Ivoro Ventures Visits CBGP: Strengthening the Bridge Between Science and Agri-innovation

On October 14, 2025, Ivoro Ventures had the privilege of visiting the Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP) at UPM-INIA, a key hub for advanced research in plant science and biotechnology. The visit was an opportunity to deepen ties with CBGP’s research community, explore emerging innovation pipelines, and identify areas of collaboration that can fuel the transformation of scientific knowledge into real-world agrifood ventures.

Fostering Synergy Between Research and Venture Building

At Ivoro Ventures, we believe that the most impactful startups and spin-offs are born out of close alignment with leading research institutions. This visit underscored our commitment to engaging early with scientists and technologists who are pushing the frontier in plant genomics, crop breeding, sustainable agriculture, and biotechnology. Through structured dialogue with CBGP researchers, we explored how academic advances can be translated into commercially viable solutions that address pressing agro-sector needs — from crop resilience to precision agriculture, novel biocontrols, and beyond.

Exploring Collaboration Pathways

Our CEO Pedro Álvarez engaged with CBGP faculty and technical teams to discuss promising research lines and the support structures needed to accelerate technology transfer.

Looking Ahead: From Labs to Impactful Ventures

This visit is more than a courtesy call — it represents the beginning of a deeper partnership. Ivoro Ventures is already evaluating several research projects at CBGP that could evolve into spin-offs or collaborative ventures. Our goal is to accelerate the path from lab to market, by investing resources, mentoring teams, and structuring go-to-market strategies around groundbreaking plant science.

We are grateful to CBGP for their warm reception and openness. Together, we envision building new enterprises that deliver agritech solutions with societal, environmental, and economic impact.

Stay tuned to our blog for updates on projects arising from this collaboration!

From left to right, the meeting was attended by Ivoro Ventures’ Co-founder and General Partner Pedro Álvarez, the Scientific Director of the Severo Ochoa Excellence Program at CBGP Antonio Molina, the Director of CBGP Isabel Allona, and the Technology Transfer Coordinator at CBGP Guy Vancanneyt / CBGP.