On a mission to create a more sustainable and productive food system, Robigo's platform technology enables a new class of programmable microbes that leverage data science and cutting-edge biotechnology to protect crops from disease and recover lost yields while being safe for beneficial microbes, pollinators, humans, and the environment.
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Andee Wallace
As co-founder and CEO of Robigo, Andee Wallace is redesigning crop treatments to create a more sustainable food system. A winner of the Wave Summit’s Emerging Women Founders Award, Wallace has a bachelor's degree in bioengineering from Stanford and a Ph.D. in bioengineering from MIT, where she was a Ford Fellow and Sloan Scholar. Wallace has a proven track record of applying synthetic biology to develop sustainably produced materials for the apparel, energy, and medical industries, and business experience co-running a mission-driven apparel brand.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
Growers today face increasing disease pressure and a changing climate. Despite spending nearly $80B on six billion pounds of pesticides each year, they still experience yield losses of 10-70 percent due to pests and disease. Broad-acting, chemically derived pesticides—currently the industry standard—are losing both efficacy and public support as resistance spreads and their negative environmental impacts become clear. There is a pressing need to radically redesign crop treatments in order to create a more sustainable and efficient food system.
Technology Vision
Despite being underappreciated, microbes play a crucial role in plant health. Through a deeper understanding of the plant microbiome and its underlying genetic code, Robigo has developed a platform technology that uses synthetic biology to give naturally occurring, beneficial microbes an upgrade that allows them to specifically target and kill crop pathogens. Robigo’s pathogen-specific biopesticides present a more effective and environmentally friendly solution than existing treatment options, allowing for healthier soils and more productive crops.
Potential for Impact
Robigo builds on nature’s foundation to engineer solutions that benefit growers, consumers, and the environment. Beginning with more effective and environmentally friendly biopesticides, Robigo’s technology will lead to a new generation of crop treatments that work in harmony with our planet, ultimately enabling more efficient land usage and sustainable food production.
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