How a University of Miami startup is using nanotechnology to transform agriculture
SmArT, winner of the grand prize at eMerge Americas, created technology that helps farmers apply fewer chemicals, minimize waste, and enhance crop quality.
Growing up, Shruti Choudhary’s grandparents lived two very different lives as a farmer and business owner. She never would’ve thought that years later, during her PhD program at the University of Miami, those two worlds would come together again – this time, as a startup venture.
That unexpected mix of agriculture and entrepreneurship would become the foundation of Choudhary’s research, and ultimately, her role in co-founding a nanotechnology startup alongside Pratim Biswas, PhD, the dean of the college of engineering at the University of Miami.
Their goal? Transforming farming practices for the better with nanotechnology – the science of working with materials at an extremely tiny scale (about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair).
“When I joined the PhD program at the University of Miami, I was in electrical engineering, which has no relation with nanotechnology,” Choudhary said. “But having lived with my grandparents my entire life, I found something that I could mix together with Dr. Biswas. I always liked to build products to understand how it can impact the ecosystem, climate, and our health.”
For Dr. Biswas, his interest in environmental impact started years ago at Washington State University in St. Louis, where he launched his first successful startup, Applied Particle Technology, which monitors air quality for industrial operations.
The results of that startup sparked a new interest in understanding how farmers work, and how to help them improve. Through his research leading Washington University’s Center for Aerosol Science and Technology, he and his students created Smart Aerosol Technologies (SmArT) with a mission to deliver smarter, more precise fertilization techniques that reduce waste, lower environmental impact, and improve yields for farmers using nanotechnology.
Their research started with greenhouse testing on several plants while traveling to different states, like Illinois, where they gained support from the Illinois Farm Bureau to work directly with farmers on their land and test how their product could improve agricultural practices.
“We saw firsthand how receptive farmers were to innovation,” Dr. Biswas said. “They were eager to test our technologies and see if we could help them grow more with less – less fertilizer, less runoff, less labor.”
Soon after, Dr. Biswas moved to Florida, where agriculture booms. Choudhary came along with him to continue their work.
“I was always motivated by what the farmers had to say, and how our technology was directly benefiting them,” Dr. Biswas said. “They know they have to feed the world with their production of food, but they also realize they don’t want to create side effects or negative impacts on the environment, like runoff or two much fertilizer use.”
At the heart of SmArT is a nano-fertilizer system designed to deliver nutrients more efficiently to crops using engineered nanoparticles that are tailored to different plants’ needs, and delivered through aerosol methods. Compared to conventional fertilizers, which are applied in bulk and can cause significant runoff and dangerous environmental harm, SmArT’s technology can help farmers apply fewer chemicals, minimize waste, and enhance crop quality, claiming to boost crop yields by up to 80 percent while cutting fertilizer use by up to 45x.
Their efforts are already gaining attention. After participating in the eMerge Americas Startup Accelerator, Choudhary pitched SmArT alongside five finalists to an audience of more than 3,000 people during this year’s startup pitch competition, and won the grand prize: $125,000.
“eMerge Americas definitely prepared you to pitch with their accelerator, which included an online class and mentors,” Choudhary said. “Everyone on the team had their own part to play when it comes to our startup’s journey.”
When she graduates, Choudhary will work full-time with Dr. Biswas and the startup’s second co-founder, Ramesh Raliya, to continue scaling.
With the new investment, Dr. Biswas and Choudhary are looking forward to more field trials and working with new farmers – specifically, tomato farmers in Homestead.
“I like to say that, as engineers, we are problem solvers, and entrepreneurship is in the DNA of our engineers and students at the university,” Dr. Biswas said. “It’s extremely motivating.”
SmArT wins the grand prize at eMerge Americas 2025. Shown at the top of this post: Shruti Choudhary and Dr. Pratim Biswas.
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Krysten Brenlla is the Media Relations Specialist for Jackson Health System, where she manages media relations for the health system’s cardiology, neurosurgery, rehabilitation, and Miami Transplant Institute service lines. Prior to her role at Jackson, Krysten worked at Florida International University as an Account Manager for FIU’s Office of Engagement. In 2022, Krysten obtained her master’s degree in Global Strategic Communication from FIU.
