Tag: Scotland

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MassChallenge selects MycoNourish to join global innovator network

MassChallenge Finalist - MycoNourish

MycoNourish was recently selected to participate in the MassChallenge Switzerland 2021 accelerator program. MycoNourish was selected from over 1,000 other startups to apply for the accelerator based in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Dr Peter Orrell, founder of MycoNourish said: “We are delighted to be selected for the MassChallenge Sustainable Food Systems acceleration program. MassChallenge Switzerland has a great track record in supporting startups from across the globe to grow their business. Our company has had a fantastic start, we’ve made lots of progress, and the program will help accelerate our journey to the next level. Being able to connect and form relationships with corporate industrial partners could prove to be instrumental for us in the future, and we look forward to tapping into the expertise provided by the pool of mentors. The additional benefits of workshops, connections to investors, and the potential of prizes will all aid in driving MycoNourish forwards at an exciting pace.”

Since 2016 MassChallenge Switzerland has been a leader in helping startups across Europe and beyond to grow their businesses. To date, 396 MassChallenge Switzerland alumni have raised more than $318M in funding and created value for both economies and societies around the world.

MycoNourish is an innovative biotechnology company, focusing on their ground-breaking technology which allows them to sustainably improve agricultural crop production with beneficial fungi. These fungi, known as ‘mycorrhizae’ act as a secondary root system for plants, and have the potential to help boost crop yields. Unlike other mycorrhizal products, which provide ‘one size fits all’ solutions, MycoNourish uses groundbreaking science to customise new advanced strains of these fungi to pair with specific crops, and tailor them to solve the most important problem in each one. This allows the MycoNourish team to take a ‘personalised medicine’ approach, tapping into their strong scientific foundation to develop bespoke solutions for each crop.

Sustainable technologies to improve crop production are becoming increasingly important. In high-value crops, such as strawberry, an average of 10% of the fruit produced doesn’t meet the standards required to be sent to retail. This leads to a significant amount of food waste, and in Europe, farmers lose €143B to this problem each year. The technology developed by the team at MycoNourish will not only help to improve profits for growers, but will also help to reduce food wastage and sustainably improve food security.

 

Notes to editors:

About MycoNourish

MycoNourish is an ambitious new biotechnology spin-out company established in 2018 with technology developed at the world-leading James Hutton Institute and its commercial subsidiary, James Hutton Limited. MycoNourish harnesses the power of microbes to enhance crop production and add value for growers, by customising beneficial fungi to suit specific crops and tailoring them to solve the most important production problem in each one. They use advanced scientific techniques and cutting edge technology to reliably and consistently produce stronger, more productive plants. www.MycoNourish.com

Media Enquiries: Contact us here

 

About MassChallenge

MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Rhode Island, Switzerland, and Texas, MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 2,400 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $6.2 billion in funding, generated more than $3 billion in revenue, and created more than 157,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org.

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“The pioneering Scottish farming method that uses fungi for crops” – Scotland Means Business feature in The National

We were really pleased to be interviewed for the Scotland Means Business feature in The National: “MycoNourish uses this pioneering farming method on crops”. Check it out in the link below:

https://www.thenational.scot/news/17904302.myconourish-uses-pioneering-farming-method-crops/

“There are millions of different microbes in the world – some are good and some are bad – and they can have an impact on how crops grow. Many of these are found in soil. We specialise in “mycorrhizal fungi”, which act as a secondary root system for plants. The products out there at the moment are often one size fits all solutions, which have unpredictable effects on crops – they can either help plants or drain them of energy. We have developed a way of customising microbial strains, which allows us to tailor them for specific crops and target a range of plant growth traits. It gives consistent results and is reliable.

