Being a scientist, I often have to convince people that I am the right CEO for Pheronym, an ag-biotech startup.
Frequently I hear, “You would make a great CSO.” I know I would be a great CSO, but I am the only one who can be Pheronym’s CEO.
Let’s start with “What does a startup CEO do?” Everyone knows that the CEO is the person in charge, but what does that mean for a small startup? Startup CEO’s can play very different roles depending on the type, stage, and founding team. For example, digital healthcare, digital agriculture, biotechnology, consumer-facing and B2B startups all have different needs. Furthermore, a startup is expected to create something visionary that will transform the industry or create some new and novel technology. So the startup needs a CEO with a vision.
It’s always been my belief I had the vision required. In 2005, when I accepted the position to identify the model nematode’s (Caenorhabditis elegans) sex pheromone, I knew how these discoveries could revolutionize agricultural pest control for nematodes. Keep reading
What does a startup COO do? If you search Google for a COO’s role and job description, it says the COO is the second in command and runs the operations. Even though this is a very clear role for big companies, it is not so clear in a startup. Keep reading
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Second Peer-Reviewed Study to Show Significant Efficacy in Company’s Patented Bio-remediation Technology
DAVIS, CA, UNITED STATES, Nov 12, 2019 — Pheronym, an ag-biotech pest control company, announced today the results of a second peer-reviewed study demonstrating the efficacy of their patented Nemastim™ pheromone extract for bio-remediation of agricultural pests. In a joint study with the USDA and the University of Idaho, nematodes treated with pheromone extracts increased their effectiveness in invading host insects in soil by 300 percent. Additionally, the nematodes improved their rate of attack within four hours of treatment.
The research, led by Dr. David Shapiro-Ilan with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory, focused on the citrus root weevil, which attacks 270 different plant species including citrus, sugarcane, vegetables, potatoes, strawberries, woody field-grown ornamentals, sweet potatoes, papaya, guava, mahogany and containerized ornamentals. Previous research from the USDA and the University of Idaho focused on the pecan weevil, showing improvements of up to 78 percent in the effectiveness of nematodes attacking their prey. The nematodes treated with pheromone extracts were found to disperse more than non-treated nematodes. In this current study, the investigators discovered that the same pheromones that increased beneficial nematode dispersal also increased infection (invasion into the host insect pest). Keep Reading
“I became a scientist and researcher because it was my passion — why would I ever need marketing?”
I would soon realize that the best ideas don’t always win, but the best marketing does. The realization hit me hard when attending a marketing panel shortly after I started the IndieBio accelerator in San Francisco. Before 2017, my technology development training at the University of Florida (UF) prepared me to use the scientific tools to develop a technology from the laboratory to the field. However, business development, commercialization, and marketing were totally new and scary territory for me. So, I decided to deal with the new business territory, one piece at a time, starting with marketing.
That’s when I met Neil Cohen, the moderator of the aforementioned panel. As I listened and tried to learn, I realized I had no idea how to use the marketing tools espoused by the panel to turn Pheronym, Inc. into a viable business. Luckily, Neil had free office hours which I immediately signed up for it at IndieBio. He gave us specific advice on how to use effectively social media to our advantage. We also learned that Neil was a fellow Gator, and graduate of our Journalism school in PR. Wow! Keep reading
Interview with Dr. Fatma Kaplan and Cameron Schiller, founders of Pheronym, which is an agricultural biotech company that provides safe, non-toxic, and innovative solutions to solve numerous agricultural problems. They also recently received funding for the development of space nematodes under the project AstroNematode. AstroNematode is interstellar agriculture for Earth and a small step for a nematode but a giant step for agriculture in space. The first agriculture biocontrol experiment will launch on December 4, 2019, and provide data to pave the way for sustainable agriculture on and outside of Earth.
How the project got started and where they found funding.
The best qualities of the project and what it can provide data scientists.
Their contingencies when the project doesn’t work as planned.
The kind of animals NASA plans to take to Mars.
Why they think nematodes can survive and reproduce in space.
The upcoming launch and how the nematodes will be packaged.
Making sure the experiments are running smoothly while they remain on Earth.
How they manage to run a startup and the nematode project at the same time.
Pheronym is honored to be among the 16 companies selected to present at the Florida Aerospace Capital Forum on November 6, 2019, in Lake Nona, Orlando.
To support long term space exploration, we need to develop agricultural technologies. Pheronym is doing just that and the only Food and Agribusiness company and also among the 4 companies selected from outside Florida to present at the Florida Aerospace Forum.
