Mayfield is a global venture capital firm with a people-first philosophy and a 50+ year track record of inception and investing, partnering with founders to build iconic enterprise, consumer, and engineering biology companies. Since its founding, the firm has invested in more than 500 companies, resulting in 119 IPOs and more than 200 acquisitions, and currently has $2.5B under management.

Mayfield Fund

SOSV is a global, deep tech venture capital firm that operates the HAX and IndieBio startup development programs focused on human and planetary health. SOSV invests $500,000 in startups at their inception as they onboard either HAX or IndieBio for a 4-6 month period designed to accelerate the raise of their next institutional round. SOSV joins the later rounds of HAX and IndieBio graduates.  HAX, based in a 35,000 sq ft facility in Newark, NJ, is equipped with machine tools, 3D printers, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering labs, as well as on-staff engineering and design experts. SOSV's IndieBio has locations in NYC and San Francisco, both of which offer extensive services and facilities to founders including on-site BSL-2 labs, well equipped lab benches and hoods, and advanced lab equipment, such as chromatography equipment.

SOSV

UNTITLED is a venture capital fund that invests in pre-seed and seed-stage businesses. It specializes in the fields of financial services, private equity, and venture capital.

UNTITLED

Bessemer Venture Partners helps entrepreneurs lay strong foundations to build and forge long-standing companies. Their portfolio includes pinterest, shopify, twilio, yelp, linkedin, pagerduty, docusign, wix, fiverr, and toast, and has $19 billion of assets under management.

Bessemer Venture Partners

B37 Ventures is a venture capital firm that derives returns from a proprietary platform in which startups and multinational corporations exchange innovation and scale. The firm is able to validate product-market fit and curate scalability through the global reach of our industry-diverse corporate investors. B37 Ventures is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

B37 Ventures

Baruch Future Ventures is a pioneering, climate-tech focused, family investment firm. We bring unmatched experience, relationships, deep networks and a track record for generating superior returns. Speed to market is our founding team’s principal value proposition, with deep sector-specific successes of building “n of 1” companies.

Baruch Future Ventures

Breakthrough Energy Ventures is an investor-led fund made up of members of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, guided by scientific and technological expertise and committed to investing patiently in developing new ways to live, eat, travel, and build. Breakthrough Energy Ventures provides reliable and affordable power without contributing to climate change. Breakthrough Energy invests in new technologies that make power reliable and affordable for everyone while not warming the planet.

Breakthrough Energy Ventures

Cavallo Ventures is a venture capital firm that focuses on feed, pet nutrition, aquafeed, ingredients, and formulation. They invest their own capital and are looking for pioneering entrepreneurs that insist on building successful companies without taking shortcuts. Cavallo Ventures was founded in 2016 and is based in San Francisco, California.

Cavallo Ventures

HAX is a venture capital-based program dedicated to accelerating startups with a hardware element. Their program operates across two locations, San Francisco and Shenzhen, giving founders the resources necessary to move with lightning speed. Teams accepted into the program will focus on rapid iteration of prototyping in many forms. This includes physical models, technology iterations, user interaction studies, volumetric studies, marketing messaging, business plans and launch strategies. With the help of HAX’s full-time staff, mentors, partners, and startup community, they’ll also work with you on developing a scalable business plan. As teams are ready to take their  product to market, they’ll head to San Francisco to work with HAX on business development, fundraising, and growth. This stage emphasizes introductions to corporates, investors, partners and press. It also focuses on helping teams secure their first round of funding, as well as gain first-revenue and partnership traction. HAX is an SOSV program. SOSV is a global venture capital firm that operates startup venture programs around the world. SOSV had more than 1,000 portfolio companies and $950 million in assets under management.

Prelude Ventures invests in and supports early-stage startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change. Our goal is to help build the next generation of category-defining businesses.

Prelude Ventures

Global Brain Corporation is a venture capital firm that invests in companies from seed or early to pre-IPO startups.  Global Brain has invested in 300+ startups from seed/early to pre-IPO startups and achieved 25 IPOs and 61 M&As as a result of providing hands-on support services and resources to its portfolio startups. Global Brain has managed a pure investment fund as well as multiple corporate venture capital funds partnered together with tier 1 public companies of telecom, real estate development, financial service, beverages, agriculture food, logistics, and electronic devices.

