Growers in 2026 are asked to manage complex pest, disease, and resistance pressures with fewer tools. Use restrictions and obsolescence have steadily shrunk the universe of available synthetic active ingredients, while the cost of commercializing a new AI now exceeds $300 million and 13 years — economics that force new molecules toward mass markets rather than targeted agronomic needs. Biologicals promise new modes of action, but as young technologies they remain unoptimized and often demand accommodation on the farm.

 

This talk presents an alternative innovation model: development over discovery. Rather than inventing new active ingredients, Vive Crop Protection applies advanced formulation and delivery technologies to existing actives, designing differentiated products with performance that the molecules alone cannot deliver. Vive uses nanotechnology to alter how AI’s move in soil, penetrate leaf tissue, and interact with other actives to increase spectrum. The approach is modular and fast, moving from ideation to market in roughly four years at a fraction of discovery costs.

​

A central focus for Vive is hybrid products, ie synthetic-biological premixes, which are rare globally and only number 13 among thousands of US EPA-registered pesticides. Hybrids treat biologicals as a strategic opportunity to pair novel modes of action with the reliability, economics, and familiarity of proven chemistries, easing resistance pressure without sacrificing performance. We will discuss the technical challenges of hybrid formulation, field validation, and what a development-led pipeline means for keeping growers' toolboxes full.