What commercializable issue is currently unresolved in the market, and who would want such a solution?
Problem Statement
Product Definition
Our product in development, meduCA, is a microbial biocementation platform that transforms waste substrates and CO₂ into hardened calcium carbonate - enabling dual use in mine tailing remediation on Earth and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) for construction in space. On Earth, engineered microbes stabilize hazardous mine tailings by binding them into durable biocement, reducing reliance on conventional remediation methods, mitigating catastrophic risk, and lowering long-term liabilities. The process inherently consumes CO₂, which both validates biocement formation and provides the additional benefit of carbon sequestration. In space, the same system converts regolith and atmospheric CO₂ into strong building materials, enabling habitat construction and infrastructure development without heavy reliance on Earth-based supply chains. By integrating engineered organisms, mineral substrates, and CO₂, meduCA addresses hazardous material stabilization, remediation cost reduction, and resource scarcity, while providing scalable, sustainable infrastructure solutions both on Earth and beyond.
A diagram showing the different potential use cases of meduCA
Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Determination
Investors require assurances that the company they are investing in possess the requisite technical know-how and in-house expertise to deliver on the vision of the company. Here we will outline some of the quantifiable achievements that we believe will be sufficient to prove our capability to realize the Company’s vision.
Our Wet Lab team’s goal is to validate the core mechanism of Microbially-Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP). We defined three MVP criteria:
CO₂ Sequestration (Functional & Beneficial)
Quantify CO₂ consumption rates as a validation that engineered microbes are actively precipitating CaCO₃.
Demonstrate carbon-negative potential as a beneficial property of the process.
Carbonic Anhydrase Surface Display Validation
Confirm expression in multiple host systems (E. coli, Caulobacter crescentus, Synechococcus elongatus).
Validate functional activity using pH-based assays and 96-well biocementation tests.
Material Output Characterization
Demonstrate cohesion and hardening of mine tailings (Earth) and regolith (Mars) into biobricks.
Validate crystalline CaCO₃ formation with SEM/EDX.
Dry Lab
Our Dry Lab team is focused on production scale-up and structural deployment.
Bioreactor Functionality
Maintain continuous engineered cultures with productivity comparable or exceeding existing bioprocesses.
3D Bioprinter Production
Fabricate self-supporting bricks with measurable compressive/tensile strength.
Demonstrate stability suitable for remediation (Earth) and ISRU (Mars).
Customer Profile
As stated in our Product Definition, we envision that our product will be applicable in two major use cases that can be broadly separated into terrestrial and extraterrestrial (Martian) use. These use cases differ significantly, and as a result, we separately identified stakeholders for each application.
Extraterrestrial (Martian) Application
Stakeholder Table
A diagram showing the interactions between stakeholder groups for the extraterrestrial application of meduCA
Detailed Explanation
We’ve segemented our stakeholders into six main categories to organize them according to common interests or capabilities. Stakeholders may belong to more than one category:
Decision Makers: These stakeholders have the final say in the decisions that pertain to Martian settlement. They control approval for Martian settlement projects and approval for the technologies that will be used on Mars.
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), Government Space Agencies (NASA, ESA)
Economic Buyers: These stakeholder finance and/or implement biocementation technologies in space missions
Space Research Organizations, State Governments, Private Space Companies (SpaceX, Blue Origin)
Recommenders: The expertise of these stakeholders drives the validation and feasibility of using biocementation and ISRU technologies in space.
Planetary Construction Researchers, Material Science Researchers
Influencers: These stakeholders shape space infrastructure policies and promote sustainable space development.
Industry Leaders, Sustainability Advocates
Users: These stakeholders will be the ultimate users biocementation to build structures on Mars.
Astronauts, Space Infrastructure Engineers
Beneficiaries: These stakeholders stand to benefit from sustainable and self-sufficient infrastructure on Mars.
Future Space Settlers, Long-Term Space Projects
Pain and Gains
A diagram detailing the pains and gains of our solution to extraterrestrial stakeholders
Detailed Explanation
Space Stakeholders
Jobs: Develop sustainable, scalable, and resilient extraterrestrial infrastructure; enable habitat building and rapid construction with minimal labor; support sustainable in-situ resource use.
Pains: Launch mass penalties, harsh Martian conditions, process uncertainty, high material transport costs, and strict planetary protection/policy hurdles.
Gains: In-situ and closed-loop production, automated production, low transport cost, reduced reliance on Earth-bound logistics, promotes international collaboration, credibility in sustainability missions, and supports self-sufficient settlements.
Government Space Agencies
Jobs: Support long-duration missions by sourcing local materials and advancing self-sustaining habitat systems.
