Open Innovation: Bayer awards incubator opportunity to Genvor

Date:08-30-2024

Bayer announced that the company has selected Genvor Inc., a US-based crop protection business, as the recipient of its first Golden Ticket award. Genvor will receive year-long access to lab space and equipment at Bayer’s LifeHub California @AgStart, one of the premier U.S. AgriFoodTech innovation ecosystems. This will allow Genvor to connect with Bayer mentors and experts in Bayer’s global innovator network.

In addition to their work with biological sprays, Genvor is working with antimicrobial peptide (AMP) technology to make small changes within a genome that could amplify disease resistance and enhance nutrition, from seed to sprout. These seed traits are another way that Genvor is working to provide increased disease resistance and nutrition for crops.

″We’re excited that Genvor has been selected as the winner of our Golden Ticket program, and that we will be working with them to scale and grow their innovations,″ said Phil Taylor, Director of Open Innovation and Outreach for Bayer’s Crop Science Division. ″Genvor’s proprietary use of antimicrobial peptide technology takes advantage of pathways built-in to crops and has the potential to deliver broad spectrum biological sprays for effective controls of many plant diseases.″

Within the new Golden Ticket program of Bayer, Genvor to receive fully funded access to lab space and equipment.

The Golden Ticket program is one of the many ways that Bayer is working with start-ups from around the world to accelerate the delivery of agricultural innovation to farmers. In its first year, it focuses on areas of regenerative agriculture, novel crop protection and efficiency approaches, advanced breeding technologies, and applications of synthetic biology. From a broad field of applicants representing 34 cutting edge technologies and approaches, Genvor was selected to receive the award for their ground-breaking approach to crop protection. Through Bayer’s LifeHub California @AgStart, Genvor will also gain access to excellent equipment, resources, and mentorship as they bring their technologies to market.

″Receiving Bayer’s Golden Ticket is a pivotal moment for us, propelling our pioneering peptide design innovations in crop protection,″ said Chad Pawlak, CEO of Genvor. ″This support will accelerate our journey towards commercialization, enhancing agricultural sustainability and delivering tangible benefits for farmers and the environment globally.″

Bayer’s global network of LifeHubs is located in hotspots of innovation including Monheim, Lyon, Barcelona, California, and Bangalore. In support of the Crop Science mission, they focus on areas of critical innovation in agriculture such as solutions for smallholder farmers, transparency, and sustainability.

Bayer’s LifeHub California @AgStart focuses on innovations within food production systems, including bringing food to market and new technologies. As a part of the larger AgStart facility which hosts the largest wet-lab incubator for startup companies in California’s Central Valley region, the LifeHub also connects the knowledge and experience of Bayer scientists to the leading innovators of the area to assist in developing new technologies.

″We look forward to welcoming Genvor into our community and connecting them into our region’s innovation ecosystem,″ said Sudhee Lakshmana, Director at AgStart. ″Genvor’s selection for Bayer’s Golden Ticket award is a testament to Genvor’s potential to make a significant impact with their innovation.″

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