š Strella Biotech: Creating a data-powered food supply chain
These sensors are putting better produce on the shelf with less waste.
Over 40% of all food is wasted before itās consumed, which is expensive for companies and destructive to the environment. This weekās startup has a simple and effective solution to warehouse food waste.
š Fast Facts
Company:Ā Strella Biotechnology
Website:Ā https://www.strellabiotech.com/
Founded:Ā 2018
Stage:Ā Seed
Industry:Ā Agtech
SDG:Ā #12: Responsible Production & Consumption
Team: Bioengineers and operations specialists | Katherine Sizov (CEO), Jacob Jordan (COO), Malika Shukurova (Head of R&D)Ā
Traction: winner of Pennās Presidentās Innovation Prize, raised 3.3M seed round from Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley and Catapult Ventures with participation from Mark Cuban, winner of GS1 US Startup Lab Pitch Competition
š„ Whatās the Deal?
Food waste is a $1 trillion dollar problem, as carbon emissions on food waste are larger than all transportation emissions combined. Without a precise way of determining when a fruit is ripe, tons of fruit go to waste in food storage warehouses.Ā
Strella Biotechnology mitigates the problem by putting biosensors in these warehouses and integrating them with software.Ā These sensors then measure physiological gas outputs of produce as it begins to ripen, allowing warehouse managers to make intelligent decisions about when to open the warehouse to prevent the produce from over-ripening.
Katherine Sizov, founder and CEO of Strella, was a molecular biology major at Penn. She created the idea in 2017 after she learned that 40% of food is wasted before it is consumed along the food supply chain. Together with Malika Shukurova, head of R&D, she brought on Zuyang Liu, a masterās student in electrical engineering to assist in IoT and wireless reading of signals from the device, as well as Jacob Jordan to assist with operations. Strella helped its participating warehouses save $600k in produce in their first year alone, and since then has taken off across the country. Notably, Strellaās devices now monitor over 15 percent of U.S. apples. Ā
ā¤ļø Why We Love It
š Ag needs Strella
Despite being a young company, Strella has achieved substantial market adoption. As of November 2021, it keeps watch over 15 percent of apples in the United States, according to a profile in the Washington Post.Ā
š Solving a $1 trillion dollar problem one piece of fruit at a time
Food waste is expensive for companies, exacerbates food insecurity, and releases greenhouse gas when it ends up in landfills. Strella solves a business problem and environmental problem, making a powerful and financially sustainable value proposition.Ā
š§ Smarter supply chainĀ
Beyond merely monitoring fruit to prevent food waste, Strella is now becoming an integrated supply chain data solution to streamline communication in an industry that is sorely in need of dynamic innovation.Ā
š Get Involved
Strella is seeking talented interns and developers (UI/UX design, front end, back end) who are passionate about sustainability and interested in making an impact. Reach out directly to katya@strellabiotech.com if interested.
Check out their website for more information!
āCaroline Li