Shaping the rumen microbiome to improve yields and reduce methane emissions.
Reducing methane output from livestock while improving yields is critical to feeding a growing population and solving the climate crisis.
Our mission is to help farmers feed more people at lower economic and environmental cost.
We are microbial ecologists and seasoned entrepreneurs. We are also long-time friends and colleagues, motivated to contribute to the search for practical solutions to the climate crisis.
Meet our team
Mark Smith is a recognized leader in the microbiome, with over 50 peer-reviewed publications in the field. Previously, Mark co-founded and served as Chief Executive Officer of Finch Therapeutics, a publicly-traded biotechnology company that pioneered the development of microbiome therapeutics. Prior to Finch, Mark co-founded OpenBiome, a universal stool bank and research institution. He currently serves on the board of directors of Freya Biosciences, a privately-held biotechnology company. Mark has a BA in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University and a PhD in microbiology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mark believes that shaping the world’s smallest ecosystems can have profound impacts on a global scale.
Kevin Roelofs trained in molecular microbiology at the University of Maryland and later as a microbial ecologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He has made a career in developing microbiome products first as an early employee at Finch Therapeutics and later as Director of Process Development at Novome Biotechnologies. Kevin is inspired by the power of small things to solve our world’s biggest problems, and is moooved to work on reducing methane emissions from ruminant microbiomes.
Stéphane Benoit brings more than 25 years of expertise in microbial physiology and bacterial metalloenzymes. After earning a PhD in biochemistry from INSA Lyon, France, Stéphane came to the University of Georgia where, as a Senior Research Scientist, his work has focused on the role of both nickel and molecular hydrogen in pathogenic bacteria. He has published 47 peer-reviewed publications. Throughout his years of research, Stéphane has been deeply appreciative of the impact that microorganisms have on their host. He is ready for the next challenge: harnessing the metabolic capability of the rumen microbiota to both reduce methanogenesis and improve milk production in cows.
Carolyn Edelstein is the former executive director and co-founder of OpenBiome, a universal stool bank and microbiome research institute. Through this work, she is proud to have served more than 70,000 patients across a network of 1300+ hospitals and clinics, and over a dozen clinical trials. Previously, Carolyn worked at the US Agency for International Development, working to test and support low-cost, high-impact interventions to improve global health and prosperity. She holds a BA and Master’s degree in public policy from Princeton University. Carolyn loves learning about what it takes for a great idea to meet its potential.
We are designing a feed additive to reduce the fitness of methane-producing organisms that reside in the rumen, favoring organisms that redirect energy away from methane and towards meat and milk production. This creates an opportunity to simultaneously improve production while reducing methane emissions.
By sequestering a key component that methane-producing organisms require, our technology is designed to be cost-effective and highly scalable.
Our approach
“Cutting methane emissions is the fastest opportunity we have to immediately slow the rate of global warming, even as we decarbonize our energy systems. It's an opportunity we can't afford to miss.”
— Environmental Defense Fund
We are working with dairy farmers, animal scientists, microbiologists, biochemists, climate scientists, and others engaged in the work of testing and refining ideas to reduce enteric methane emissions and increase milk yields. We are eager to collaborate.