CryoBio founder and CEO Murli Manohar says his CNY-based startup is developing a biological crop treatment intended to reduce frost damage. As of September 17, 2026, WBNG reported that CryoBio was one of 20 finalists in Grow-NY; that report scheduled the $1 million grand-prize announcement for November 12–13 and did not report the eventual winner.
Who is Murli Manohar?
Murli Manohar is CryoBio’s founder and CEO, according to the company’s team page. In an edited interview with Agency 29’s Spilled Salt, he described growing up in a farming family in India. A potato late-blight outbreak that devastated his family’s farm helped steer him toward agricultural science.
The interview says Manohar earned a PhD at Texas A&M, later worked at Cornell, and co-founded Ascribe Bioscience in 2017 to commercialize crop-protection research. It also describes his earlier work there and says he has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed papers and related works; those details are the interview’s account.
What does CryoBio say it is developing?
CryoBio is working on a biological crop input intended to limit ice formation and the frost damage it can cause. In a September 2026 WBNG report, Manohar described it as “a small polypeptide that we spray on the flowers before anticipated frost, and it works by reducing the freezing point of water.” That is the CEO’s explanation of a developing product, not independent confirmation of how well it performs.
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Manohar’s Spilled Salt interview describes extracting and formulating molecules, laboratory work, greenhouse testing, contract manufacturing to address scale and cost, and exploration of regulatory requirements. AgNavigator’s February 12, 2026 report, based on an interview with Manohar, said the product was derived through precision fermentation. It also reported that protection could last several days to two weeks depending on the crop, that a seed-treatment version was in development, and that production was at gram scale with plans to reach kilogram scale. Those are company-reported development details, not independently verified results.
How does CryoBio plan to validate the treatment?
Manohar’s interview emphasizes testing in growers’ fields rather than asking farmers to rely on greenhouse results alone. He described sharing early data while being direct about uncertainty: “Here’s what it looks like in the greenhouse. Here’s what it looks like in small field trials. I don’t know what it’s going to do in your field, but here’s the data. Would you like to try it?”
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AgNavigator reported on February 12, 2026 that CryoBio had almost 30 growers in New York, Maryland, and Washington lined up for five-acre field trials. Manohar told the outlet: “We are working very closely with growers. We are not bringing the data to them. We want them to test, and they bring us the data, and they tell us what we should do,” The report also quoted him saying field validation was central to success for a biological product.
These statements describe the company’s approach and planned trials, not proof that trials occurred or that the treatment works across crops and conditions. The cited reporting does not provide independently verified field efficacy results, a controlled comparison with existing frost-management methods, or a confirmed cost per acre. Those are important details for growers to assess before relying on a new treatment.
What timeline and funding have been reported?
The dates matter because the available milestones are forecasts and plans reported at different times:
| When reported | What was described | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Spilled Salt interview | Manohar aimed for field testing in spring 2026. | An interview-era target, not confirmation testing occurred. |
| February 12, 2026, AgNavigator | Almost 30 growers were lined up for five-acre trials. CryoBio had raised $1.3 million in pre-seed funding, and the company expected product release in 2028. | Reported plans and a then-current forecast, not a confirmed launch date or trial outcome. |
| September 17, 2026, WBNG | CryoBio was named one of 20 Grow-NY finalists. | Finalist status as of that report; it did not establish the competition’s eventual result. |
AgNavigator said the $1.3 million would help prepare infrastructure for a release then expected in 2028, and that scaling production from grams toward kilograms was planned after another funding round. The sources do not confirm whether the spring trials took place, whether the funding or production plans changed, or whether the 2028 forecast remains current.
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Did CryoBio win Grow-NY?
The cited WBNG story, published September 17, 2026, said CryoBio was among 20 finalists in the eighth and final round of the second annual Grow-NY food and agriculture competition. It described a $1 million grand prize and said the winner would be announced at the summit in Rochester on November 12–13. Because that story predates the scheduled announcement, it establishes finalist status only—not whether CryoBio ultimately won.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should readers make of the company’s progress?
CryoBio’s stated goal addresses a real operational challenge for growers: frost can damage crops at vulnerable growth stages. But a product description and a plan for grower trials are not the same as demonstrated performance. The practical questions are whether field results are consistent across crops and frost conditions, how long protection lasts in practice, what treatment costs per acre, and whether manufacturing and regulatory requirements can be met. The sources cited here leave those outcomes unresolved.
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For Manohar, the interview frames farmer participation as part of building both trust and a useful product: growers test it under their own conditions and return data to the company. That approach may help answer questions laboratory and greenhouse work cannot, but the reported trial plans should not be mistaken for completed validation or commercial availability.
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