Ag-Tech in New York

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Venture capitalist Frank Meehan moved to New York City last year because he says it’s the best place to launch a climate startup. 

Last night, he assembled a bevy of fellow Australians and others interested in the ag-tech industry who are focused on sustainability.

Founders from four companies — FutureFeed, CleanEyre Global, Arruga and Nutrivert — were in town to connect with investors and media. All are part of the revolution transforming how we grow food and address climate issues. 

I love that in New York you can attend a meeting on a random Monday night in a random building in midtown and learn how Australians are farming red seaweed and feeding it to cows to dramatically reduce methane emissions. 

Frank invited Matthew Bishop, a former Senior Editor for the Economist, and me to share tips on how to navigate the New York media and investor landscape since the companies are likely to seek funding in the future. 

I encouraged the founders to not overly rely on PR firms, but to cultivate their own relationships with reporters who cover climate and technology. Also to tell their own story on social media. 

Cassandra Kelly served as my unofficial translator, helping me understand Aussie phrases such as “Let that one go through to the keeper” and “Who is who in the zoo.” Cassandra is the founder of Pottinger, a consulting firm, a Chairperson of FutureFeed and a world-renowned removalist.

FutureFeed owns the IP for the seaweed that can be mixed into livestock feed. CEO Alex Baker explained that it’s been known for decades that cows create methane gas. Efforts to develop and commercialize the technology to address that problem have taken off along with climate concerns.

It took a Canadian farmer named Joe Dorgan from Prince Edward Island to make the connection that seaweed improved milk production in cows. Samples he sent to a laboratory made researchers aware that it also caused cows to belch less. 

That was significant because methane accounts for 30% of global warming and livestock produces about one third of all methane emissions. 

CleanEyre is one of the leading producers of the seaweed, called Asparagopsis. Ananda Santos, COO, explained that one cow can produce methane equivalent to one car. The company is looking at ways to grow and harvest seaweed offshore and in a lab. Fun fact: there is both male and female seaweed!

Arruga makes robots that monitor individual plants in greenhouses. CEO Iddo Geltner explained how the robots can dramatically improve yields. They do insane things like replicate bumblebee buzz pollination in tomatoes. 

Nutrivert is addressing the widespread use of antibiotics in livestock production by developing a non-antibiotic replacement. Co-founder Peter Selover explained farmers have been using low levels of antibiotics for decades to accelerate growth. The antibiotics can have serious health risks for humans. 

The event was sponsored by SparkLabs Cultiv8 and Cultiv8 Funds Management. Frank is a co-founder at SparkLabs Global Venture and a partner at SparkLabs, an accelerator based in Seoul. 

BRIEF OBSERVATIONS

SOLOPRENEUR: A reminder from Greg Isenberg that much can be done alone.

IMMIGRATION: The side of the immigration debate we hear less about.

THE WIND AND THE TREES: You can stand and look at these trees on a cloudless day with no wind and still see the wind. You just have to pay attention.

RON HOWARD’S CAR: I love this story. I love this car.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: The house on the right put up a nice new shiny copper roof. The sun struck the roof just so and reflected onto the house on the left, melting the siding. No one is happy about it.