May 4, 2021

Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards lists Biotalys

Biotalys, an agtech company focused on addressing food protection challenges to enable a more sustainable and safer food supply, announced May 4 its inclusion in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards.

These awards honor the products, concepts, companies, policies, and designs that are pursuing innovation for the good of society and the planet.

“There is no question our society and planet are facing deeply troubling times. So, it’s important to recognize organizations that are using their ingenuity, impact, design, scalability, and passion to solve these problems,”Stephanie Mehta, editor-in-chief of Fast Company, said in a news release. “Our journalists, under the leadership of senior editor Morgan Clendaniel, have discovered some of the most groundbreaking projects that are playing an important role in building a better world.”

Biotalys was selected based on its rolein providing alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides by developing protein-based biocontrol solutions, including its initial accomplishments for its first biofungicide, Evoca*. Evoca aims to provide fruit and vegetable growers with a novel modeofaction to help control key pathogens in selected crops, hereby combining the performance characteristics and consistency of chemicals in integrated pest management (IPM) programs with the clean safety profile of biologicals. Biotalys’ crop and food protection agents target both pre- and post-harvest applications to support the move towards safer, more sustainable food production.

“There is an urgent need for more sustainable food production, and we are honored that Fast Company recognizes the tremendous importance of evolving food protection practices,” said Luc Maertens, chief operations officer of Biotalys. “Powered by its technology platform, Biotalys is creating a broad pipeline of antibody-derived biocontrol solutions to effectively and safely address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain – from soil to plate. This great honor strengthens our team’s resolve to continue to build and develop our pipeline of transformative biocontrol solutions.”

Now in its fifth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcases some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling exigent global challenges, which will be featured in Fast Company’s Summer 2021 issue.

 Based on its novel Agrobody technology platform, Biotalys is developing a pipeline of effective products with a favorable safety profile that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate.

Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has raised €62.8 million (US$74,9 million) to date from Belgian and international specialized investors. The Company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium.

More information can be found here.

* Evoca (formerly named BioFun-1): Pending Registration. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the European Union, the United States or elsewhere and is not being offered for sale.