Pivot Bio, a sustainable agriculture company, has officially partnered with Iowa State University to launch a new 36,000-square-foot Customer Success Center at the latter’s Research Park facility. Focused on developing microbial nitrogen solutions that allow farmers to reduce their reliance on synthetic fertilizers, the stated center comes on the back of an investment worth $14 million, a figure which won’t just be used to create a commercial hub for microbial nitrogen products. Instead, given its convening space design, the center will also create an education and collaboration network for farmers, researchers and industry experts, who can come together here to address the most pressing challenges in crop nutrition and agricultural technology. More on Pivot Bio and ISU’s latest brainchild would include its 15,000 square feet of open high bay that will support work on agronomy equipment, including hands-on training and calibration for seed treatment equipment. This, in particular, is also intended to facilitate scaling of the Pivot Bio’s PROVEN® 40 on-seed product, which is best known for being the first ever product to let corn farmers plant their seeds with up to 25% of their nitrogen fertilizer needs already in place. To give you an idea about the product’s acceptance so far, despite hitting the market only last year, PROVEN® 40 on-seed product accounts for the largest chunk of Pivot Bio’s total sales at the moment.
Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first ever collaboration between Pivot Bio and Iowa State University. You see, the two organizations, along with Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council, came together to conduct an independent research study last year. This study was geared towards understanding how Pivot Bio’s PROVEN® 40 microbial nitrogen can increase biomass in corn plants and contribute to healthier, more productive crops, all while reducing nitrous oxide emissions and synthetic nitrogen losses usually caused due to leaching.
Even if we look beyond the stated product, Pivot Bio’s solutions are firmly among the industry’s most promising climate solutions. This can be easily understood once you consider that the company behind them has already been recognized twice by the Time magazine on its annual list of best inventions, as well as by the Fast Company on its World Changing Ideas and World’s Most Innovative Companies lists. Hold on, there is more, as Pivot Bio has further made it into CNBC’s Disruptor 50 list of private companies, and on to go with that, it also boasts an appearance on the Fortune Impact 20 list of startups driving social good.
“We’re celebrating a milestone for the farmers we serve as we open our new Customer Success Center in the heart of the Corn Belt,” said Chris Abbott, CEO of Pivot Bio. “More than a building, this new center is an embodiment of our collective commitment to reshaping agriculture for the better. Focusing on optimizing the use of crop inputs, particularly through groundbreaking fertilizer innovations, we are steadfast in our mission to elevate training, education and research. In collaboration with our customers, representatives and strategic partners, we are actively constructing a roadmap toward a future where our united endeavors will not only enhance sustainability and productivity but also place the success of farmers at the forefront of every initiative.”
