Pheronym is Speaking at the 7th Biocontrol, Biostimulants and Microbiome Congress

Dr. Kaplan, our CEO, will be presenting Pheronym’s technology at the 7th Biocontrol, Biostimulants and Microbiome Congress , organized by GlobalEngage in Raleigh, North Carolina from October 24-25. 

The event will explore developments in biocontrol, biostimulants and microbiome in increasing crop yield, improving soil health & nutrient uptake, and efficient water use. Experts from industry and academia will also discuss pest management strategies and provide regulatory updates in the field. Pheronym is honored to be among this year’s presenters.

Mark your calendar now and join us in person from October 24-25 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Pheronym will be presenting at the THRIVE Hawaii AgriFood Summit

Our Co-founder, Karl Schiller, will be presenting Pheronym’s technology at the THRIVE Hawaii AgriFood Summit, organized by SVG Ventures in Honolulu, Hawaii, from September 26-27.

This two-day event will feature leading experts on sustainable agriculture and aquaculture practices along with global corporate leaders on industry trends and innovation. The event will consist of keynote speeches, panel conversations, start-up pitches and more.

We are very excited to have the opportunity to present at this event.

Mark your calendars for September 26-27, 2023 and join us at the Hawaii Convention Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Pheronym is presenting at the World Agri-Tech Summit 2023

Our CEO, Dr. Kaplan, is presenting at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit 2023, organized by ReThink Events in London on September 26-27.

The event will bring together over 900 agribusinesses, farming co-operatives, CPGs, policy makers, investors, and start-ups to explore breakthrough innovations. Pheronym is honored to be one of the featured start-ups at this year’s start-up exhibition.

Join us in person from September 26-27 at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London

Hosted a great UC Davis AI Institute fellow during summer

This year Pheronym hosted its second UC Davis AI Institute Fellow. We were delighted to see how third-year undergraduate student Willow Jungling, developed skills to be an independent scientist. Like many undergraduate students, Willow did not have the opportunity for hands-on laboratory training in the past three years due to COVID-19 shutdowns. This summer was Willow’s first laboratory experience.

We were impressed by Willow’s enthusiasm for learning. She improved her skills so fast. For example, within four weeks of the fellowship, she was able to plan and start her own experiments relevant to AI Institute goals with guidance and feedback from all of us.

We were glad that our experiences were mutual. Here is what Willow wrote about her experience. “1- I enjoyed being in a hands-on learning environment. Being able to watch somebody complete an experiment and then replicate it on your own is an amazing learning experience. 2- I enjoyed the independence. After training for a while, I was able to be independent and work on my own for select experiments. I feel that this allowed me to grow my confidence working in a lab setting. 3- I enjoyed learning about in vitro and in vivo fermentation. Being able to work with both types has allowed me to see the pros and cons of each.”

We have loved watching her progress. We look forward to seeing Willow do great things.

Hosted great summer interns from UC Davis

They learned a lot this summer, and we have loved watching their progress. Liam Morris, a second-year UC Davis student, spent the summer with us as our business intern. He helped us prepare newsletters, create blog posts, organize our customer relationship management system, and much more. Liam was also interested in lab work and gained some experience in our lab. He is a true entrepreneur.

He also felt that this was an excellent experience for him. Here is what he had to say about his experience he liked about communication: “1- Preparing a quarterly newsletter using MailChimp, analyzing how well the newsletter performed using analytics, and making suggestions for future newsletters to be more effective. 2- Creating blog posts detailing events and news articles featuring Pheronym for the company website. 3-The opportunity to work in both a business and lab environment.”

We look forward to seeing Liam do great things.

Pheronym Presenting at ACS Fall 2023 Chemical Angel Network

Pheronym’s co-founder Karl Schiller will present our technology at ACS Fall 2023: Chemical Angel Network: Investing in Chemical Businesses, organized by the Chemical Angel Network in San Francisco, California, on August 15, 2023.

The event will showcase updates from the Chemical Angel Network as well as presentations from various companies in the chemical industry. 

Pheronym is honored to be among the few selected presenters at this event.

Join us in person from 2:00 to 5:00pm in Hall B/C at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco on August 15, 2023.

Pheronym lands $1 million National Science Foundation SBIR Phase II grant

This second NSF Grant will fund the final steps to scaling the commercialization of the company’s patented nematode pheromone extract for crop biocontrol 

Woodland, California – July 11, 2023– Pheronym, an ag-biotech pest management company, has been awarded a second non-dilutive National Science Foundation (NSF) SBIR for $1 Million.  The grant will fund the final steps to scaling commercial manufacturing of their sustainable, eco-, and climate-friendly approach to pest control. The target pests include Thrips, a globally important pest that developed resistance to chemical pesticides. Other target pests include orchard pests like thrips, pecan weevil, citrus weevil, peachtree borer, appletree borer, and turfgrass pests such as leatherjackets and white grubs.  To date, Pheronym has been awarded $1M in non-dilutive grants for their breakthrough work in enhancing crop biocontrol with Nematodes.   

Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $275,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1,000,000). Small businesses with Phase II funding are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, undergo a rigorous merit-based review process.

“After years of proving the efficacy of our patented approach, we are ready to take the final step in scaling production to make our solution commercially available,” said Dr. Fatma Kaplan, CEO of Pheronym. “Our natural approach to pest control will be better for people and our planet – it’s time to get it out in the field so it can make a real difference for farmers and consumers alike.” Keep reading.