelerate pesticide research, an area where innovation has stagnated for decades. Its proprietary system combines three key models:
- Foldwell, a structure prediction tool built on DeepMind’s AlphaFold.
- PLAPT, a protein–ligand interaction model capable of scanning billions of compounds within hours.
- APPT, a protein–protein interaction tool that enhances biopesticide screening by 1.7× compared to existing benchmarks.
Together, these tools identify proteins unique to specific pests, avoiding harm to humans or beneficial insects. “With our AI, we can design molecules that precisely target pests while reducing environmental damage,” said Rose.
The system also integrates uncertainty quantification, helping researchers determine which predictions are reliable before proceeding with costly synthesis.
Backed by Tech’s Brightest Minds
Bindwell’s $6M round was co-led by General Catalyst and A Capital, with additional backing from SV Angel and a personal investment by Paul Graham, the co-founder of Y Combinator.
The startup emerged from Y Combinator’s Winter 2025 batch, where the founders initially struggled to attract interest from major agrochemical companies. After meeting with Graham, they shifted strategy from selling AI models to owning and licensing pesticide discoveries, a move that has since paid off.
“The founders will probably do alright,” Graham later posted on X. “They’re smart and have a good idea.”
Looking Ahead
Bindwell operates a small lab in San Carlos, California, where it is testing the efficacy of its AI-generated pesticide molecules. The company is in early talks with global agrochemical firms and hopes to close its first licensing deal within a year.
Discussions are also underway with agricultural partners in India and China to begin field trials, marking the next stage of real-world validation.
With just a four-person team and a bold vision, Bindwell is already making waves, not only by reimagining how pesticides are discovered, but also by proving that AI and youthful ingenuity can reshape an entire industry.
