Nature’s way, scientifically amplified.
This is the motto of Elemental Enzymes, a life sciences company that specializes in enzyme, peptide, protein, and biological chemistry solutions that contribute to plant health, yield, and profitability.
The Iola Rotary Club recently hosted a presentation about the young company and the journey to its present-day success. Leading the presentation was Dr. Katie Thompson, Elemental Enzymes COO. She and her husband, Dr. Brian Thompson (CEO), are the co-founders of the company.
The couple reside in St. Louis, Mo. Brian is the son of Ed and Michelle Thompson, of Iola. His aunt is Rotarian Judy Brigham.
Brian initially came up with the methodology of using microbes to make and stabilize enzymes in a lab at the University of Missouri in 2011.
“Brian was studying microbiology and a certain type of microbe that makes spores and kind of hibernates in soil,” said Katie Thompson. “They can last in soil for a really long time.” She explained that Brian found a way to attach enzymes to the outside of this type of bacteria. The University of Missouri patented this methodology and Brian continued exploring uses for the technology.
“Brian had some ideas. He put on some enzymes that would degrade pesticides or other ‘forever’ type of chemicals in soil,” said Katie. “The technology still wasn’t at a place where some big company would want to license it.”
The pair decided to go for it and pursue their dream of creating a business with the technology. Each took classes at the University of Missouri to learn the ins and outs of starting their own business. Brian focused on business plan writing classes while Katie took accounting and QuickBooks classes.
During this time, they continued their research at a small lab in the MU Life Science Business Incubator in Columbia, Mo. Pursuing seed funding avenues, they reached out to angel investor groups in Columbia and St. Louis.
“We also got some friends and family involved,” she said. “We were able to get some funding from both the angel investor groups and we raised twice as much money as we thought we needed at the time.”
At the time, the Thompsons didn’t know where they were going to use the technology.
“We had presented the technology as a platform to those groups,” Katie said. “We know we can make enzymes more stable and they are used in a lot of industries, including detergents and clothing.”
When presenting to the angel investors in St. Louis, Katie was approached by some former employees of the Monsanto agricultural biotechnology company.
“They asked if we had ever thought about using the enzymes for plants,” said Katie. After discussing with Brian and researching, they realized there were a multitude of ways the enzymes could be helpful for plants.
“Even some of the enzymes that we already had in our library freed up phosphate,” Katie explained. “You just have to be somewhat connected to farming to know that plants need NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) as fertilizer.”
