Overview
Entrepreneurship has traditionally been defined as the process of designing, launching and running a new business, which typically begins as a small business, such as a startup company, offering a product, process or service for sale or hire.[1]
Today, our project, PANTIDE, has a complete idea and experience to prove its effect. First, we will introduce our business model, which includes three kinds of items, the problem, solution, and schedule, to explain why we want to choose this problem, how we solve them, and when we will launch our product. Second, we analysis the marketing and future to discuss about three items, insecticide using, organic agriculture, and technology agriculture. Next, we grasp the regulation about the manufacture and using in real world to get a certificate from government. The last but not least, we introduce the sponsors who help us in our difficult time and launch our product for others companies.
Business Model
Problem
As we mention in our wiki, more and more people pay attention to the chemical pesticide influence our daily life. The trends of eating organic food is gradually increasing. However, the management cost and low yield are two major problems that cause the organic food expensive. There are two goals that we want to achieve:
- To Be Precise Agriculture
The high management cost including human resource, time, and precise field monitor.
- To Reduce the Using of Chemical Pesticide
Chemical pesticide cause lots of problems:
- Environment Pollution
According to studies, there are over four million tons of chemical pesticide being sprayed in the world. It’s not only pollute 40% river which is serious effects the water, but cause soil contamination such as pesticide residue and salinization of soil. The pollution destroys the original environment.
- Health
The chemical pesticide using in abundance is harm to our bodies such as lung failure, abnormal breathing, quiver, cardiopalmus, and poor appetite.
- Loss of Market
According to Ministry of Economic Affairs, R.O.C., food safety problem has caused the loss of 17 billion new Taiwan currency.
Solution
This year, we want to combine the synthetic biology with the state-of-the-art technology. We hope drawing people’s attention to the precision agriculture which backing up the development of modern agriculture.
- Biopesticide－PANTIDE
- Database
- Nowadays, many kinds of protein have been discovered about their sequence, structure, and function.
- To integrate the reference of PANTIDE structure property and the order specific loss of appetite.
- To compare with the different active site in the protein sequence and be classified with its structure.
- Synthetic Biology
- Through the synthetic biology, we transform the PANTIDE sequence, which is choose from our database, into E. coli to highly produce the protein.
- Leaves Protection
- Using the PANTIDE, it can cause the specific pests loss of their appetite with different kinds of functional peptide but ecofriendly and non-toxin to other animals.
- Environmental Sustainability and Health
- To River and soil, PANTIDE comes from the mother nature and is biodegradable. Therefore, there is no pesticide residue problems.
- To other animal, PANTIDE is species specific which means it is non-toxic to benefit insects and doesn’t damage the human body.
- Market Costs and Social Costs
- Not only does PANTIDE protect corps but is biodegradable and non-toxic to human body. We believe that this new kind of pesticide would reduce the problems of food safety to cut the market costs and social costs.
- Smart Detector
- The device combines the microcontroller single chip, Arduino, with detection of many situations such as the number of specific pests, temperature, and humidity level.
- To achieve the two-way communication between the device and the application, we use the Internet of thing (IoT) talk to connect both of them and transfer the instant information to the users anytime and anywhere.
- According to information and the forecast of degradation rate, users can judge the best time to spray the PNATIDE or just spray the water.
Schedule
- Preparatory Period Execut-ion Period
- Market Survey
- Public Questionnaire
- Farm Visit and Questionnaire
To make sure the opinions about our Project from the potential users in the future. We went to Organic Green Market in NTHU to have an interview and did some public questionnaire. We first made a briefly introduction about our product, then asked some questions. The mean opinions we want to know from farmer were what we can develop organic agriculture. To public, we concerned about their views of PANTONE was non-toxic agricultural or not. We would continue doing questionnaire and visit farmer for inspiring us new idea.
