Minnesota-based Jord BioScience, a science company that provides Customizable Microbial Solutions for Agriculture, won the prestigious Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award 2024 on Monday during the 9th F&A Next summit.
The award, which includes a €25,000 grant prize, recognises the innovative microbial technologies developed by Jord BioScience aimed at enhancing crop productivity.
Keri received the award cheque personally from Feike Sijbesma.
According to the jury, the startup company stood out for its potential significant impact on the agri-food system and its benefits for its customers.
Selected as one of the ‘Next Heroes in Food & Agtech,’ Jord BioScience was among the ten startups chosen by F&A Next to present their solutions to a global audience of top agri-food investors and corporates, automatically entering them into the Feike Sijbesma Sustainable Innovation Award 2024 competition.
The award, named after the former DSM CEO and powered by the DSM Brighter Living Foundation, aims to encourage innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide to scale their science-based solutions, with a specific focus on sustainable, climate-resilient food systems.
Jord BioScience: Harnessing the potential for microbes
Led by Keri Carstens, Jord BioScience‘s technology offers farmers worldwide powerful tools to protect, stimulate, and nourish their crops.
The company develops microbial technologies that enhance the performance of biological products for improved crop productivity.
Although still in the early stages of proof points, the startup has gathered numerous data points that demonstrate clear traction and promise.
Keri Carstens, CEO of Jord BioScience, says, ‘It’s amazing; it is such an honor to win this prize and to be part of this special group of people. Especially the startups that F&A Next crowned as true game changers in the world of food and agriculture. They are all incredible and doing great work. To even be part of this group is a true honour. We will use the award money to purchase a new piece of equipment that my team needs for specific labwork that we are doing, allowing us to further enhance our technology.’
F&A Next: Impact-driven summit
F&A Next is a not-for-profit, impact-driven summit founded in 2016. Its members believe that innovation will be key to sustainably feeding future generations and that partnerships are necessary to create an impact.
The summit was organized by five key players in the global agri-food industry: Wageningen University & Research, Rabobank, StartLife, Anterra Capital, and Foodvalley NL.
Mr. Sijbesma says, “It is important to stimulate disruptors in the food and agriculture sector to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable food system. The ten finalists for the FSSIA all brought their vision on how to tackle this from different parts of the food value chain. I am pleased that the winner, Jord Bioscience, is an excellent example of bringing collaborative disruption to advance microbial products and look forward to supporting them on their journey to impactful changes in the industry.”