NetZeroNitrogen has developed a suite of naturally occurring, non‑genetically modified bacterial strains applied directly to seed to let crops obtain nitrogen from the atmosphere rather than synthetic fertilizers. The company says its approach could eliminate up to half of synthetic fertilizer use for crops it can address, and that the bacteria die when the plant dies. NetZeroNitrogen plans to roll out its first product for rice, since rice seeds are soaked before planting which simplifies seed treatment application. The company leverages large fermenters for production and claims biomanufacturing costs are far lower than the Haber‑Bosch process once scaled. Management aims to price the product at least $50 per hectare cheaper than synthetic fertilizer, which could be a 30–40% discount in regions like Southeast Asia. The bacterial strains are the result of more than a decade of research by Gary Devine, and CEO Justin Hughes emphasizes an easier regulatory pathway and access to organic markets because the strains are not genetically modified. NetZeroNitrogen (NZN) produces a freeze-dried powder containing bacteria that is mixed with water and applied to seeds; the bacteria colonize plants and enable them to fix nitrogen from the air. The company says this precision application increases efficacy to effectively 100%, eliminates transmission loss and avoids nitrate or nitrous-oxide pollution. NZN plans to target rice first because the bacteria perform well in wet conditions and rice seeds are typically pre-soaked, allowing easy addition of the product without changing farmer behavior. The company emphasizes price competitiveness, estimating its product requires around 1/150th the volume compared with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, and positions yield improvements as the primary farmer-facing benefit. Regulatory pathways may be lighter in some jurisdictions because the active ingredient is a naturally occurring bacterium. NZN received a non-dilutive Transforming Technologies grant from Innovate UK and says the new funding will finance its first stage of field trials in 2024.

Total raised

$8M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Jul 2025