Launching a start-up is a roller coaster ride. But that’s okay, says BioLumic CEO Warren Bebb, as long as you’re always going forward.
Having raised $1.1 million in funding at the end of last year, Bebb and the rest of the BioLumic team can strap themselves in for the next year.
BioLumic, which uses technology developed by Chief Science Officer and Massey University researcher Jason Wargent, develops light arrays that can accelerate or slow certain growth characteristics in plants by manipulating quantities and wavelengths of UV light.
“We’ve finished large-scale trials in New Zealand, are currently finishing a trial in Australia, and are about to begin one in California,” says Bebb.
All trials are done in collaboration with large-scale commercial growers and, while BioLumic is concentrating on lettuce, eventually the technology will be applicable to other crops.
The funding, gathered from a combination of existing shareholders and new investors will be used to reach milestones on the path to moving from prototypes to a saleable product. This includes financing everything from trials to personnel – BioLumic, based at The Factory, has been able to hire two additional staff and now employs 4.5 FTE.
The company is also working with a global agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation to further develop and validate IP.
