BioVirtus: Antonio Carlos Zem's new company

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The new company from the founder of Biotrop was created with a focus on solutions that protect plants, increase energy efficiency in the field and help minimize the effects of global warming on agriculture.

From Biotrop to BioVirtus

Less than two years after leading the building of Biotrop, Antonio Carlos Zem is back as an entrepreneur with BioVirtus. In 2024, following an agreement with the Belgian holding company that now controls Biotrop, Zem stepped down as CEO to dedicate himself to a new cycle, keeping his focus on innovation in sustainable agricultural inputs.

With a background in Chemistry and decades of experience in the sector, the entrepreneur sees BioVirtus as a company “adjacent to biologicals”: highly specialized solutions that fit with modern crop management but go beyond the traditional crop protection model.

Watch the full interview

Want to hear this vision directly from Antonio Carlos Zem and understand in detail how BioVirtus is positioning itself in this new landscape? Watch the video below:

Plant sun protection and energy at the core of the strategy

Energy is at the heart of BioVirtus. One of the portfolio highlights is the transparent plant sunscreen, designed to reduce the damage caused by climate imbalance and rising radiation in agricultural regions ever closer to the Equator.

The first product, mineral-based, is already on the market and well received. The goal is to protect crops sensitive to “sunburn”, such as fruit, as well as grain crops. Zem, who also grows grapes and mangoes, knows firsthand the challenges of maintaining productivity safely in high-sunlight environments.

Soybean and corn are also part of this picture. In the fields, it is common to see leaves curling, scorching or drying out from excess heat. With the sunscreen, BioVirtus aims to reduce this stress, preserve active leaf area and, consequently, sustain the plants' yield potential.

New technologies in development

Another BioVirtus research front focuses on solutions capable of concentrating the light bands most favorable to photosynthesis, increasing the plants' energy-use efficiency.

“If we have products that raise photosynthetic capacity and thermal comfort, we will have more productive plants,” sums up the project's vision. Early results are considered very promising, with a success rate Zem estimates at around 70% in this segment.

Seaweed and botanical extracts are also on BioVirtus's radar, following a path similar to the one that drove the growth of biologicals in recent years. The company is evaluating proprietary and third-party technologies, with the possibility of licensing and partnerships to speed up bringing new products to market.

Market outlook and sector recovery

For Zem, the current difficulties in the inputs market are part of a downturn cycle. Recovery is expected to begin around 2026, but it will require adjustments across the entire chain.

On the side of chemical multinationals, pressure to hit targets and growing competition from generics make it harder to sustain results with the “old model”. In distribution, working only on price, high inventories and financial incentives can compromise the sustainability of the business.

In Zem's assessment, resellers and distributors need to take a leading role, with efficient market access and a focus on delivering real value to growers. Having technology and registration is not enough: you need to understand the end customer, provide technical support and protect the margins of those on the front line.

The turning point for biologicals

Like the entire inputs sector, the biological products market is also feeling the effects of the crisis. Growth continues, but with less momentum than in previous years. According to Zem, the difference will lie in the degree of innovation and the ability to generate new generations of technology.

Many companies emerged with “first-generation” solutions. Those that remain only at this level tend to lose competitiveness, while new players and more advanced products enter and reshape the sector's margins.

For the founder of BioVirtus, the next big turning point will come with the launch of an effective and economically viable bioherbicide, capable of competing with traditional chemicals at scale. He believes few companies will be able to deliver this solution consistently – and he wants to position BioVirtus among them.

“Over the next five or six years, biologicals are likely to take an ever-larger share of market value, overtaking part of chemical crop protection,” Zem projects. BioVirtus was created precisely to contribute to this transition, offering innovation, science and sustainability to farmers.

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