Dr Marine Valton is CEO and co-founder of NouriSol, an innovative agrifood company.
She can boast an impressive academic and entrepreneurial track record. A double Master’s, a PhD, several grants, prizes and awards.
The Global Food Venture Programme (GFVP), an EIT Food Programme for PhD’s, was the first step in her journey as an entrepreneur.
Can you tell us about your academic background?
Marine: ‘Before my PhD, I graduated with a double Master’s degree: Biological Engineering at Polytech’ Clermont-Ferrand, France – my country of origin – and Biofuels Process Engineering from Cranfield University, in the UK.
After that, I obtained my PhD in Biotechnology at Imperial College London.
My research focused on developing sustainable biofertilizers from microorganisms in order to tackle the challenges faced by farmers worldwide.’
What motivated you to join the GFVP programme at that time?
‘I have always wanted to start my own company but I was lacking the entrepreneurial skills and network.
The GFVP programme equipped me with just the right skills. EIT Food's ultimate goal of transforming the food system was also in line with my personal goal as an entrepreneur.’
What was the role of the programme in your journey as an entrepreneur?
‘GFVP was the first programme that placed me on the path to become an entrepreneur, opening up a whole new world to me. We visited international startup hubs and agtech companies, and I met other, like-minded PhD students.
The programme gave me the chance to train my entrepreneurial skills and to develop a business mindset with a more global perspective. This is crucial in what I’m doing today. I still benefit today from that support and the network.’
What happened after the GFVP programme?
‘In 2018, my start-up was one of the winners in EIT Food’s Innovation Prize Competition.
It’s a European funding competition for early-stage agrifood start-ups disrupting the agrifood system to make it healthier, more sustainable and more trusted.
The EIT Food team is very knowledgeable about food entrepreneurship, so participating in the Innovation Prize event gave us ‘insider’ knowledge and connected us with key industry players. This has really helped us to focus our efforts as a business.’
That focus appears to have led to quite a few achievements?
‘I was awarded an RSE Enterprise Fellowship and in 2021I co-founded NouriSol to commercialise sustainable and innovative solutions tackling the challenges farmers are facing.
Gathering strong traction amongst agrochemical multinationals and farmers, we won a range of national and international grants and awards.
Today, our first trials together with customers are showing extremely promising results. So, we are now ready to start commercialisation.’
Editor's Note - Source : Team | NouriSol & (3) NouriSol: Overview | LinkedIn
In just 1 year, NouriSol has successfully scaled up microalgae production from 250mL flasks to 1,500L photobioreactors.
They have tested 14 different crops in product trials, spanning fruits, vegetables, herbs, grains, houseplants & flowers.
And they managed to squeeze in field trials this year, partnering with G's Group Growers and Tesco farmers across the UK. But the journey doesn’t end there - they have exciting plans to take their biomass production to the next level and start commercialisation!
NouriSol combines the words 'Nouri' for the nourishment of both soil and plants, the French word for soil ('sol') and the Swedish word for sun ('sol'), reflecting our mission, the key ingredients of our product, and the origin of the co-founders.
Website: www.nourisol.co
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nourisol
Twitter: @nourisol
“The current food production system is not sustainable at all, so we need to tackle the effect of climate change and rethink our agriculture.The GFVP programme gave me the chance to train my entrepreneurial skills and to develop a business mindset with a more global perspective. This is crucial in what I’m doing today. I still benefit from the support and the network.”
How do you want to make an impact?
‘The current food production system is not sustainable at all, so we need to tackle the effect of climate change and rethink our agriculture.
NouriSol harnesses the power of nature to solve agriculture’s biggest challenge: delivering nitrogen to crops to replace synthetic fertilisers (for the same price), whilst improving soil health and reducing pollution.'
NouriSol's impact on Society, Environment & Economy
People How is NouriSol impacting our Society?
NouriSol helps farmers improve the resilience of their soil and, by replacing chemical fertilisers, dramatically reduces the negative impact of food production on the environment. Farmers will see increased profits which will enable them to sustain their business in the long-term. NouriSol will also help organic and regenerative farmers reduce their yield gap and thereby facilitate the conversion into more planet-positive practices.
Planet How is NouriSol impacting our Environment?
NouriSol reduces the pollution from farming, both in the air and water. This includes a significant cut in greenhouse gas emissions. More than half of all GHG emissions originate from the use of nitrogen fertiliser. By replacing the need for synthetic chemical fertiliser, NouriSol users can expect a significant reduction in their environmental footprint allowing them to overcome increasingly stricter regulatory limits.
Profit How is NouriSol impacting our Economy?
Farmers using NouriSol can expect increased profits thanks to improved yield and crop quality. Supermarkets and wholesale retailers are placing higher demand on farmers to reduce their environmental footprint. Farmers that use NouriSol will therefore be more competitive and maximise their chance to obtain and extend their supply contracts.