Pains: Compliance with planetary protection policies; ensuring materials can withstand extreme Martian conditions.
Gains: Reduced logistics burden, international credibility, alignment with sustainability goals.
Space Companies
Jobs: Pioneer efficient construction methods and unlock commercial opportunities in extraterrestrial infrastructure.
Pains: High R&D costs, legal uncertainties, unproven scaling of biological technologies.
Gains: First-mover advantage in ISRU, licensing and partnership opportunities.
Research Institutions
Jobs: Advance biocementation science, validate performance, and test microbial/material resilience in extreme environments.
Pains: Limited access to analog environments, high funding barriers, need for cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Gains: New research platforms, funding/publication opportunities, credibility in biotech + space sustainability.
Earth Application
Stakeholder Table
A diagram showing the interactions between stakeholder groups for the terrestrial application of meduCA
Detailed Explanation
Decision Makers: These stakeholders hold the authority to approve, fund, and regulate mine remediation projects, ensuring compliance with environmental protection standards.
Government of Canada (Natural Resources Canada, Infrastructure Canada), Provincial Environmental Ministries, Mining Firm Executive Boards (Teck Resources, Barrick Gold)
Economic Buyers: These stakeholders provide financial resources or directly invest in remediation initiatives, motivated by cost savings, liability reduction, and meeting sustainability mandates.
Recommenders: Technical experts and independent bodies that provide credibility, assessments, and guidance on the adoption of biocementation as a remediation method.
Engineering Consultants (BGC Engineering, SRK Consulting), Academic Researchers (UBC, McGill, University of Toronto), Environmental NGOs (Sierra Club Canada, MiningWatch Canada)
Influencers: These groups shape regulations, policies, and industry standards for tailings management and remediation technologies.
Policy Makers (Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, BC Environmental Assessment Office), International Standards Organizations, Indigenous Advisory Councils, Sustainability Leaders
Users: Stakeholders directly implementing and managing remediation projects in the field.
Mine Remediation Contractors (Stantec, JDS Mining, Golder Associates), On-Site Environmental Engineers, Mine Site Rehabilitation Teams
Beneficiaries: Communities and groups who experience direct improvements from safer, more sustainable remediation practices.
Indigenous Host Communities, Local Communities near mine sites, Environmental Agencies monitoring ecosystems, Future Land-Use Developers (reclaimed land projects)
Jobs/Pains/Gains
A diagram detailing the pains and gains of our solution to terrestrial stakeholders
Detailed Explanation
Mining Companies
Jobs: Contain and stabilize mine tailings, comply with environmental regulations, reduce liability, and ensure safe site closure.
Pains: High remediation costs, instability of tailings facilities, long-term environmental liabilities, and scrutiny from the public and investors.
Gains: Lower costs of remediation, reduced liabilities, carbon/emission offsets, potential for site repurposing, and improved ESG ratings and public perception.
Pains: Limited affordable and reliable enforcement tools, dependence on costly or temporary remediation approaches, and challenges ensuring transparency.
Gains: Demonstrable ecosystem protection, improved compliance visibility, reduced monitoring burden, and strengthened public trust in environmental oversight.
Government Regulators
Jobs: Develop and enforce remediation policies, safeguard environmental protection, and align mining activity with sustainability goals.
Pains: Balancing industrial growth with environmental protection, inconsistent compliance among operators, and pressure from both industry and communities.
Gains: Measurable progress toward sustainability mandates, stronger regulatory credibility, reduced political and economic fallout from mine disasters, and recognition for advancing sustainable practices.
Remediation Contractors & Engineers
Jobs: Deploy effective remediation solutions, stabilize tailings, ensure regulatory compliance, and design long-term containment strategies.
Pains: Technical challenges in stabilizing heterogeneous tailings, costly deployment, and limited access to innovative and scalable technologies.
Gains: Access to carbon-negative, adaptable remediation technologies that provide measurable stabilization, continuous containment, and integration with existing site workflows.
Local & Indigenous Communities
Jobs: Advocate for environmental safety, ensure community health and livelihoods, and participate in sustainable land reclamation.
Pains: Exposure to contaminated water and land, erosion of trust in mining companies, and limited power in closure decision-making.
Gains: Cleaner local environments, lasting reductions in pollution, reclaimed land available for development, carbon offsets contributing to climate goals, and stronger inclusion in remediation planning.
Customer Segment Determination
To facilitate effective marketing and outreach to potential customers, we aggregated the potential stakeholders that may be potentially involved with the purchase and use of biocementation technologies into major segments according to common characteristics.
Segment
Customer Jobs
Pains
Gains
Mining Companies (Earth)
Stabilize tailings, reduce liability, ensure compliance, close sites safely.
