Critical Need
Compared to their hearty spore-forming counterparts, non-spore-forming microbes have a broader range of scientific applications but are more delicate and therefore harder to deliver. This limits their utility for scientists and corporations—they die before they can be used. Further, there’s an urgent need for replacing nitrogen-based fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides with more environmentally friendly alternatives, but existing microbe-based agriproducts can’t be deployed at scale due to their short-term stability.

Technology Vision
Inspired by biology and the natural world, Ivu Biologics developed a material-based platform technology that can be applied to any seed and can protect most microbes from drying out and dying before use as a seed treatment. Ivu Biologics’ technology provides a solution for the encapsulation, desiccation, preservation, release, and colonization of delicate non-spore-forming microbes. This ensures microbe solutions can work for several weeks, enabling mass distribution. The goal is to apply fertilizer and protectants to seeds that can be distributed at scale globally without supply chain limitations—even in the toughest-to-reach regions of the world.

Potential for Impact
Ivu Biologics’ technology will accelerate the uptake of microbe fertilizers as a substitute for chemical fertilizers globally, which will lead to healthier soils and lower carbon emissions. Expanding distribution of fertilizer will improve crop productivity in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, closing yield gaps and impacting billions of people. Further, Ivu Biologics’ biodegradable, non-microplastic materials will lower environmental impact on food and water systems while also working to ensure a net-zero carbon future.