This year’s VenturePack Challenge teams came and conquered the competition. We saw a variety of ventures from medical devices to AI technology to nonprofits and more–even a new bike pedal design for increased rider safety. Soteria Formulations, a CBE startup company, won first place (and $25,000) in the Daugherty Endowment Track. 

Soteria Formulations minimizes agrochemical overuse and off-target losses by converting crop harvest biomass into modern farming equipment-compatible seed coatings and pelleted granules that improve the performance of agrochemical and biologicals by integrating targeted delivery and controlled releases. By replacing synthetic polymers in agricultural formulations, our products minimize agrochemical overuse, reduce off-target losses, and lower agriculture’s carbon footprint. The technology supports regulatory compliance, streamlines product registration, and increases farmers’ return on investment by improving yield and produce quality with fewer field applications.

Soteria CEO and CBE Research Scholar Dr. Tahira Pirzada says, “the award is beyond financial support for Soteria Formulations. It validates the scientific and business approach we are adopting to commercialize our proprietary technology. The prize money will be used to initiate product registration, team building and expand IP portfolio.”

Pirzada is a research scholar in Prof. Saad Khan’s lab. Originally from Pakistan, Pirzada first traveled to America as a visiting scholar at NC State when she was completing her doctorate. She briefly returned to Pakistan to teach before returning to NC State as a postdoctoral researcher working on a Gates Foundation-funded research project to improve food security in Africa. Pirzada never thought she would stay in the States for much longer but she realized that Raleigh, and the greater Research Triangle area, was the perfect place to try and transform her research into real-world solutions.

Prof. Khan was the one who pushed her to try entrepreneurship. “He said, ‘you are made for it, just go and try,’” recalled Pirzada.

Congratulations to Dr. Pirzada, Prof. Khan, and the entire Soteria Formulations team on this success!

The Daugherty Endowment Track is made possible by the Richard L. and Marlene V. Daugherty Centennial Campus Entrepreneurialism Endowment (Daugherty Endowment) with funding partnership from the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology and Science and collaboration with the NC State Office of Partnerships and Office of Research Commercialization.