Advisory Panel: Re-wilding Monoculture Systems

About DSV

Deep Science Ventures (DSV) is on a mission to create a future in which both humans and the planet can thrive. We use our unique venture creation process to create, spin-out, and invest in science companies, combining available scientific knowledge and founder-type scientists into high-impact ventures. Operating in four sectors—Pharmaceuticals, Climate, Agriculture, and Computation—we tackle the challenges defining these areas by taking a first principles approach and partnering with leading institutions.

Join Our Advisory Panel: Re-wilding monoculture systems

DSV is seeking visionary and experienced professionals to join our Advisory Panel for a new Opportunity Area (OA): Re-wilding monoculture systems. This is an opportunity to engage closely with our venture creation process and gain early access to groundbreaking innovations in agriculture. As an advisor, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the ventures built within this OA, providing strategic insights and potentially transitioning into a long-term Advisor role for one of the high-impact companies that is subsequently built.

The Opportunity

Monoculture crops such as sugarcane are grown extensively across the Tropics, forming a key part of local and national economies. Sugarcane accounts for 79% of worldwide sugar production, while also used for biofuel production, material manufacturing, and animal feed. In 2021, global sugarcane production amounted to approximately 2 billion tonnes [1], supplying a market is expected to reach $221.4bn by 2027 [2], including sugar and other products. However, the monoculture production systems adopted for these crops exact significant environmental impacts, spanning from pesticide ecotoxicity [3] to deforestation [4] and water pressures [5].

There is a significant acceleration in government commitments to reversing ecosystem decline [6, 7], with agriculture sitting front and centre as the industry that requires transformation [8]. As a result, there is growing pressure upon companies that source agricultural products such as sugar from the Tropics to reform their practices for sustainability [9].

With this in mind, we see a significant opportunity to reduce the environmental footprint of sugarcane monocultures while improving productivity, yields, and profits - simultaneously addressing the needs of farmers, agribusiness and nature. To do so, we propose a combination of post-harvest loss mitigation [10] and biotechnological advancements for high-value product creation from sugar cane [11, 12, 13, 14, 15). Approximately 30% of sucrose degrades within one day post-harvest. Reducing post-harvest losses using technologies that inhibit enzymatic degradation can therefore deliver immediate improvements in resource efficiency. Furthermore, this can be paired with both in-plant and post-harvest interventions that boost the output of high value products, to reposition sugarcane as a feedstock toward high value chemical production that offers significantly improved value capture and economic resilience for farmers. Then finally, to alleviate land use conflicts and deforestation risks that could arise for such gains, these technologies can be deployed within innovative business models that require environmental compliance for access.

While we aim to first target sugarcane, we see exciting scope for new technologies built in this space to provide a platform for extension into other crops that exhibit similar characteristics and needs. We are now looking for Advisors to support this OA, who will play an instrumental role throughout both the pre-scoping and venture creation process [16], helping to verify scoping insights and contributing to the foundational stages of our venture creation.

Your Impact

• Provide expert advice and validation throughout the pre-scoping and venture creation phases for OA: Re-wilding Monoculture Systems.
• Establish and nurture connections with our recruitment teams to enhance the recruitment of Founders in Residence (FiRs) to this OA.
• Collaborate with DSV associates to attract strategic and sponsor clients.
• Engage with our network, offering valuable insights and potentially converting into key roles within new agricultural ventures.

Requirements

Who Should Apply

We are looking for dynamic individuals with the following profile:

• Proven expertise in fields relevant to the OA Re-wilding monoculture systems, including but not limited to: Tropical agronomy (particularly with knowledge of sugarcane); plant biotechnology; circular economy and agricultural sustainability; post-harvest technologies; bioprocess and chemical engineering.
• Strong track record of strategic advisory roles or senior leadership positions in the agricultural industry or academia.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills, with a passion for innovative agricultural science and technology.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the potential interest to transition into a long-term Partner role in agricultural ventures.

Benefits

• Be at the forefront of agricultural innovation and sustainability.

• Gain a first look into DSV's unique venture creation process and upcoming high-impact agricultural ventures.
• Build and expand your professional network with DSV's partners, advisors, and founders.
• Contribute to the development of sustainable agricultural solutions with a lasting impact on global food security and environmental health.

Apply Now

If you are eager to make a significant impact on the future of agriculture and are interested in leveraging your expertise to support this OA: Re-wilding monoculture systems, we invite you to join our Advisory Panel. Help us shape the future of agriculture and create a thriving world for humans and the planet.

Think you might be a better fit for the role of Founder in Residence? Check out our job posting for Re-wilding Monoculture Systems here.

Or if this opportunity is not the right fit, but you are interested in contributing to our venture creation process more broadly, check out our job description for our sector-wide Agricultural Advisory Council.