Climate tech startup NetZeroNitrogen just wrapped up a $6.6 million seed funding round. This ground-breaking milestone was spearheaded by World Fund and Azolla Ventures. The company aims to reduce the use of synthetic harmful fertilizers in farming. Its overarching goal is to eliminate up to 50% of these chemical inputs, which have for decades made it possible to feed billions of people worldwide.
Our partner NetZeroNitrogen has pioneered a judiciously creative approach that relies on bacteria to naturally fix nitrogen. This approach is supported by more than 10 years of research by Gary Devine. Devine has focused much of his research on naturally occurring nitrogen-fixing strains, which are the foundation of the company’s technology.
Co-founder and CEO Justin Hughes says that’s not how they operate. What he calls a “precision sniper approach.” He compares this to the old way of applying fertilizer. In practice, he says, traditional approaches tend to take a “shotgun approach,” delivering fertilizer on a wide scale across various fields without any awareness of its efficiency. Hughes stresses that their more focused approach is designed to create greater efficiency and reduce waste.
NetZeroNitrogen aims to bring its first product to market as a precision fertilizer for rice production. This decision is both intentional and beneficial, because rice is usually sown in pregnant soil, letting the roots suck up all the bacteria-harnessing consortia. The firm is looking to use this highly targeted application to improve crop yields, while using less synthetic fertilizer.
Hughes highlights the economic advantages of their biomanufacturing process, noting that “the costs of production of biomanufacturing are far, far lower than the Haber-Bosch process, especially once you start to scale up.” This cost efficiency can result in significant savings from farmers’ operations. In countries in places like Southeast Asia, for example, they might be able to benefit from 30% to 40% discounts.
Recognizing the formidable challenge of ending our reliance on synthetic fertilizers overnight, NetZeroNitrogen is determined to make this dream a reality. Hughes acknowledges that while their solution cannot yet tackle 100% of the problem, he asserts that “of the proportion that we can solve, it’s effectively 100% efficiency.”
Synthetic fertilizers present troubling environmental issues and increase economic pressure. To get there, though, NetZeroNitrogen’s groundbreaking approach may offer a more sustainable path forward for agriculture. Their dedication extends to reducing the cost of traditional fertilizers. Their hope is that they will be able to provide enough solutions that it totally shifts the way we farm.