Chief Executive Officer, Rhizocore Technologies
Dr Toby Parkes is the Founder and CEO of Rhizocore Technologies, a pioneering biotech company using locally-adapted mycorrhizal fungi to help trees survive, establish, and grow better – enabling landowners, foresters, and investors to unlock more value from the land they manage.
Expanding on his research developing novel cryopreservation techniques at the Millennium Seed Bank (Kew), Toby founded Rhizocore in 2021 to build the world’s largest fungal library. As the library grows, Toby and his team are harnessing this fungal biodiversity to develop innovative products that deliver real-world impact for forestry.
At a time of spiralling establishment costs, growing pressure on land performance, and increasingly unpredictable weather, Toby’s work offers a compelling perspective on how better biology below ground can grow healthier trees, increase carbon and timber yields, and enable more resilient long-term investments above ground