Co-founder in residence, Crop Biotechnology Commercialization Specialist
Deep Science Ventures, Costa Rica
Job Description
ABOUT THE ROLE
At DSV we’re looking for future Founders, entrepreneurially minded individuals with industry-specific technical and commercial domain expertise eager to solve urgent unmet challenges through venture building.
You will join DSV’s venture creation programme as a Founder in Residence and work closely with the DSV team, using our methodology, to spin-out a new company. During the programme, you’ll work on all aspects related to venture creation in this opportunity area, including working out the optimal approach to solve for the desired outcome, building a team and building a viable business case. Once the new venture is incorporated with pre-seed investment from DSV, you and your co-founders will own the majority stake in the business and continue receiving support from the DSV team post-spinout.
PROBLEM OVERVIEW
The global population will surge to over 9 billion by 2050, and we will need a 70% increase in food production to adequately feed this future global population [1][2]. Crops are essential to meet this need; 55% of the world's crop calories are consumed directly by humans, and another 36% is used for animal feed [3]. Crop breeding has been a primary driver of food security due to the selection of superior cultivars that meet caloric, nutritional, and productivity metrics. However, the acceleration of climate change threatens cultivar selection efficiency since new biotic and abiotic stresses emerge without warning; thus, there is a critical need to accelerate how we breed for future crops.
Plant breeding and biotechnology technologies have helped alleviate yield losses due to climate change, such as drought and pest resistance. However, even in the era of advanced breeding and precise genetic engineering, these technologies have yet to achieve the full potential of crops because fundamental challenges remain unaddressed. To this end, this opportunity area (OA) seeks toreduce progeny time production by 10X through novel florogenesis technologies.
We seek entrepreneurial scientistseager to create the next generation of crops and technologies to enable food security, fight climate change, and increase profits to producers. The successful candidate will have access to DSV's research and expertise to identify what novel approaches help us achieve the high-level outcome ofhalving the time necessary to identify commercially viable crop varieties.
References
[1] https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1116437108
[2] https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2020-02/apo-nid274256.pdf
[3] https://www.vox.com/2014/8/21/6053187/cropland-map-food-fuel-animal-feed
OUR APPROACH:
Speed breeding techniques reduce the time it takes to flower and have been highlighted as one significant way to quicken the development of new crop varieties.This technology involves manipulating environmental conditions to expedite the growth and development of crops. However, there is an apparent neglect of chemically targeting the "florigen" factors that could expedite flower formation and eventual formation of the gametes necessary to produce seed faster, thus accelerating progeny evaluation.
Requirements
Position Requirements:
As the Co-founder in residence - Crop Biotechnology Commercialization Specialist, you will spearhead the business strategy and market introduction of pioneering florigenesis technologies, transforming them into scalable solutions that address pressing issues in crop breeding and agriculture. Key requisites include:
- A graduate degree in Business Administration, Economics, Agribusiness, or a related field, complemented by significant exposure to Life Sciences, Plant Sciences, or Agricultural Technology.
- Proven record of building and executing go-to-market strategies for agri-biotech products, particularly those involving novel plant breeding technologies and non-genetically modified organism (non-GMO) methods.
- A track record of successful commercialization within the agricultural sector, including understanding of market adoption dynamics for innovative breeding or crop development techniques.
- In-depth knowledge of the intricate agricultural value chain and the associated economic, environmental, and social factors crucial to the success of new technologies in this sector.
- Experience in anticipating and maneuvering through regulatory landscapes and intellectual property considerations relevant to plant-related technologies and innovations.
- Proven capability in strategic business development, including raising capital, forming key partnerships, and engaging with stakeholder groups from farmers to agribusiness executives and policymakers.
- Entrepreneurial acumen and previous involvement in venture-scale busi