Jeff Beegle and Tony Bova are the Founders of Mobius, a biotechnology company that envisions to build a future where the world sees organic waste as a valuable resource instead of a burden on the planet. Tony is officially the Chief Executive Officer, and Jeff is the Chief Science Officer. Their current project is a form of biodegradable plastic made from a unique substance found in plants called Lignin. They seek to use their special plastic in various industries such as agriculture, horticulture, and food services.

 

Jeff and Tony join me today to discuss Mobius’ latest innovation. They share their thoughts on the current economic and environmental issues that surround traditional plastics. They describe their latest product, how it’s made, and why it’s environmentally friendly. They also discuss the different challenges of competing in a plastic market, the difficulty of getting investors, and how they accomplished solving those two problems.

 

“If someone really wants what you have and they're willing to give you a dollar for it, that's the thumbs up we need to know we're on the right track.” - Tony Bova

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• How they became inspired to start Mobius and the problems they are trying to solve with their products.
• Why plastics are double-edged swords
• How their biodegradable plastic works.
• What makes their product different from traditional PET plastics?
• How their biodegradable mulch affects the soil.
• What they did to prevent their product from biodegrading too fast.
• How they scaled their business.
• The challenges they faced while searching for investors.
• Why they chose to team up with Village Capital as an accelerator.
• The most challenging part of establishing their brand.
• What's in store for Mobius in the near future?

Tony Bova and Jeff Beegle’s Key Takeaways:

• Biodegradable mulch films are actually improving soil health.
• There's no bacteria and fungi that can actually eat plastic in the soil.
• When we start using low-cost, but durable materials like plastic for single use, the problem is what we do with them afterwards.

Resources Mentioned:

• Village Capital Accelerator

Connect with Tony Bova and Jeff Beegle:

• Mobius
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Tony Bova LinkedIn
• Jeff Beegle LinkedIn

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