Tag: microbes

Bio-input startup Pivot Bio blazes past $100m revenue mark, appoints a new CEO

August 29, 2023

US farmers now use the Pivot Bio microbe-based, nitrogen-fixing product in place of synthetic nitrogen on 5 million acres of corn.

Brief: ADM teams up with Air Protein to help scale novel food production platform

May 18, 2023

ADM has entered a strategic development agreement with Air Protein, a startup seeking to decouple food production from agricultural land by using carbon dioxide and hydrogen, rather than sugar, to fuel its fermentation-based food production platform.

Synthetic biology in food & ag: We’re just getting started, says SynBioBeta founder, ‘Biology isn’t easy to engineer’

May 16, 2023

“We’ve got a groundswell of young people who are trained in molecular biology,” says SynBioBeta founder Dr John Cumbers: “They’re not scared of GMOs. But they are scared of the environmental impacts of climate change and the unsustainability of our consumer culture.”

How Trace Genomics is bringing soil analysis out of the dark with hi-definition genome sequencing

February 23, 2023

As a new report from the outlines, Trace Genomics’ hi-definition genome sequencing technology can decode and catalog the complete soil environment.

‘Proven science is an anomaly’: Why Middleland Capital invested in gut microbiome startup BIOHM

January 30, 2023

Powerful data and validated science were just a few of the reasons Middleland Capital led BIOHM’s recent $7.5m funding round.

BREAKING: Biologicals startup Puna Bio lands $3.7m to fight climate change with ‘extreme bacteria’

September 1, 2022

Puna Bio will launch its seed treatment that leverages the power of extremophiles — bacteria that can make plants more resilient to extreme conditions.

Brief: Ginkgo Bioworks buys Zymergen for $300m

July 26, 2022

Zymergen will be acquired by fellow cell manufacturing company Ginkgo Bioworks for $300m, a sharp fall from Zymergen’s once $3 billion valuation.

Modern Synthesis raises $4.1m from AgFunder, others to grow textiles from microbes

June 1, 2022

The company aims to produce a new class of biomaterials and reduce fashion’s carbon footprint with its “microbial weaving” tech.

Meet the Female Founder: The Mushroom Meat Co’s Kesha Stickland on what it takes to make clean-label protein

March 7, 2022

The Mushroom Meat Co.’s CEO explains the ups and downs of starting (and growing) a clean-label protein company in today’s crowded industry.

Q&A: Aanika Biosciences on why GMOs drive sustainability and fight climate change

December 20, 2021

There is “no non-engineered way” to fight climate change at scale and in time, says chief science officer Ellen Jorgensen.

EXCLUSIVE: Aanika Biosciences raises $12m to boost food traceability with edible microbial tags

November 30, 2021

The New York-based startup will use the Series A funding to scale up its platform that provides traceability and food preservation tools in then form of spray-on microbes.

EXCLUSIVE: Boost Biomes nabs $5m Series A to tap into ecology of microbes

June 25, 2020

Instead of just identifying helpful microbes, Boost wants to explore how microbe ecology may unlock even more benefits for farmers

Andes Ag is integrating seeds with beneficial microbes to combat inherent delivery challenges for biologics

June 9, 2020

You’ve probably heard of microbials used as seed coating and soil amendments but what about incorporating them directly into seeds?

Temasek leads $46m Series B for Ascus Bio’s microbe-based animal feed additives

June 8, 2020

Although microbe-based feed additives are nothing new in animal feed, the space has fallen behind on innovating new solutions.

Pivot Bio raises $100m Series C to meet demand for sold-out nitrogen-fixing microbe product

April 30, 2020

Farmers have been so hungry for the corn and wheat amendments that the startup has sold out multiple times flying in the face of skepticism over microbes’ efficacy.

EXCLUSIVE: MicroGen Biotech raises $3.8m Series A to take heavy metals out of food

April 29, 2020

We’ve seen microbes for crop health but what if they can help prevent dangerous heavy metals from entering food, too?

Carbon marketplace Nori and LocusAg partner to attempt Co2 drawdown on croplands

February 26, 2020

There’s been talk about incentivizing grazing management to sequester carbon but Nori is targeting crop growers through approved practices like Locus’ microbial input

NewLeaf Symbiotics raises $20m Series D to expand offerings to broadacre row crops

February 24, 2020

It also announced some changes to its executive leadership with CEO Tom Laurita stepping down in what it described as a streamlined approach towards advancing commercialization.