Meet Ameer & Payam, Co-Founders of AgroSpheres
Ameer grew up in Pakistan. Payam lived in Iran until he was 4 years old. Coming into college, they both thought that they would become doctors. That all changed when they discovered the cutting-edge technology of AgroSpheres, and decided to launch their own agriculture startup.
AgroSpheres is an award winning startup (they were the 2017 TFF Challenge Runner-Up and Kirchner Food Fellow Prize recipient at the TFF Summit in Amsterdam) that is on a fast trajectory of growth. However, neither of them expected to be in this position. Payam had dreams of becoming an MD-PhD (Doctor of Medicine and Philosophy). As he learned more about biotechnologies, he realized the amazing potential waiting to be unleashed within agriculture. Similarly, Ameer, who was born and raised in Pakistan, dreamed of becoming a doctor to help address the blatant inequality and lack of opportunities his peers received back home.
Payam and Ameer met in a biotechnology research lab at the University of Virginia, where they began to experiment with and understand the targeted delivery of drugs within the human body. This was the spark and the introduction to a cutting-edge technology that catalyzed AgroSpheres. Now, they have raised over $750,000 in funding, moved into their own lab, have several paid research agreements, and are working with industry leading advisors.
We asked them to tell us more about their story, and how AgroSpheres may change the world of agriculture as we know it. If you are interested in learning more or working with them, email Payam at payam@agrospheres.com.
Our Story
by Ameer Shakeel and Payam Pourtaheri
Ameer:
I was born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan. Because of the efforts made by my parents to ensure that I receive a good education, I was fortunate enough to attend a decent private school. During my time in high school, I started volunteering as an instructor at the local public schools in Lahore, and the state of these schools reemphasized how fortunate I was to be given a wonderful opportunity to succeed in life. Unfortunately, the students at these schools did not have similar opportunities. I taught in the public school as a volunteer through Rabtt, an NGO that aims to improve the education system in Pakistan.
After graduating high school, my parents arranged for me to move to the United States and provided me with an opportunity that most of my friends and social allies from back home would never have. While I retain very strong ties to Pakistan and derive a large part of my identity from the humble state of the country, the U.S. has given me the opportunity to make a new home, with opportunities I never knew existed. For the blessings I have received in this country and from this country, I am eternally grateful. I have an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering, with hopes of helping the world through AgroSpheres, especially those in the developing world who suffer dire health repercussions due to pesticide exposure.
Payam:
I was born in Iran and came to the United States when I was 4 years old. My parents applied for a U.S. Visa before I was born and it took 5 years to get that visa to come to the United States. They restarted their lives in America so that I could study what I wanted at a top university. I chose to study nanomedicine engineering at the University of Virginia, a truly multidisciplinary major. I also obtained minors in chemistry, materials science, and biomedical engineering.
Before AgroSpheres started, I thought I was going to go to medical school and become a doctor. I never thought that I would be working in agriculture. I joined a research lab to bolster my resume for medical school but that end goal completely changed once I realized the true impact we could have by creating AgroSpheres. Biotech, especially synthetic biology, is my passion. Studying biomedical engineering in college got us thinking about the wonderful things we could do with the knowledge we gained.
What’s been happening at AgroSpheres
Since the 2017 TFF Summit in May, a lot has been happening at AgroSpheres. We succesfully raised a $750,000 angel round of funding, which has allowed for us to pay our team of researchers and move into a new 3,000 square foot lab! We also added Per Falholt, former Senior Vice President of Research at Novozymes, and Todd Abraham, former Senior Vice President of Research at Mondelez, to our advisory board. They will help to guide our research and development efforts to ensure that we are creating the most impactful products and services as possible.
AgroSpheres has slightly pivoted to focus on B2B sales, specifically sponsored research agreements. So far, we have secured our first sponsored research agreement with a major chemical company! We will use AgroSpheres technology to help them deliver targeted crop protection directly on the plants. Our patented enzyme encapsulation technique is perfect for this type of application, and will help farmers drastically reduce the amount of chemical spray needed on their crops while protecting them and the environment from potentially harmful side effects.
In essence, this is why we do what we do. Since we have always wanted to be doctors, we have learned a lot about the field of medicine, especially the targeted delivery of drugs within the human body. We apply that same approach to AgroSpheres. How can we deliver protectants and nutrients to plants in a more targeted manner to reduce drift and volatilization of the active ingredients? How can we obtain the same intended effects with less spraying and water usage? We work to give hardworking farmers the tools they need to maximize their food output and profits, while helping them maintain a safe working environment.
We love to chat with people about biotechnology and synthetic biology. If you have any ideas, questions, or connections that might help us to continue to grow, send me an email at payam@agrospheres.com!
