Full-Time
Agronomist
Plant Biology
Updated on 9/12/2026
Plantible Foods
51-200 employees
B2B plant-based protein ingredients from lemna
Compensation Overview
$65k - $75k/yr
Eldorado, TX, USA
Remote
Travel up to 10–15% of the time is required.
Bachelor's, Master's
 Biology & Biotech (1) |
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- A Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science, Biochemistry, Chemistry, or another relevant science or engineering background, plus at least 2 years of industrial research experience, or a Master of Science in assay development, plus at least 1 year of industrial experience.
- Demonstrated experience analyzing plant physiology to optimize crop nutrition and growth parameters.
- Exceptional attention to detail in experimental execution and data tracking.
- Lab experience growing plants and/or using sterile technique.
- Experience in protein purification or extraction.
- Excellent verbal and written communication, time management, and organizational skills.
- Ability to learn quickly, solve complex problems, and apply data analysis skills, including recognizing proper controls and conducting statistical analysis.
- Willingness to travel up to 10–15% of the time to facilitate technology transfer with the commercial protein production facility.
- Ensure nutrient levels in cultivation ponds, define nutrient efficiency, and optimize engineering solutions and application methods for nutrient application to achieve optimal duckweed composition.
- Test critical process parameters to improve raceway flow for optimal water and Lemna distribution.
- Assist with data collection and sensor placement and trials to maximize learnings about greenhouse conditions, relating lab-scale work to pilot and commercial greenhouses.
- Analyze interactions between upstream cultivation and downstream protein processing to define synergies when needed.
- Operate, maintain, and troubleshoot research and development-scale cultivation ponds.
- Serve as a conduit between research and development and engineering/operations teams to oversee technology transfer of key ideas from bench to commercial scale.
- Design, execute, and analyze laboratory and field experiments to improve plant protein quality and quantity and increase biomass productivity.
- A passion for continuous improvement.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment as a self-starter.
- Creativity and ability to collaborate with teams focused on achieving company goals.
Plantible Foods produces a plant-based protein ingredient called Rubi Protein for other food makers. It grows lemna, an aquatic plant, in its own aqua-farms to create a scalable, sustainable protein that is free from major allergens and has a neutral taste and color. The product is sold as an ingredient to food manufacturers for use in baked goods, plant-based meats, dairy alternatives, and nutritional supplements, enabling them to formulate new or improved plant-based products without worrying about allergen issues. The company differentiates itself by controlling its supply chain through in-house aquafarming and by delivering a neutral, versatile protein that can be incorporated across many product categories. Its goal is to meet increasing demand for sustainable, healthy foods by expanding production capacity and broadening its customer base among B2B food manufacturers.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Debt Financing
Total Funding
$108.7M
Headquarters
San Marcos, California
Founded
2016
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- August 6, 2026 financing adds $35 million for fivefold capacity expansion.
- Walmart featured Plantible in October 2025, validating retail-channel relevance.
- ICL Food Specialties and Flax 4 Life already commercialize Rubi Protein ingredients.
What critics are saying
- Plantible depends on one Texas site; any greenhouse outage halts supply expansion.
- The 50-greenhouse buildout demands execution discipline before customer commitments outpace output.
- Duckweed protein remains niche; if major customers like ICL stall, revenue concentration worsens.
What makes Plantible Foods unique
- First FDA no-questions letter for isolated RuBisCO, dated February 5, 2026.
- Rubi Protein combines neutral taste, allergen-free profile, and strong emulsification for manufacturers.
- Eldorado, Texas greenhouse farming decouples protein production from arable land and weather.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Paid Holidays
401(k) Retirement Plan
Relocation Assistance
Flexible Work Hours
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -3%1 year growth
↓ -5%2 year growth
↓ -3%Plantible Foods has raised $35 million in USDA-backed financing to expand production of its duckweed-derived Rubisco protein. The San Diego startup secured $25 million in debt from X-Caliber Rural Capital, a USDA-licensed lender, plus $10 million in equity from RA Capital and existing investors including Piva Capital. The funding will finance up to 50 new greenhouses at Plantible's 100-acre Texas facility, increasing capacity fivefold to over 100,000 tonnes annually. The company's Rubi Protein ingredient, which received FDA clearance six months ago, offers functional properties matching egg whites whilst delivering a 70% nutritional yield. Duckweed grows in two to three days with minimal water use and contains all nine essential amino acids. Plantible has raised $92 million to date.
Plantible Foods has received a "No Questions" letter from the FDA regarding its GRAS notice for Rubi Protein, making it the first company to gain FDA acknowledgment for isolated RuBisCO protein in food applications. The regulatory milestone clears the way for large-scale commercial adoption. Rubi Protein is derived from water lentils grown in enclosed greenhouses and contains approximately 85% protein by weight. The ingredient offers neutral taste, high solubility and strong emulsification properties, suitable for baked goods, beverages, dairy alternatives and plant-based products. Plantible opened its first commercial facility in Eldorado, Texas, last year and plans to expand capacity to meet growing customer demand. The San Diego-based company was founded by Tony Martens and Maurits van de Ven.
Plantible Foods' first commercial facility in Eldorado, Texas, is now fully operational, extracting RuBisCO protein from lemna (duckweed). After securing $30 million in Series B funding last year, the company seeks additional financing to triple its current capacity of thousands of metric tons of biomass annually. An upgraded protein filtration system and a proprietary high-yield lemna strain have been introduced to enhance cash flow positivity, according to CEO Tony Martens.
Chipotle Mexican Grill has invested in Plantible, a San Marcos, CA-based company developing plant-based protein. The investment amount was not disclosed. Plantible plans to use the funds to expand its operations and development efforts. The company produces Rubi protein™ from Lemna, aiming to offer a cleaner, healthier, and allergen-friendly alternative to animal-based proteins and synthetic ingredients.
Non-profit's strategic investment tackles the funding gap between climate innovation and widespread adoption.HONOLULU and SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Elemental Impact , a leading non-profit technology investor, announced today $18.6 million in investments across 16 companies deploying projects in Texas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Colorado, Tennessee, and international markets.This announcement is part of the non-profit's larger investing strategy that includes initial investments to build a pipeline of critical climate companies and projects, follow-on funding to promising projects with local impact, and the newly announced Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) program for later-stage commercialized technologies, for which investments are expected to be announced in the new year.These investments represent one of the many ways Elemental continues to tackle the $150B "Scale Gap," a critical challenge and funding shortfall climate companies face during first-of-a-kind (FOAK) and early commercial deployments. While these technologies have proven their potential, this funding gap often results in a lack of necessary capital to scale up these innovations, creating a barrier to the widespread adoption."We are seeing extraordinary demand for capital from entrepreneurs who are ready to scale, but who face a critical funding gap," said Dawn Lippert, CEO of Elemental Impact. "These 16 new investments prove that philanthropy can enable projects in rural towns, Tribal lands, urban areas, and wild ecosystems -- and unlock significant private investment."After vetting more than 7,000 companies this year, Elemental selected companies representing four emerging themes: accelerating the next era of U.S. manufacturing, building a resilient supply chain, strengthening rural and tribal access, and scaling a regenerative food system. They will now join a portfolio of more than 160 companies that have created over 10,000 jobs, all working to scale their solutions and create meaningful economic benefits in local communities