Gonzalo Fuenzalida-Meriz is the CEO and co-founder of Andes, a startup that employs microorganisms to tackle CO2 removal. Specifically, they introduce microorganisms into soil alongside agricultural seeds. As these microorganisms grow with plant roots, they expedite the transformation of CO2 into minerals, which contributes to soil inorganic carbon.
The MCJ pod has featured startups exploring methods to amend soil for carbon removal, including biochar and enhanced rock weathering. It’s intriguing to hear how Andes utilizes microorganisms to achieve a similar result.
Gonzalo and Cody delve into the company's origins, revealing their initial focus on enhancing crop resiliency, and their transition to carbon removal. Beyond the concept of microbial carbon mineralization, Andes also harnesses a different microorganism, one they genetically modify, to increase corn's ability to affix nitrogen into the soil and thus reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers. There's a lot to unpack in this one.
In this episode, we cover:
- [02:08]: An overview of Andes and its origins
- [05:45]: Current challenges in crop resiliency
- [07:52]: Natural history of microbes and their relation to plants and humans
- [12:37]: Andes' two programs: microbes for nitrogen and CO2 capture
- [15:22]: In-depth look at Andes' nitrogen program
- [20:41]: Andes' second program and overview of organic carbon
- [24:57]: Soil inorganic carbon and the role of lime in farming and carbon capture
- [29:25]: How Andes' solutions are applied on farms and economics of business model
- [34:54]: Andes' Microbial Carbon Mineralization (MCM) methodology and potential for carbon credits
- [39:49]: How Gonzalo thinks about scaling and fundraising
- [43:48]: His advice for entrepreneurs looking for opportunities in this space
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Episode recorded on Aug 29, 2023 (Published on Sep 7, 2023)
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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant
