Pivot Bio Announces Appointment of Travis Frey as Chief Technology Officer

BERKELEY, Calif. and WAYZATA, Minn., April 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Pivot Bio, one of the world’s leading innovative agtech companies, today announced the appointment of Travis Frey as the company’s chief technology officer. Frey, a leading agricultural innovator and scientist, assumes the post following the retirement of industry veteran Ernie Sanders. In this role, Frey will lead the company’s global research and development, innovation and science teams at Pivot Bio, named one of the world’s most innovative companies by Fast Company in 2024, and recently named one of the world’s top Greentech companies by Time magazine.

Frey will serve on the company’s executive leadership team, reporting to Chris Abbott, chief executive officer of Pivot Bio, and will be based at the company’s corporate office in Wayzata, Minnesota.

“We are excited to welcome Travis to the Pivot Bio team,” said Abbott. “He has a proven track record of developing and deploying new technology in agriculture across hundreds of millions of acres. As a strategic leader known for bringing science-backed innovation to every organization he has been part of, I am confident he will bring that same spirit of innovation to Pivot Bio as we focus on our strategic road map with new and transformative products.”

Frey is adept at research, development and scientific discovery work, including at large global companies like Monsanto and growth-oriented startups like Cibus. Most recently, he served as chief technology officer at Mindful Care, a health care growth company. Before joining Mindful Care, he was the chief technology officer at Calyxt, leading the company’s groundbreaking work in gene-edited crops. In addition, he contributed to the successful reverse merger between Calyxt and Cibus. Subsequently, he assumed an executive vice president position, responsible for developing the post-merger corporate strategy and sustainable products division of Cibus. During his tenure at both companies, Frey aided in the raising of over $30 million in public market funding.

His career also includes roles such as vice president of science and innovation at WISErg Corporation and various leadership roles at Monsanto Company, where he played a key part in advancing agricultural technologies and securing multiple patents.

Frey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture from The Pennsylvania State University (University Park), and a Master of Science degree in plant breeding and plant genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds a Ph.D. in plant biology and biotechnology from the University of Delaware and Dupont/Pioneer. In addition, in 2018, Frey completed an MBA at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Widely published, he has received dozens of patents on seeds, plant health, and packaging, as well as developed new genetic technologies for crop yield and disease resistance.

About Pivot Bio

Pivot Bio, one of the world’s leading innovative agtech companies, delivers to farmers patented crop nutrition technologies that harness the power of nature to reliably and productively grow the food the world needs in the face of increasing volatility.

Currently available in North America and soon in Brazil, the company’s products are a breakthrough innovation and one of the agriculture industry’s most promising climate solutions. Pivot Bio has been recognized three times by Time magazine on its annual list of best inventions, by Fast Company on its World Changing Ideas and World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies lists, by CNBC on its Disruptor 50 list of private companies, by Fortune on its Impact 20 list of startups driving social good and by MIT Tech Review as one of 15 climate tech companies to watch. For more information, visit PivotBio.com.

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SOURCE Pivot Bio, Inc