A protein interaction model used to design precision biostimulants.
Scaling Precision Agritech: The Metrovate Advantage at NIP.
Metrovate are at the forefront of agritech, looking to maximise crop yields with their planet-friendly precision biostimulants. Metrovate was supported through a pre-seed funding round led by Sprout Agritech and a repayable grant from Callaghan Innovation and the team is now preparing to scale its technology. Metrovate is targeting an international market worth more than $4 billion USD and plans to co-develop with other established companies in the agricultural industry.
“Metrovate is a highly scientific platform that designs and tests novel bioactives peptides for agricultural applications which we term precision biostimulants. The Metrovate team includes expertise in biology, physics, engineering and computational science that are tightly integrated to ensure peptide design is optimised for a given agricultural outcome. What sets us apart from previous approaches is our use of AI and physics based modelling to simulate how our novel peptides perform before we test them physically in our Newmarket based Lab.” – Dr. Nikolai Macnee
Dr. Nikolai Macnee completed his PhD at the University of Auckland as part of the joint graduate school with Plant and Food Research. Following his studies, he became involved in the successful plant biopharma startup Helico Bio, where he was a co-founder and lead scientist, gaining crucial experience in rapid product development and scaling early-stage ventures. Nikolai now leads the Metrovate team, focused on sustainable agricultural products and novel additives to fertiliser.
For startups looking to navigate the infamous “Valley of Death” between R&D and commercial launch, spaces like the Newmarket Innovation Precinct are essential for keeping companies in Aotearoa and rapidly building market readiness. Macnee notes, “The reality of what this place is, is the ability to establish and accelerate my company’s technology here in New Zealand, rather than having to prematurely take it offshore to the USA or Europe.”
https://www.ideatovalue.com/inno/nickskillicorn/2021/05/the-innovation-valley-of-death/
Access to student talent has been another key benefit to Metrovate’s co-location at NIP. Macnee has overseen 14 capstone engineering students as they executed market and product research, administered surveys and created information databases for the company. These projects were a win-win, providing students with practical experience and the company with market research project which interns worked on, gaining strategic insights into their industry.
Dr. Macnee has employed several final-year students from the university, including one who came recommended by a fellow co-locator. “I was able to quickly solve one of my human resource challenges without a major effort, because there is a strong network in the building willing to help.” Dr. Macnee sees industry immersion as an opportunity for students to push the boundaries of their field, “this is a really important layer of education that, if they’re really interested in a certain space, they could be pushed towards me to do an internship. There is a place for that person who otherwise might get bored or might not be challenged to reach their educational ceiling”.
Nikolai, Christine & Capstone Students at the end of a successful market research project.
Access to university laboratories and protocols allowed Dr. Macnee to develop a secure and safe laboratory environment to conduct his research. This access to world-class, purpose-built infrastructure is critical for de-risking early-stage R&D, providing tangible assurance to potential investors. Macnee explains the validation process: “When investors see you’ve validated your science and have access to the necessary infrastructure here at NIP, it demonstrates capability and allows us to focus capital on the next stage of commercial expansion.”
Dr. Macnee and Metrovate show no signs of slowing down. They are focused on execution and achieving significant commercial milestones as they begin their Seed stage capital raise for international scaling. Metrovate is currently hiring for two summer internship positions and as they continue to grow the team and expand their capabilities.
To keep up to date with their developments, follow them on LinkedIn and check the Metrovate website.
The Newmarket Innovation Precinct (NIP) connects industry professionals with our University’s research and technical experts. Our R&D community collaborates especially on high-risk challenges with the potential to create new technologies.
Chris Manning and Kate Lee
Newmarket Innovation Precinct