Global Brain Corporation

Positive Ventures is an entrepreneurs-run B-Certified VC based in São Paulo and SFO backing founders building breakthrough technologies to solve pressing social and environmental challenges, global south first.

Positive Ventures

Incite.org is an organization started by Matt Rogers and Swati Mylavarapu to support new, world-improving ideas, leaders, and teams. Incite is comprised of three branches, each of which has its own area of focus: Incite Ventures, LLC supports mission-driven enterprise through investments in businesses with the potential to scale, inspire others, and make a difference. Incite Labs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that makes grants and program-related investments to further charitable, educational, and scientific purposes. Incite Politics is the name of the work of Incite’s founders, Swati Mylavarapu and Matt Rogers, to personally organize and support initiatives to pass legislation and elect candidates who approach our country’s issues from a fresh perspective.

Incite.org

In June 2020, Amazon announced The Climate Pledge Fund to support the development of sustainable and decarbonizing technologies and services that will enable Amazon and other companies to meet the goals set by The Climate Pledge. This dedicated investment program—with an initial $2 billion in funding—will invest in visionary companies whose products and solutions will facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Climate Pledge Fund

Windfall Bio

Windfall Bio has developed a sustainable solution to capture and transform climate-harming methane emissions into organic fertilizer, addressing both an underappreciated contributor to climate change as well as the negative environmental impacts associated with the overuse of synthetic fertilizer. Windfall’s nature-based solution harnesses methane-eating microbes to transform methane from any source into valuable outputs, creating a rare win-win-win scenario for the planet, producers, and consumers. The company’s solution allows industries such as agriculture, oil and gas, and waste management to reduce their methane footprint while operating more efficiently and improving their profitability and environmental impact. Founded in 2022 and based in San Mateo, CA, Windfall Bio is venture-backed by top-tier firms including Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, B37 Ventures, Baruch Future Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Cavallo Ventures, Global Brain (through its Norinchukin Innovation Fund L.P.), Incite Ventures, MCJ Collective, Mayfield, Positive Ventures, Prelude Ventures, and UNTITLED (a fund backed by the Tetra Laval family). To learn more about how Windfall Bio turns a climate and business woe into a windfall, visit www.windfall.bio.

Founded in 2022, Windfall Bio is a California-based AgriTech company that captures and transforms methane into organic soil nutrients using microbes and digesters. Windfall Bio’s proprietary technology is claimed to enrich natural methane-eating microbes from the soil, allowing customers to transform waste emissions into high-value organic fertilizer that can be used on-site or sold to local organic farms, generating new revenue streams. This living organic fertilizer has potentially better bioavailability and can result in reduced runoff and downstream emissions compared to synthetic ammonia fertilizers.

Natural Fertilizers

Windfall Bio Expands Production Capacity to Accelerate Commercialization of Methane Capture & Transformation Solution

Founded in 2022, Windfall Bio is a California-based AgriTech company that captures and transforms methane into organic soil nutrients using microbes and digesters. Windfall Bio’s proprietary technology is claimed to enrich natural methane-eating microbes from the soil, allowing customers to transform waste emissions into high-value organic fertilizer that can be used on-site or sold to local organic farms, generating new revenue streams. This living organic fertilizer has potentially better bioavailability and can result in reduced runoff and downstream emissions compared to synthetic ammonia fertilizers.Windfall Bio's process for transforming methane emissions into organic fertilizers and composts involves capturing methane emissions from various sources such as dairy barns, chicken houses, and manure lagoons. These emissions are then fed to digesters filled with methane-eating microbes, which transform the methane into high-purity fertilizers and composts on-site. The company also provides management software tools to help measure and manage the methane-to-soil resource stream, making it easier for farms to utilize this sustainable solution.Funding and financialsWindfall Bio is backed by top-tier firms including Mayfield, UNTITLED, B37 Ventures, Baruch Future Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Cavallo Ventures. The company raised a USD 9 million seed round in March 2023, led by Mayfield and UNTITLED; it plans to use the funding to begin pilot deployments on farms and accelerate research and development activities. In <a href="https://www.esgtoday.com/windfall-bio-raises-28-million-to-scale-methane-eating-microbe-industrial-emissions-solution/">April 2024</a>, the company raised USD 28 million in a series A funding round led by Prelude Ventures with the participation of existing investors, B37 Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Mayfield and Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Global Brain, Incite Ventures, and Positive Ventures to support the commercialization of its solution to capture and use methane from emissions-intensive industries. Key competitors: None comparable (Windfall Bio uses methane-eating organisms that capture nitrogen from the air to produce organic fertilizer).

