Ohmic Biosciences GTM brain

Ohmic Biosciences develops engineered crop disease-resistance traits, initially targeting soybean cyst nematode; seed-company buyers are inferred.

category

Crop disease resistance biotechnology

market profile

  • text: The company's launch identifies soybean cyst nematode as its first target; public sources do not establish commercial availability or field efficacy.
  • text: Engineered plant immunity is an emerging crop protection approach that must clear regulatory hurdles.
  • text: BASF is developing a nematode resistance trait for soybean, illustrating an established alternative and the long path to market.

personas

  • title: Seed company head of traits or biotechnology R&D
    pains:
    • Pests evolve around existing resistance, leaving gaps in the trait pipeline.
    • Promising resistance must be demonstrated in commercial germplasm and diverse field conditions.
  • title: Soybean breeding and product development lead
    pains:
    • Soybean cyst nematode causes yield loss that may not be obvious above ground.
    • A new resistance source must protect yield without undermining other seed characteristics.
  • title: Agricultural traits licensing director
    pains:
    • A differentiated trait needs credible field validation, regulatory clearance and a route into commercial seed.
    • Licensing and stacking must fit existing germplasm and distribution partnerships.

icp

  • text: Potential partners include North American soybean seed and trait developers with breeding, field-trial and regulatory capabilities; the buyer relationship is inferred.
  • text: Crop biotechnology groups investing in new genetic disease-resistance mechanisms are a plausible expansion audience, subject to proof in each crop.

message pillars

  • text: Use protein engineering as the design approach.
  • text: Aim for durable disease control.
  • text: Position the platform as extensible across crop diseases, an aspiration rather than proven coverage.

objections

  • objection: Will resistance endure pathogen evolution and work in the field?
    response: Request independent multi-location, multi-season efficacy and durability evidence; public results were not found.
  • objection: How does a trait make it into marketed seed?
    response: Discuss germplasm integration, licensing, regulatory pathway, validation costs and timing with the team.
  • objection: How is this better than existing nematode controls?
    response: Compare against resistant varieties, seed treatments and emerging traits in representative field conditions.

competitors

  • name: BASF Agricultural Solutions
    website: https://agriculture.basf.com/global/en/business-areas/field-crops-seeds-and-traits/innovation-pipeline
    why: Develops the Nemasphere soybean nematode-resistance trait for the same pest problem.
  • name: Nelarix
    website: https://www.tsl.ac.uk/our-work/tsl-ventures/nelarix
    why: Develops engineered plant immunity for crop protection, using a different receptor-based approach.

influencers

  • name: PJ Steiner
    url: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/ohmic-biosciences
    why: Co-founder and protein engineer explaining the approach.
  • name: Matthew Bedewitz
    url: https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/ohmic-biosciences
    why: Co-founder with plant breeding and biochemistry expertise.

keywords

  • soybean cyst nematode resistant traits
  • engineered crop disease resistance
  • plant resistance protein engineering
  • soybean nematode seed traits
  • agricultural biotechnology licensing
  • pathogen effector inhibition

voice

  • Scientific
  • Ambitious
  • Concise

signals

  • text: A seed developer seeks alternatives to declining soybean cyst nematode resistance sources.
  • text: A trait business is expanding licensing or stacking partnerships for pest resistance.

pricing

model: unknown

motion

unknown

channels

  • YC launch
  • LinkedIn

confidence

low

Founders

  • name: PJ Steiner
    title: Founder
    role: Founder
    bio: I'm a protein engineer, synthetic biologist, and computer scientist. I studied computer science at MIT (SB/MEng) and then synthetic biology at Cambridge (PhD) and UCSD (postdoc). After two years as a scientist at Bolt Threads engineering yeast for protein production, I moved to the University of Colorado Boulder to work on a DARPA project using protein engineering to turn plants into chemical biosensors. My co-founder Matt and I founded Ohmic to make plants resistant to disease.
  • name: Matthew Bedewitz
    title: Founder
    role: Founder
    bio: I'm a plant biochemist with experience in protein engineering, genetics and analytical chemistry. I studied Horticulture Science (BS), and then Plant Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology (PhD) at Michigan State where I characterized enzymes in tropane alkaloid production for nerve agent antidotes and stimulants (including cocaine). That work led me to a DARPA protein engineering project where I met my cofounder, PJ, and we decided to use our skills to tackle crop disease resistance.

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