Biotalys expands executive team and establishes U.S. headquarters to strengthen North American presence
Biotalys NV, a transformative food and crop protection company, announced the expansion of its executive team and establishment of its new U.S. headquarters for Biotalys, Inc., which will be located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Appointing Diego Angelo to the newly created role of Chief Business Officer (CBO) and Head of the U.S. subsidiary, Biotalys Inc., Biotalys is preparing for the commercial launch of its lead biofungicide BioFun-1 – the first from its breakthrough platform of biocontrol solutions for safe and sustainable crop protection and food waste reduction.
Reporting to the CEO, Patrice Sellès, and working with the executive team, Angelo will focus on putting a strong team in place while leading global business development, go-to-market activities, competitive intelligence and alliance management for the company’s protein-based biocontrol solutions. In the United States, Angelo will manage operations for Biotalys Inc., as well as the corporate development strategy and execution.
As part of its global expansion, Biotalys will continue recruiting efforts to strengthen its presence beyond North Carolina in multiple states with strong fruit and vegetable businesses. Earlier this year, Carlos Reyes joined Biotalys to lead the field development program of BioFun-1. Reyes is based in Sacramento, CA. While the company actively builds its U.S. team and Research Triangle Park office, it will continue to apply COVID-19-related physical distancing standards and remote work guidelines to ensure the safety of its growing U.S. team.
“Our new U.S. headquarters puts us at the center of the ag and foodtech ecosystem. Research Triangle Park offers an incredible talent pool of experts in the ag and biotech communities, while serving as an ideal bridge between our European and North American teams as we bring our breakthrough biocontrol solutions to farmers around the globe,” said Sellès. “Angelo brings tremendous expertise, a significant international network and strong business track record. He will be charged with fully exploring potential growth opportunities for our technology platform around the globe.”
Following the recent closing of the Series C round, Biotalys is finalizing its next field trial program and preparing to submit the regulatory dossier for its lead biofungicide. Biotalys aims to deliver a broad lineup of products that safely and reliably address key crop pests and diseases across the ag and food value chain.
Diego Angelo, CBO of Biotalys, added, “I am passionate about innovation and utilizing breakthrough technologies to address global food and environmental challenges, while helping growers improve crop yields and farming practices. Biotalys’s disruptive technology and lead biofungicide, BioFun-1, are uniquely positioned to address unmet needs of the food value chain, from efficacy to residue control and shelf-life management. I look forward to working with the team on the launch of our multiple mode-of-action pipeline, starting with the 2022 launch of BioFun-1 in the United States.”
Prior to joining Biotalys, Angelo served as Chief Commercial Officer at Sound Agriculture, where he successfully engineered the launch of its first commercial product and secured multiple deals in the Crop Enhancement and Epigenetics spaces. Before that, he held multiple commercial leadership roles at BASF, Bayer and Monsanto, where he built a broad network in all major agricultural markets, including the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Europe, and developed expertise in the crop protection, and seeds and traits businesses. He led the growth of the Bayer Soybean Seeds and Traits business, making it a global franchise, and played a key role in its seamless integration into BASF. Notably, in the United States, he was instrumental in the launch of the LibertyLink technology, which is now a foundational technology for weed control. Angelo earned a BSc in Ag Management from U.A.D.E. and an MBA from CEMA University, both in Argentina.
About Biotalys
Biotalys is a rapidly growing and transformative food and crop protection company developing a new generation of protein-based biocontrol solutions, shaping the future of sustainable and safe food supply.
Based on its groundbreaking technology platform, Biotalys has developed a broad pipeline of effective and safe products that address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Combining the high-performance characteristics and consistency of chemicals with the clean safety profile of biologicals, Biotalys provides ideal crop protection agents for both pre- and post-harvest applications. Biotalys’ lead biofungicide, BioFun-1, has demonstrated consistent, high efficacy against major pests, such as Botrytis cinerea and powdery mildew, in a global fruit and vegetables field trial. The Company is on track to submit the registration dossiers later in 2020 and expects to launch BioFun-1 in the U.S. in 2022, followed by global market introductions.
Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has raised €61 million ($66m USD) to date from specialist international investors. The Company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com.