RNAi-tech startup takes lead from psychotropics, medical cannabis veteran with new CEO pick
October 20, 2022 | Startland News Staff
ST. LOUIS — Steve Meyer sees opportunity in RNAissance Ag — an offshoot Kansas City-grown TechAccel — especially its portfolio of safe biopesticides and novel RNAi manufacturing technology.
“I believe the full potential of RNAi-based solutions in agriculture is yet to be seen,” said Meyer, the company’s new CEO. “This innovative technology not only has the potential to offer a much-needed new tool to solve some of the toughest challenges we face in agriculture, but it also promises to revolutionize sustainable agriculture, making it safer for people and our planet.”
Meyer most recently was chief operating officer at Lucy Scientific Discovery Inc., British Columbia, a cGMP manufacturer of psychotropic compounds for therapeutic uses. Before that, he was the co-founder and CEO of Heya Wellness of St. Charles, Missouri, a vertically integrated medical cannabis firm.
RNAissance Ag, which is in the process of expanding its office and lab facilities at Bio Research Development and Growth (BRDG) Park in St. Louis, is a startup founded in 2019 by TechAccel based on a novel RNA-interference (RNAi) technology developed at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. RNAi is a technology that regulates gene expression without genetic modification.
Click here to read more about RNAissance Ag.
Kansas City-based TechAccel — a technology and venture development company investing in scientific breakthroughs for healthier plants, animals and foods — opened its facility at BRDG Park in 2021 to give RNAissance Ag and other initiatives room to grow, the company said previously.
Prior to his work with psychotropics and medical cannabis, Meyer worked for 16 years at Monsanto (now Bayer Crop Science) in a variety of scientific and commercial roles. He conducted biotechnology research that led to the development of multiple commercial products and played a key role in transforming the firm’s insect control discovery pipeline, leading to his appointment as a Monsanto Science Fellow.
Michael Helmstetter, TechAccel
“Steve has the expertise and leadership to drive the RNAissance Ag technology — both in biomanufacturing and biopesticide development — to commercial success,” said Michael Helmstetter, chairman of the board of directors for RNAissance Ag, as well as founder and president of TechAccel. “Plus, he has an innovator’s mindset and draws upon an extraordinary range of experiences and insights.”
Meyer’s announcement as CEO this week is effective immediately.
The primary focus of RNAissance Ag is the development of sprayable RNAi pesticides against pests such as the Diamondback Moth, Fall Armyworm and several others. RNAissance Ag pesticides are designed to be highly specific to the target pest, are not toxic to other organisms and are biodegradable. RNAissance Ag’s designs also have applications as pesticidal traits in crop seeds.
“I am excited and honored to join RNAissance Ag as its CEO,” Meyer said. “I am very impressed by the quality and caliber of the team, which is at the heart of every great company.”
Featured Business
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
#MomFund: Unruh Furniture builds more than tables inside a century-old church off KC’s Main Street
A table can mean stability, said Sam Unruh, founder of Unruh Furniture. It’s four legs help provide the emotional support for a home. “Growing up, my family ate together every night at the table. We all had our spots and still do to this day,” said Unruh, whose custom, made-to-order furniture business operates out of…
Second Edison Spaces flexible office site designed for uncertainty of startup life
Growing a startup is risky enough, said Matt Druten, co-founder of Edison Spaces — entrepreneurs shouldn’t have to worry about finding and maintaining an office. “Changes are unexpected. Nobody really knows where their company is going to be in six months,” he said. “Is my startup going to double in size? Is it going to…
Digital Crossroads: Techstars sees hints of KC’s future in its history as a collision point of ideas
Techstars’ Oct. 11 programming during Techweek Kansas City finds inspiration in the past, Lesa Mitchell said, but it focuses on the metro’s future at a digital crossroads. “In the old days, it was called the crossroads because this was actually where all the trains were going through from Mexico to Canada, and east and west…
Jasmine Diane: ‘My Girl Story’ empowerment is bigger than T-shirts, Instagram
Jasmine Diane Cooper dreams of inspiring women across the world with the My Girl Story movement, she said. “[As women] we will tear ourselves down or we look for things that kind of separate us, but we all have the same struggle,” said the social media influencer and rising star on the Kansas City marketing…