Lilliput Technologies is preparing to raise a pre-seed round, following the approval of a patent that demonstrates the potential of biopolymers to manage abiotic stress in plants, Mauricio Herrera Rodriguez, CEO and co-founder of the company, told AgTechNavigator.
Spun out of Deep Science Ventures and launched in April 2024, the agtech start-up developed Lillishield, a biopolymer composite that blocks 70-90% of UR and IR radiation from a plant, releasing excess heat into the air and cooling the plant down in the process, the company shared. The technology does not interfere with normal photosynthesis, the company added.
Lilliput is in the process of filing U.S. patents as it conducts field trials on the technology, Herrera Rodriguez said. The start-up has already amassed “letters of interest worth $3.6 million per year” from various agribusiness stakeholders, he added.
“A lot of big companies are working on biologicals to tackle biotic stresses, but they are not working on abiotic stresses, which are the ones that actually are increasing due to climate change,” Herrera Rodriguez elaborated.
Lilliput, Mercy Corps team up on coffee pilot
Lilliput’s technology can be used on a range of different crops, but the start-up is focusing first on coffee, given the climate change-related threats facing the crop, Herrera Rodriguez explained. The agtech start-up is working with venture firm Mercy Corps through its Climate Lab to test Lillishield in a pilot project, he added.
“When you transfer coffee seedlings from a nursery to the actual open-field conditions, these seedlings suffer a lot, and that is their most vulnerable stage in terms of development. And that is where farmers also face the highest risk because they need to put a lot of labour into preparing the fields,” Herrera Rodriguez added.
As part of the pilot, Lilliput and Mercy Corp will measure water demand for plants with Lillishield and a control sample, Herrera Rodriguez explained. Water systems and irrigation can be limited throughout Latin America (LatAm), so Lilliput’s biopolymer can help growers better manage water resources, he added.
“We know from our testing-bed pilots from last year that we can reduce water demand up to 60% in these conditions, which is really important — a significant reduction. And we want to show that we can have similar results on the field,” he elaborated.
Is LatAm the ‘overlooked jewel’ of agricultural innovation?
A serial entrepreneur, Herrera Rodriguez worked with Sam Nehme and Laura Chaves Martinez to co-found Lilliput, which has its research and development (R&D) operations in Costa Rica. This comes as LatAm agricultural innovation is thriving, despite lagging behind other regions in funding, he pointed out.
Costa Rica itself is a proving ground for agricultural innovation, with Starbucks operating a farm for bio input testing, and Dole, BASF, and other major agribusinesses located in the country, Herrera Rodriguez explained. Research and development costs less in LatAm, making it a less risky bet than in expensive places like San Francisco, he noted.
“Latin America is the overlooked jewel in terms of agricultural innovation because these countries have always depended on agriculture for a large portion of their GDP,” he elaborated.
