Lucent Bio
Founded 2014 · 26 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors
Lucent Bio develops sustainable crop nutrition products, including its flagship Soileos micronutrient fertilizer made by upcycling pea, lentil, and oat hulls from food processing. The company serves farmers and food processors in the agri-food sector, with a focus on Canadian agriculture.
Also known as Lucent BioSciences · Lucent Biosciences Inc.
Founders & leadership
Investors · 4
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Lucent Bio (also referred to as Lucent BioSciences) is a Canadian material science and agricultural input company that develops crop nutrition products intended to be climate-positive, non-polluting and based on circular-economy principles. Its flagship product line, Soileos, is a soil-applied pelleted micronutrient fertilizer in which micronutrients such as zinc, iron and manganese are bound to cellulose fibre upcycled from food-processing co-products including pea, lentil and oat hulls, and rice husks. A second product line, Nutreos, is a seed treatment/seed coating technology described by the company as microplastic-free.
The company positions Soileos against conventional micronutrient products such as sulphates and EDTA chelates, arguing that these cannot match nutrient release to crop demand. Soileos instead relies on soil microbial mineralization of the cellulose carrier to release micronutrients over time, an approach the company calls "bio-activated." The company states that the bioavailable carbon in the product increases soil microbial biomass, and that the product resists nutrient tie-up and leaching while offering carbon sequestration potential. Beyond its own branded products, Lucent Bio develops proprietary and custom formulations with industry partners for specific crops and environmental conditions.
Founding story
Lucent Bio was founded in 2014 by a group of scientists and entrepreneurs. Its research and development began at 4D Labs, Simon Fraser University's core facility for advanced materials research, where the founders tested combinations of nutrients and compounds to develop a nutrient delivery formulation. The founding team is identified as Michael Riedijk (CEO), Farah Nour (CSO), Peter Gross (CTO), Jason McNamee (CPO) and Jose Godoy Toku (VP).
Business model
Lucent Bio manufactures and sells crop nutrition inputs — the Soileos micronutrient fertilizer line and the Nutreos seed treatment — and also develops custom and proprietary formulations for industry partners. Products reach growers through retail and distribution channels, and the company actively recruits distributors for Soileos.
Sale of fertilizer and seed-treatment products through distributors and retail locations, plus contract development of custom formulations for industry partners.
Traction
Soileos and Nutreos are described by the company as commercialized circular-economy products, with a distributor program and current retail locations. Field trials have been conducted, including trials with Soileos in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and trial data is published for growers. In November 2023 the company announced over $3.6 million from PacifiCan's Business Scale-up and Productivity program to accelerate development of Nutreos.
Latest developments
In November 2023 Lucent Bio announced that PacifiCan would provide over $3.6 million through the Business Scale-up and Productivity program to expedite development and commercialization of Nutreos, its microplastic-free seed treatment technology. A Forbes company profile dated as of January 2024 lists Michael Riedijk as President and CEO.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positioned as an innovator in micronutrient fertilizer, a category the company characterizes as having seen little innovation since sulphates and EDTA chelates. It works with the Protein Industries Canada supercluster and a consortium of companies on commercializing its micronutrient fertilizer, and was included in a Forbes list of Canada's Best Startup Employers 2024 coverage period.
Bio-activated, microbially triggered nutrient release rather than immediate chemical release; use of upcycled food-processing co-products as the nutrient carrier, creating a circular loop from crop residue back to field; claims of resistance to nutrient tie-up and leaching, increased soil microbial biomass, and a climate-positive rather than merely carbon-neutral profile; microplastic-free seed coating in the Nutreos line.
Technology
Patented technology binds micronutrients to cellulose fibre derived from agricultural residues (pea, lentil and oat hulls, rice husks). Nutrients are released only through biological processes: soil microbes mineralize the cellulose carrier, delivering micronutrients in bioavailable form as crops require them, rather than in a single flush. The company reports that the bioavailable carbon source raises microbial biomass, which in turn cycles nutrients back into the ecosystem. Manufacturing uses a multi-step process the company describes as based on green chemistry, favouring local resources and a cradle-to-cradle, waste-designed-out approach.
Go-to-market
The company sells through a distributor and retail network, listing current retail locations and inviting distributors and their growers to add Soileos to nutrient management plans. It supports sales with on-farm trial data, a mode-of-action whitepaper, and partnerships with industry and consortium members. Website content is offered in English, Spanish and Portuguese (Brazil).
Farmers and crop growers using micronutrient programs, agricultural retailers and distributors, food processors that generate hull co-products, and industry partners seeking custom fertilizer formulations.
Geography
Headquartered in the Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada (Forbes lists West Vancouver), with R&D roots at Simon Fraser University and field trials in Abbotsford, BC. Commercialization work targets Canadian farmers via Protein Industries Canada; website localization into Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese indicates outreach to Latin American markets.
History
Founded in 2014 with research beginning at Simon Fraser University's 4D Labs, Lucent Bio developed patented cellulose-bound micronutrient technology and commercialized it as Soileos. It joined a Protein Industries Canada supercluster project with a consortium of companies to commercialize the micronutrient fertilizer for Canadian farmers, an investment announced by the federal Ministers of Innovation, Science and Industry and of Agriculture and Agri-Food. In November 2023 the company secured over $3.6 million of PacifiCan support to scale its Nutreos seed treatment.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 1
by search overlapCompanies competing with Lucent Bio for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsLucent Bio announced that PacifiCan would provide over $3.6 million through the Business Scale-up and Productivity program, earmarked to expedite development and commercialization of Nutreos, its microplastic-free seed treatment technology.
$3.6M source ↗
Nutreos, a microplastic-free seed coating/seed treatment technology that upcycles plant-based co-products, is listed alongside Soileos among the company's commercialized circular-economy products.
Lucent Bio works with the Protein Industries Canada supercluster and a consortium of companies to commercialize a new micronutrient fertilizer for Canadian farmers. The Protein Industries Canada investment was announced by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Lucent Biolucentbiosciences.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Lucent Bio do?
- Lucent Bio makes climate-positive micronutrient fertilizers that bind nutrients to cellulose upcycled from crop hulls.
- Who are Lucent Bio's investors?
- Lucent Bio's investors include Angel Forum, Emmertech, Saxovent, WUTIF Capital.