- Lab Experiment and Device Design __ view more in project
- The goal of experiment in laboratory was using E.coli to manufacturer our PANTIDE. Then, we would test carry out yield analysis and determination of peptide degradation rate. Also, we use tobacco cutworm’s larvae to experiment PANTIDE’s function.
- Device Design Included Three Part
- Insect-catching Apparatus
Combination with 2014 NCTU_FORMOSA product PBAN. We created insect-catching apparatus, which could attract specific pests. Moreover, our device PANPIPE could determine the number of pests by infrared sensors.
- Analyzing Spraying
When Arduino microprocessor receives signals from the infrared sensors would determine when to start spraying by intersection checking.
- Remote Monitoring
Used IoT to connect PANPIPE and APP in user phone, which could remote monitoring PANPIPE.
- Analyzing Spraying
- Insect-catching Apparatus
Combination with 2014 NCTU_FORMOSA product PBAN. We created insect-catching apparatus, which could attract specific pests. Moreover, our device PANPIPE could determine the number of pests by infrared sensors.
- Execution Period
- Small-scale insecticide Test
After we determine the function of PANTIDE in the laboratory. PANTIDE and PANPIPE would be test in the green house, which environment was controlled.
- Equipment Test
- Equipment test and sophisticated
In order to correct the predicted values of PANPIPE, it would be put in the field for long-term observation and record.
- Effectiveness Evaluation
- Farm Test
At last, we would contact the farmer, which was willingness to participate in the non-toxic agricultural-PANTIDE test, for four-month field trials.
Business Model Summary
Our value:
- Previously detect the pest appearance and species. Internet of things (IoT) transfer the data to users’ application. Remove spraying the species specific PNATIDE.
- As the precise agriculture, we tackle the problem and solve it directly.
- Ecofriendly, nontoxic to benefit insects and human body
Marketing, Publicity and Future
In this part, we are going to discuss about the market analysis, publicity and future works.
Marketing
Our target customer focus on the organic farmers and large agriculture. Therefore, we want to learn about the pesticide and biopesticide marking , and the precision agriculture. Therefore, we investigate the researches about the markets of three parts---insecticide using, organic agriculture, and technology agriculture. All of the marketing are increasing. It shows that our product is commercial exploitable.
- The insecticide Market
- According the lastest market research, the insecticide market is growing in North America and Asia-Pacific. A value of insecticide well increase from $13,037.5 million to $16,436.0 million in nearly five year and it's CAGR is 4.7%.[2]
- The Biopesticide Market
- Research from BCC(2014), the global biopesticide markets will rise to USD 390 million by 2019 and it's CAGR is 13.9%. [3]
- In BCC Reserch(2014), the proportions of biopesticide in global markets is 5.8%. Compared with pesticides, it will grow to 8.2%.[3]
- The Precision Agriculture by Technology Market
- Report from the near market research, USD 4.80 Billion is expected for the precision farming market by 2020.[4]
- In 2015, AgTech Investing Report shows that $4.6 billion is funded in food and agriculture technology startups, which contains venture capital precision agriculture. [5]
Publicity
In addition to analysis market, we also do some survey.
- Visited the target customer segments, the organic farmers, to clarify the organic market trend and customer needs.
- Questionnaire investigation of the understanding organic agriculture and biopesticide to understand what kinds of product that public want to use.
- Participation in the 2016 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition help to raise our public profile.
Future
This summer, we have achieved many kinds of basic information. However, we need to keep going to finish many
- Concentrating of PANTIDE until the maximum lethal concentration
- Through the sonicating bacteria, we want to find the best condition for feeding larva.
- Manufacturing the PANTIDE
- Efficiently and Highly produce the PANTIDE
- Standard series of the production
- New use of old proteins
- Using the database analysis will find out the new use of old proteins
- Other application
- With the same idea, using the detector to immediately monitor the mosquito to take precautions against the dengue.
Regulation
Q1. Whether the PANTIDE using in farmlands is a kind of organic agriculture?
