May 19, 2025
Syntopa Secures NSF SBIR Phase I Grant to Advance Microbial Carbon Removal for Agriculture
NSF funds Syntopa to develop microbe-mineral tech that enhances soil health, boosts yields, and
reduces inputs—driving next-gen sustainable agriculture.
ALAMEDA, CA, UNITED STATES, May 19, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Syntopa, Inc., a biotechnology
startup developing breakthrough solutions for climate mitigation and sustainable agriculture,
announced today that it has been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant funds development of a new
microbial optimization platform designed to accelerate carbon dioxide removal (CDR) through
enhanced rock weathering (ERW)—a nature-based solution that boosts soil fertility and farm
productivity.
This NSF funding supports Syntopa’s work to improve the ability of beneficial soil microbes to
break down silicate rock dust. This process releases nutrients and draws down atmospheric
carbon, storing it in the soil as stable minerals. Syntopa's approach has the potential to double
the rate of natural mineral weathering and create a commercially viable agricultural input that
strengthens U.S. food systems and builds climate resilience.
“We’re honored to receive NSF support for technology that makes carbon removal more scalable,
sustainable, and economically viable,” said Hans E. E. Holtan, CEO and co-founder of Syntopa.
“This work brings us closer to deploying regenerative tools that help farmers and the planet.”
Bridging Climate Science and Agriculture
This SBIR Phase I effort focuses on creating a biological soil amendment that combines optimized microbes with mineral rock dust to improve both environmental and economic outcomes for farmers. Syntopa’s approach builds on the natural capacity of certain soil bacteria to break down silicate rock—a process that removes atmospheric CO₂ and improves soil quality by reducing acidity and increasing nutrient availability.
The work begins with characterizing a diverse library of soil microbial isolates to evaluate their natural rock weathering activity and genetic tractability. A promising strain will be selected as a host for a series of targeted optimizations designed to enhance biological functions that drive mineral dissolution.
All optimized microbes will be tested for their ability to accelerate silicate weathering, with the project’s goal being a twofold increase in weathering performance over the natural baseline in a single growing season.
The result will be a novel microbial product that enhances the function of rock dust as a soil amendment—capturing CO₂, enriching soil, and reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers.
Delivering Economic and Environmental Value The broader impact of this work lies in its ability to deliver clear, measurable benefits to farmers. The engineered microbial product is designed to:
● Improve soil fertility and reduce soil acidity
● Enhance crop resilience and yields
● Decrease chemical input requirements
● Generate new on-farm revenue through carbon removal credits
These co-benefits make the technology both attractive and financially accessible to farmers, offering a pathway for large-scale adoption across U.S. agriculture. Additionally, the use of mineral rock dust—sourced from domestic mining operations—has the potential to create new jobs in distribution and logistics across American farmlands.
“The need for carbon drawdown and regeneration of land is increasingly urgent. Syntopa's technology is a step-change for enhanced rock weathering (ERW) projects and can turbo-charge project economics while providing nature-positive outcomes for landowners and operators. Transforming project payback timelines in this way is particularly relevant in attracting more capital to scale ERW projects.” said Chloë Payne, Investor, Ponderosa Ventures.
About Syntopa
Syntopa, Inc. is an innovative biotechnology startup based in Alameda, California, focused on advancing sustainable and economically viable agriculture through cutting-edge microbial and biological technologies. The company develops products that enhance natural rock weathering, improve soil health, and promote stable carbon fixation—providing farmers with practical, costeffective tools to reduce dependence on synthetic fertilizers, improve yields, and lower input costs.
By integrating synthetic biology with plant, microbial, and soil sciences, Syntopa delivers regenerative solutions that build long-term soil vitality and support resilient, low-input farming systems. These innovations not only contribute to environmental goals like carbon sequestration but also deliver clear financial and agronomic benefits to growers.
With a strong commitment to farmer success, economic resilience, and ecological stewardship, Syntopa is helping shape a future where agriculture is both more profitable and more sustainable.
For more information, visit:
www.syntopa.com
Graham Anderson
Syntopa Inc.
