The US-based crop biotechnology company Insignum AgTech has raised $2.4 million in a seed funding round led by Innova Memphis, with participation from Elevate Ventures, Purdue Strategic Ventures, the FFA Ventures fund, and others. Insignum intends to use the funds to advance its first trait through its commercial pipeline and begin development of a disease-signalling trait for canola. The company's visible pigmentation genes enable crops to change colour during the early stages of a specific stress, such as disease, allowing growers and agronomists to identify and address issues earlier and with more precision. Insignum's first gene causes maize to turn purple at the site of infection, reportedly seven or more days before symptoms of the disease are apparent.