Startup of the Month: Bioo

PABLO M. VIDARTE, 21, CEO

Bioo specializes in developing new technologies that create electricity from the photosynthesis of plants. During the process of photosynthesis, plants convert energy from the sun into carbohydrates. After consuming this food, the plant expels leftover substances through its roots and bacteria in the soil breaks them down, liberating electrons in the process. Using electrodes, we catch the electrons and create a current—it’s kind of a biological battery. 

We are exploring the concept of treating a live plant as a solar panel. There are ways in which you can extract energy without harming the plant, simply by using resources that it no longer needs. We wanted to do something that was a game changer, something that wasn’t conceived as possible.

Our plan is to implement this technology across the world, starting with small products. The Bioo Pass, for example, is a plant pot that allows you to access a WiFi network without a password, which can be useful in various contexts, such as hotels or libraries. You simply tap your phone against the plant pot and it will connect to the network. We have also just released the Bioo Ed kit, which helps school children build their own biological batteries to create electricity from plants and light up LEDs. We’ve run a lot of pilot tests, and both teachers and children were astonished. They loved it.

We’re looking to implement the technology in the agricultural sector too. Farmers use sensors to measure things like humidity and sun radiation in their crops, which need electricity. If you use solar panels, it’s difficult because you have to make sure they’re not covered up or stolen. So what better way to power them than with a technology that’s hidden in the soil itself? 

Our goal is to change the way people think about the symbiosis of nature and technology. The next step is to implement the concept more broadly and to create the solar stations of the future. This technology works day and night, and is not affected by weather, so it can also work in northern countries that don’t get much sun. It’s not just about technology, it’s about protecting and nurturing trees and forests to make them bigger and healthier; they are the solar stations of the future.

Last month we presented Bioo at the European Parliament. We have been selected as one of the most innovative startups in Europe, we were featured in the Forbes European "30 under 30? list, and won the award for most disruptive startup of the year at the South Summit in Madrid last year. We’ve also had a lot of interest from investors, which is pretty cool because it has allowed us to select investors based on the most suitable benefits, such as the use of lab facilities.

Barcelona has a great approach to innovation and investing in the future. I’ve not seen that in the rest of Europe. Places like London are investing in startups, but they’re not investing that much in innovation and mostly stick to apps. We wouldn’t have got this far if we hadn’t been based in Barcelona. 

Learn more about Bioo at biootech.com.