Though different institutes have different definitions of the organic agriculture, the main idea is the same. Organic agriculture is based on minimizing the use of external inputs, avoiding the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. The primary goal is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.
The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM) defines four principles of the organic agriculture and our PANTIDE conform with all of them:
Health: To sustain and enhance the health of ecosystems and organisms. It should avoid the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that may have adverse health effects.
Our PANTIDE is a kind of biopesticide, which is natural and eco-friendly. Compare to the chemical pesticide, PANTIDE can minimize the harm to the environment and can make a healthier ecosystem.
Ecology: Be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with them, emulate them and help sustain them.
The main idea of our PANTIDE is the food chain from spiders to insects. We want to choose an ecological way to help the farming but not to harm the environment so we learn from the Mother Nature to ensure our PANTIDE is sustainable and safe.
Fairness: should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the common environment and life opportunities.
PANTIDE is oral-active so that it is only against the insects eating the crops. Also, because of the distinctive mechanism, it only works on the specific species that have adverse effect on the crops. As a result, the PANTIDE will not harm other organisms to make sure that we maintain the fairness among the ecosystem.
Care: Practitioners of Organic Agriculture can enhance efficiency and increase productivity, but this should not be at the risk of jeopardizing health and well-being.
Consequently, new technologies need to be assessed and existing methods reviewed.
Our device can enhance efficiency due to the remote monitor. It can not only decrease the burden of the farmers but also increase productivity. Before using in the practical farmlands, we have tested many times.
Q2. What should we do to get the pesticide permit?
Most countries share the similar application process to permit the new pesticide.
First, we need to confirm what kind of pesticide we made. In most countries like Taiwan and the USA, PANTIDE belongs to the category of the biopesticide, while some countries, EU and Japan included, consider that there are no viable bacteria in the PANTIDE, so it applies to the regulation of the chemical pesticide.
Second, the pesticide and the production plant must be tested to be safe.
Finally, the pesticide must be registered with the related government institution before they can be distributed commercially. A registration application must include information regarding testing, the identity of the product, draft labeling, information on tolerance of residues, and other safety-related information.
Q3. Is there any related application to the biopesticide?
In Taiwan, to get the government permit, the laboratory need to get the Good Laboratory Practice Application (GLP) first. GLP regulates the safety and the quality of the laboratory in a manufacturing company.
Besides to the permit from the government, there is an application called MIT Smile application, which means the product is made in Taiwan during the whole process.
In the US, the most important application to food and drugs is FDA application given by the Food and Drug Administration. This application shows the product confirms the regulations and meets the safety level.
Figure 1. Logo of MIT Smile application and FDA application.
Business Competition
- Participating the youth business plan competition hold by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
- Participating the youth business plan competition held by Fubon Cultural & Educational Foundation.
- Through youth business plan competition, we get financial aid from Fubon Group.
- Participating Smart Agriculture Innovation business plan to attract consulting firms. We won the second place and also got the funding.
- We joined 2016 NCTU Seed Fund Venture Competition, which is a business plan competition.
Sponsor
- Thanks for NCTU alumni association, they not only give us the financial aid but help us seek other sponsors and firms.
- Through the NCTU alumni association, they introduce us to Phison Electronics Corporation, which is founded by outstanding NCTU alumni.
- Thanks for Phison Electronics Corporation giving us the financial aid.
- Moreover, they introduce us to the TanoSecure, which is a company from China, which is interested in precise agriculture. They will invest our product and promise that they would like to provide us a large field to test the product efficiency. This will be the milestone for us to become a company.
- Agrotech Company, which is an agricultural company, supported our project and helped us set up a patent.
- Taiwan Ministry of Eduction supported us some funding to join iGEM competition.
- Thanks for IDT provided us free 20 KB DNA sequencing for our experiment.
- Thanks for National Chiao Tung University and Department of Biological Science and Technology gave us
funds to support our program.