Karl Cameron Schiller, co-founder of Pheronym, will present our technology using nematode pheromones to control agricultural pests for sustainable eco-friendly solutions in Lake Nona. For space explorations, non-toxic pest control solutions become even more important due to limited air in space. Pheronym is sending good nematodes, microscopic roundworms, to International Space Station on December 4, on SpaceX CRS19. This is also the first agriculture biocontrol experiment in Space. To learn more about Pheronym’s mission on Earth and beyond, stop by and talk to him.
Dr. Fatma Kaplan is honored to be invited to AgStart’s Founder Education workshops. Dr. Fatma Kaplan, CEO of Pheronym, will describe her company’s journey through a series of legal and financial milestones as her company has progressed, including corporate organization and re-organization, intellectual property filings, working with an accelerator, two different financing transactions, and a host of partnering agreements with government, corporate and other players for services, testing, and collaboration while protecting her company’s interests.
Entrepreneurs anticipating similar milestones in their future come and talk to us at Greenberg Traurig, LLP (1201 K Street, 12th Floor Conference Center, Sacramento, CA 95814) on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, at 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM PST.
It’s not every day a pioneer in a biopesticide market, Dr. Pam Marrone, agrees to be your business mentor. Biopesticides provide eco-friendly and sustainable alternatives to farmers for pest management. Biopesticides have two major groups: 1- Agbiologicals/biocontrol agents such as bacteria, nematodes, and fungus, and 2- Agbiochemicals including soap, extracts from other microorganisms or plants, and pheromones.
Recently, Dr. Frances Arnold, a Nobel Prize-winning woman, started an insect pheromone company because she also saw the value biopesticides bring to agriculture, our environment, and health.
Very recently, I, Dr. Fatma Kaplan, started a nematode pheromone company, Pheronym, Inc. which is bringing a new kind of pheromone to the market as an eco-friendly sustainable solution. It was an idea two years ago. Now, in 2019, through development and testing, it is a proven technology.
We are very excited Dr. Pam Marrone saw the potential of our technology and agreed to be our mentor. Pam has a deep knowledge of how biologicals work in the field. She knows how to successfully develop biopesticide products and enter the market. At the same time, she has experience building multiple companies from scratch to growth with successful exist; AgraQuest was acquired by Bayer Crop Sciences for nearly $500 million and Marrone Bio Innovations was listed on NASDAQ in 2013, the only pure play listed biopesticide company. Furthermore, very few CEOs have the experience to successfully navigate their companies through economic downturns and even fewer have run a startup. Pam has the right skills to help Pheronym grow to a substantial company. To top it off, Pam envisions a flourishing agricultural technology ecosystem in the Sacramento-Davis area. She is also a role model for women in leadership, is a longtime Treasurer of the Association for Women in Science, and a supportive mentor and sponsor. We are delighted that Dr. Pam Marrone is Pheronym’s business mentor.
Pheronym is an agricultural biotechnology company that uses pheromones for eco-friendly pest management solutions. The company’s technology improves plant health and crop yield using a new pheromone that controls pest insects and parasitic roundworms called nematodes. Pheronym improves the effectiveness of good (beneficial) nematodes to control insect pests in the soil and prevents bad nematodes from attacking our crops by protecting their roots.
Pheronym is unique in a number of ways. 1- The pheromones we are using are from microscopic roundworms, called nematodes. Unlike other pheromone companies, they are not derived from insects for mating disruption. 2- They are water-soluble and target pests in the soil. 3- We have different application methods — the first to be soil-applied — compared to other pheromones in the market that target above-ground pests.
Insect pheromones have not reached their full potential, although they have worked well. They are eco-friendly and species-specific, meaning do not harm non-target insects. Now Dr. Frances Arnold, a Nobel laureate, is taking the leadership to make the insect pheromones reach their full potential with the startup Provivi. These are exciting times for pheromones in the biopesticide industry.
As for Pheronym, we are raising funds to scale up and commercialize the nematode pheromones for pest insect and nematode control. We will bring nematode pheromones to their full potential on earth and in space when humans colonize the Moon and Mars. Pheronym will be sending the first agriculture biocontrol experiment to the International Space Station on Dec 4, 2019. In the meantime, we are utilizing the knowledge we gain from space experiments for our product development on Earth.
It is on Oct 22, at United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, 303 3rd Street, Davis, CA 95616. Come to the meetup and ask our Co-founder and COO, Karl Schiller, about soil health and nematodes.
Karl Cameron Schiller, the co-founder of Pheronym, is presenting our technology at the Partnerships in Biocontrol, Biostimulants & Microbiome Congress: USA, Nov 4-5, 2019, Raleigh, NC.