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 Based in Michigan, Gantec offers plant-based liquid fertilizers, micronutrient supplements, concentrates and biopesticides using a proprietary process called “Bio-Adaptive Supplementation” (BAS). BAS extracts properties from plants that thrive in extreme environments such as the neem tree and converts them into fertilizers. Gantec’s products can be applied to a range of crops, including field crops, root crops, vegetables, and tree and bush crops. The company initially began sourcing its raw materials from West Africa, and, as of May 2022,  sourced it from six continents.  
 
 
 Gantec’s BAS solutions claim to improve plant resiliency, nutrient uptake, yield, and growth. For instance, based on a trial conducted by the Saginaw Valley State University, applying the company’s GantecPro liquid fertilizer to cherry tomatoes increased the yield by 17%. For potatoes, based on another trial conducted by the Michigan State University, applying GantecPro increased the yield by 11%. 
 
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Gantec Inc

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 Based in Washington, Impact Bioenergy manufactures portable systems that convert organic waste to produce electricity and fertilizer. The company started manufacturing its own biofertilizer product called “ProBiotic Plant Food” (PBF)  in July 2020. PBF is a compost biofertilizer, which is made by first creating a “smoothie” from waste food such as spent yeast, curds, whey, and trub. This is then digested by microbes in a 30-day process to convert it into PBF. The final product is dried and pulverized to create a mix called “PBF Mix No 7.” Based on a trial conducted by Forest Garden Farm for a butternut squash tree, PBF increased yields by almost 30% compared to using a standard fertilizer. 
 
 
 The company also adds fish bone meal, poultry feather meal, biochar, and mealworm frass to the base product to produce different blends of PBF, which is offered as a dry blend or concentrated liquid blend that can be mixed with water to make a fertigation liquid. PBF initially was available to B2B customers on a subscription basis and then later targeted B2C customers selling online via ecommerce sites such as Amazon.  
 
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Impact bioenergy

Based in France, Toopi Organics converts human urine (which is naturally high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) into fertilizer called “BACTIPI" using a proprietary patented fermentation process. The process involves collecting and filtering ‘pure’ urine (not mixed with water) from public places including schools, stadiums, and amusement parks before fermentation. The company ferments the cleaned urine at its production facility in Loupiac de la Réole France using 5,000 liter fermentation tanks along with sugar and Lactobacillus paracasei lactic bacteria to create a 100% organic fertilizer.“BACTIPI” can be applied to field crops, vine crops, home gardening, and industrial crops and promotes the growth of microorganisms and solubilizes phosphorus in the soil, increasing plant and root growth. The company has demonstrated that its fertilizer has similar efficiency and is a cheaper alternative to other chemical fertilizers in the market.Toopi aims to partner with local companies including farmers, fertilizer distributors, and sanitation companies to set up and operate urine processing plants. Toopi will handle the production of the fertilizer, while the partnering company will handle distribution. As of May 2022, Toopi states had set up a subsidiary in Belgium and was actively working with companies in Benin and Kenya to commercialize its products. The company had also signed an agreement with a large fertilizer distributor in France (name undisclosed) to sell its fertilizer for the following three years. Toopi has received approval to sell its products in Belgium and expects to obtain the same in France in 2022.Financials and Funding:In <a href="https://techfundingnews.com/french-startup-toopi-organics-raises-95m-to-turn-human-urine-into-crop-biostimulants/">November 2023</a>, Toopi Organics raised EUR 8.4 million (~USD 9 million) from EIC Accelerator, a European innovation programme for deep tech startups. The funding comprises a EUR 2.4 million non-dilutive grant and EUR 6 million in equity to be invested in 2025. Also, in <a href="https://techfundingnews.com/french-startup-toopi-organics-raises-95m-to-turn-human-urine-into-crop-biostimulants/">September 2023</a>, the company raised EUR 16 million (~USD 17 million) in funding to expand its urine collection network.&nbsp;Previously, In <a href="https://www.eu-startups.com/2021/04/bordeaux-based-toopi-organics-scales-up-urine-recycling-network-in-france-with-e3-8-million-funding">April 2021</a>, The company received a EUR 3.8 million (~USD 4.1 million) grant from ADEME (The French Agency for Ecological Transition). The company planned to use the funds to build a network of urine recycling plants in partnership with toilet manufacturers, installers, and collectors.