+1 970-556-3698
graham.anderson@syntopa.com
This press release can be viewed online at:
https://www.einpresswire.com/article/813497568
May 12, 2025
Syntopa enters collaboration with Mendel Biotechnology
Syntopa enters collaboration with Mendel Biotechnology ALAMEDA, CA, UNITED STATES, May 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Syntopa Inc (Syntopa) has announced that it has entered a license agreement with SF Bay Area-based crop trait technology provider, Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. (Mendel). Under the terms of the relationship, Syntopa will be granted access to Mendel intellectual property, including a proprietary collection of plant germplasm, to enable the discovery and development of new technology to enhance carbon and nitrogen capture. Syntopa will receive exclusive rights to commercialize products that result from the project. Oliver J. Ratcliffe, CEO of Mendel, said, “We are delighted to collaborate with Syntopa. Their company has a very experienced scientific leadership team, and they are making truly remarkable progress towards the development of biologically-based products that provide significant benefits in carbon capture. As well as mitigation of climate change, the approach also has the potential to benefit soil health and reduce the dependence of farmers on synthetic nutritional products.” Hans E. E. Holtan, CEO of Syntopa, commented, “We are thrilled to be collaborating with Mendel, a recognized leader in plant biotechnology with an impressive collection of plant materials and a robust intellectual property portfolio focused on plant gene regulation. Gaining access to Mendel’s unique and diverse bioenergy crop germplasm, as well as IP related to crop responses and interactions with environmental microbes, represents a significant opportunity for Syntopa. These assets will enable us to accelerate the discovery and development of innovative technologies aligned with our core missions: advancing atmospheric carbon removal and reducing fertilizer dependency—while simultaneously enhancing crop yields. We are excited to launch this partnership and look forward to integrating these advances into our development pipeline.” About Syntopa: Syntopa, Inc. is a pioneering biotechnology startup based in Alameda, California, dedicated to developing breakthrough solutions for climate mitigation and sustainable agriculture. The company develops microbial and biological products that enhance natural rock weathering, accelerate stable carbon fixation, and improve soil health—reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.By combining synthetic biology with plant and microbial sciences, Syntopa is advancing regenerative technologies that sequester atmospheric carbon and support resilient, low-input farming systems. With a focus on both environmental impact and agricultural productivity, Syntopa is helping chart a path toward a more sustainable future. For more information, please visit: https://www.syntopa.com Contact: Hans.Holtan@syntopa.com About Mendel: Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. is a San Francisco Bay based crop biotechnology firm, which was founded by a group of leading plant scientists in 1997. The company has completed numerous past collaborations, including with BP and Bayer Crop Science, and has built a large portfolio of intellectual property around genetic trait technology with applications in crops. Mendel is actively licensing its IP for applications in a wide range of plant species, on a global basis. For more information, please visit: https://www.mbi-holdings.com Contact: management@mbi-holdings.com Oliver J Ratcliffe Mendel Biotechnology, Inc. management@mbi-holdings.com This press release can be viewed online at: https://www.einpresswire.com/article/810400785 EIN Presswire's priority is source transparency. We do not allow opaque clients, and our editors try to be careful about weeding out false and misleading content. As a user, if you see something we have missed, please do bring it to our attention. Your help is welcome. EIN Presswire, Everyone's Internet News Presswire™, tries to define some of the boundaries that are reasonable in today's world. Please see our Editorial Guidelines for more information. © 1995-2025 Newsmatics Inc. All Right Reserved.
Sep 12, 2024
Syntopa Inc. Secures $1M to Turbocharge
Carbon Removal in Agriculture
Syntopa Inc., an innovative biotech startup from Alameda, California, is bringing a new approach to reversing climate change. With a fresh $1,000,000 boost from Carbon Drawdown Initiative, Syntopa is ramping up its cutting-edge product development pipeline to tackle one of the planet’s greatest challenges: carbon removal. Founded in 2023 by experts in synthetic biology and agriculture, the company focuses on harnessing microbial power to accelerate Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW)—a natural process that traps carbon dioxide in rocks, ultimately making agriculture more sustainable while improving soil health. Syntopa’s proprietary platform enables the discovery and development of biological products that thrive in defined agricultural regions. The platform takes into account microbial ecology, metabolism, and geochemistry to capture key parameters that vary geographically, allowing Syntopa to gain a performance advantage by matching strains to target conditions. The investment will help Syntopa expand its high-throughput screening technologies, accelerating its mission of scaling carbon removal. As CEO Hans Holtan put it, “We’re thrilled to be moving faster with products that will make a global impact by reducing atmospheric carbon and creating more value for ERW companies and farmers.” Industry leaders are taking notice and recognizing the value in Syntopa’s approach. Elliot Chang of Lithos stated, “I believe [Syntopa’s] bio-accelerated approach has the potential to meaningfully impact the Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) landscape as exists today and drive widespread adoption.” By leading the charge in microbial carbon capture, Syntopa is positioning itself at the forefront of the fight against climate change, proving that biotechnology can offer sustainable and scalable solutions for the future For more information, visit syntopa.com Contact: Graham Anderson (info@syntopa.com)