AgroSpheres

While students at the University of Virginia, Payam Pourtaheri and Ameer Shakeel discovered a novel approach to degrading pesticide residues on crops. As they began building AgroSpheres, they partnered with EGC’s scientific consulting team in fall 2018 to develop a strategic path for securing federal funding. 

EGC supported AgroSpheres in winning its first NSF STTR Phase I award in 2019. This initial success flourished into a remarkable journey with AgroSpheres subsequently securing an NSF SBIR Phase II grant for $1 million, followed by an NSF SBIR Phase IIB supplement award for $500,000. With this foundation in place, AgroSpheres scaled rapidly. The company established a state-of-the-art facility in Charlottesville, Virginia, now employing 15 full-time staff, and raised significant investor capital, including an $8.8 million Series A round in 2020 led by Ospraie Ag Science Ventures and a $37 million Series B round in 2024. AgroSpheres also entered into a strategic collaboration with Bayer, further advancing commercialization of its technology. 

Throughout AgroSpheres’ rapid growth, EGC’s Accounting and Compliance team has supported them every step of the way, providing full-service grant accounting and fractional CFO support, ensuring funds are managed compliantly and that the company is well positioned for future growth.