Greentech TOOPI Organics

Reazent is a Canadian company that has developed a patented technology to organically replace agrochemicals. The company focuses on loading plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) to treat the soil and the plant. The company states that its technology can be applied across a wide range of crops such as soybean, peanuts, wheat, kale, and lettuce.Studies show that only 0.1% PGPR strains have been commercialized to date. Reazent claims that its competitive advantage is that it can work with up to 116 PGPR strains and has identified that soil bacteria have a second metabolite that can be used to up-regulate plant defense and root growth genes in plants. The company further claims that its technology helps in achieving an improvement of 5x in the plant’s immune system, thereby providing protection against pesticides as well.As of June 2022, the company has not commercialized and is actively working on obtaining regulatory approval for the sale of its products in Canada and the US. Based on trials conducted in 2020 across different growing conditions, its product has demonstrated a 400% increase in soybean root nodules, a 30% increase in peanuts above-ground biomass, and up to a 35% increase in peanuts pod dry weight when compared with synthetic and other organic products. In October 2020, the company reported that it had many trials underway, including for tomato, and was expecting results by December 2021. The company noted in November 2021 that it would be extensively trialing its fertilizer product for soybeans in North America, Brazil, and India during the following growing season.Funding and financialsIn May 2020, the company received CAD 350,000 (USD 250,000) in seed funding as part of joining IndieBio’s accelerator program. The funds were to be used to conduct trials for its prototype fertilizer product at the <a href="http://www.verschurencentre.ca/">Verschuren Center for Sustainability in Energy and the Environment </a>at Cape Breton University ass well as to develop its product for large-scale trials. In <a href="https://crushdynamics.com/news/natural-products-canada-supports-over-4m-in-commercialization-activity-for-seven-promising-canadian-food-and-agriculture-companies/">February 2023</a>, the company raised USD 15,600 from Natural Products Canada, a non-profit organization that supports Canadian bio-based innovation and commercialization to fast-track the development of a regulatory plan.

Reazent

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 Based in Spain, Ficosterra is a marine biotechnology company that offers seaweed and algae-based fertilizers and biostimulants, with applications in agriculture, landscaping, and turf. The company offers fertilizer under the brands “Ficosterra-g” (algae-based) and “Ficosgreen” (algae and seaweed-based), made using its “Biological Crop Booster” (BCB) technology. BCB combines microbes and algae extracts to produce soil-regenerating microbes.
 
 
 As of June 2022, Ficosterra operated two manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Spain and sold its products via its own online store, serving the local and overseas markets (launched across the US and Europe in 2019). 
 
 
 To expand the reach of its products in Spain, in October 2018, the company partnered with Sipcam Jardin, a Spanish multinational distributor of fertilizers, nutrients, and biostimulants, for the distribution of “Ficosterra-g,” Ficosterra’s algae-based fertilizer. In January 2021, Ficosterra also partnered with Algas Marinas (AlgaMar), a Mexico-based company producing algae-based products for agriculture and human consumption, to jointly launch “Ficosterra America,” which would serve both the American and European markets. Ficosterra and AlgaMar were to combine their seaweed and algae nutrient-extracting technologies to develop and produce fertilizer.
 
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Focisterra

Contain bacteria such as Rhizobia, Azotobacter, Azospirillum, and blue-green algae that transform nitrogen into organic compounds that can be absorbed by the plant

Contain bacteria and fungi capable of breaking down insoluble phosphates to make them available to crops

Contain rhizobacteria that can act as biofertilizers, bioprotectants

Contain organic matter such as animal dung which enriches the soil with microorganisms

Fertilizers derived from animal materials such as cow manure, crushed animal bones, animal blood, shellfish, and fish meal

Fertilizers made with plant material such as compost produced from plant waste, seaweed, cottonseed meal, and soybean meal

Fertilizers developed from natural elements like greensand, rock phosphate, and nitrogen from air

Provides a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers

Windfall Bio

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