StartupRealities

StartupRealities No 66 RootMemory is a biochemicals company that develops species-specific bio-fertilisers that use genetically-modified bacteria to bind to the roots of the plants and deliver the nutrients contained in the fertiliser. The bacteria thus serve as an intermediary between the fertiliser and the plant. The company's research is centred on the common rhizobia bacteria , which are known to fix fertiliser in the roots of legume plants. RootMemory develops bacteria that are genetically modified to attach themselves to the roots of other key agricultural plants (such as wheat, rice, bananas). However, the genetically-modified bacteria are not required to fix (generate) nitrogen or other nutrients themselves; they only need to pass on the nutrients from the soil to the root of the given plant species, while not interacting with other species (weeds) at the same time. PRODUCT The company sells the (inorganic) fertilisers separately from the species-specific living bacter...

StartupRealities No 19 PeeGardens Limited produces organic biodegradable pellets which absorb urine and lock in unpleasant smells, making the pellets ideal for environmentally-conscious people to use for fertilising their gardens. ENVIRONMENT Human urine contains valuable soil nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) needed by plants to grow. At the same time, urine flushed down the toilet not only wastes water for flushing but also creates the need for treating the sewage to prevent algal blooms which result from nutrient-rich wastewater reaching the ocean. On the other hand, people buy tonnes of fertiliser for their gardens, while flushing down the toilet the same nutrients that fertiliser contains. The company's pellets simply create home-made fertiliser to replace fertiliser bought at the gardening store. CEO QUOTES "PeeGardens finds a golden lining in the urine cloud, if you'll pardon the pun," joked company CEO Piet Gardi. "Urine is pure gol...