…

Most existing products are a blend of several mycorrhizal fungi, which means their effect on crops are less predictable and vary in performance from one year to the next. It’s a one size fits all solution. Our products are advanced high-performance strains,

which have been tailored to suit specific crops. We’re taking what already happens in nature and refining the process for the highest benefit.“

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Feature – Life Sciences in Scotland’s July Rising Star – Working at the cutting edge of AgriTech science

“MycoNourish are at the cutting edge of the emerging agritech sector that customises microbes to maximise their performance.”

We are honoured to be featured as July’s Rising Star by Life Sciences in Scotland! Take a look a the feature in the link below:

https://www.lifesciencesscotland.com/rising-stars/julys-rising-star-peter-orrell

“Dr Peter Orrell and the MycoNourish team have created a new, ground-breaking way of customising strains of beneficial fungi to improve plant health and crop production. Their innovative approach enables the fungi to be tailored to suit specific crops and solve specific problems, creating customised high-performance (CHP) strains that are designed to match specific crops. This presents an exciting opportunity for crop production, because whilst mycorrhizal fungi have great potential in improving crop yield, their current broad non-specific use leads to unpredictable and sometimes negative effects on crop production. In commercial agriculture, it is vital for growers to maximise yields, because a significant portion of produce does not meet the highest quality standards, resulting in substantial losses in revenue. In an industry that faces challenges such as rising costs, increasing regulations, water use restrictions and unpredictable weather conditions, the use of agents that can optimise yield from crops is critical. MycoNourish are at the cutting edge of the emerging agritech sector that customises microbes to maximise their performance. Peter Orrell’s team are producing novel, high-performing strains of mycorrhizal fungi that are tailored to specific crops, eliminating the problem of unpredictable and negative outcomes. Their combination of innovations enables MycoNourish to fulfil the market need by providing a product that has reliable and consistent performance in each crop, allowing these beneficial fungi to be refined to suit a wide range of crops in large scale agriculture. The solutions that they provide allows growers to increase produce quality, improve revenues and prevent food wastage.”

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MycoNourish win the top award at Scottish EDGE

“The Higgs EDGE Special Award was won Dr Peter Orrell, who set up MycoNourish as a means of harnessing the power of beneficial microbes to enhance crop production and add value for growers via customised fungi to suit the problem areas of specific crops.”

We are delighted to have won the Higgs Edge Award at Scottish EDGE tonight. We are honoured to be among such a supportive entrepreneurial community here in Scotland, which is by far one of the best ecosystems in the world to start a new company. This quote from Sir Tom Hunter, renowned Scottish entrepreneur and supporter of Scottish EDGE, really sums it the benefits and support that programs like Scottish EDGE provide:

“It’s fantastic to support Scottish EDGE; the businesses that come through EDGE grow faster with less risk because EDGE is not just about money, but the embedded support on offer.

“EDGE businesses are the lifeblood of the Scottish economy and we are delighted to support you as you grow and prosper – Scotland needs many more like you!”

A huge congratulations goes out to all of the winners, and you can read about all the winners in the link below:

https://www.lifesciencesscotland.com/news/scottish-edge-round-14-awards-1-million-ground-breaking-scottish-start-businesses

 

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MycoNourish win award at Converge Challenge

We are really pleased to have taken the second place prize at Converge Challenge today. The support provided over the summer was fantastic, and securing a prize has helped to accelerate the business.

Thanks go out the excellent team at Converge Challenge, the fantastic training provided by EBS, as well as all of those who have helped us to get to where we are today.

https://portal.convergechallenge.com/alumni/2018-winners/myconourish/

A big thanks also goes out to Maryanne Johnston, who’s support helped us to win the Converge ‘Ready Steady Pitch’ event earlier in the year.

“I am so excited and proud to have been chosen as the winner from the 30 Converge Challenge pitches. The training and support we received in the three days leading up to Ready Steady Pitch was immense. The confidence and abilities of everyone who participated has grown enormously and I am looking forward to applying these skills not just throughout the rest of the competition but beyond.” – Peter Orrell, following the elevator pitch competition.

https://brightredtriangle.co.uk/converge-challenge-top-30-showcase-to-business-leaders/