# Gonzalo Fuenzalida-Meriz

> Gonzalo Fuenzalida-Meriz is a Chilean-born entrepreneur and CEO & Co-Founder of Andes, a California-based climate tech company that deploys beneficial soil microbes via seed coatings to permanently lock atmospheric CO2 into soil minerals. A former investment banker turned biotech founder, he led development of the world's first Microbial Carbon Mineralization (MCM) Methodology — validated under ISO 14064 — and has raised $41M+ to scale a platform that simultaneously improves farm yields and generates durable carbon credits.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Andes
- **Organizations:** Andes, Ango - Austral Biologicals, Epiphany, Banchile Inversiones
- **From:** Chile
- **Nationality:** Chilean
- **Education:** Bachelor's Degree, Business Administration, Finance, and Economics, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
- **Known for:** Co-founded Andes and raised $41M+ in venture funding from investors including Leaps by Bayer, Cavallo Ventures, Yamaha Motor Ventures, and KdT Ventures, Led development of the world's first Microbial Carbon Mineralization (MCM) Methodology, validated under ISO 14064, Scaled Andes Microprime platform to 27,000+ acres across major row crops (corn, soybean, canola, wheat)

## Career timeline

- **2010** — Joined Banchile Inversiones as Senior Wealth Manager, managing high-net-worth client portfolios
- **2013** — Founded Ango - Austral Biologicals, a Chilean biotech company
- **2014** — Left Banchile Inversiones after four years in financial services
- **2017** — Co-founded Epiphany, a biotechnology startup
- **2018** — Co-founded Andes in California, focused on microbial solutions for carbon removal and soil health
- **2021** — Led $15M Series A round co-led by Leaps by Bayer and Cavallo Ventures
- **2022** — Andes Microprime platform deployed across 27,000+ acres; partnerships with Cargill, Corteva, Nutrien
- **2023-03** — Led $30M Series A extension round to scale microbial carbon removal platform
- **2023-07** — Published world's first Microbial Carbon Mineralization (MCM) Methodology with Gold Standard
- **2023-09** — MCM Methodology validated under ISO 14064 international standards

## Achievements

- Co-founded Andes and raised $41M+ in venture funding from investors including Leaps by Bayer, Cavallo Ventures, Yamaha Motor Ventures, and KdT Ventures
- Led development of the world's first Microbial Carbon Mineralization (MCM) Methodology, validated under ISO 14064
- Scaled Andes Microprime platform to 27,000+ acres across major row crops (corn, soybean, canola, wheat)
- Secured partnerships with agricultural giants Bayer, Cargill, Corteva, Nutrien, and Wilbur-Ellis
- Established research collaborations with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Rice University, and University of Colorado Boulder
- Developed a dual-value model giving farmers 25% net income increases while generating durable carbon credits for corporate buyers

## Latest updates

- **2023-09** — Andes' Microbial Carbon Mineralization Methodology received ISO 14064 validation from Gold Standard, a first in the industry.
- **2023-03** — Andes closed a $30M Series A extension round to accelerate platform deployment.
- **2023-08** — Gonzalo appeared on the My Climate Journey (MCJ) Podcast discussing microbial approaches to carbon removal.
- **2022-05** — Featured on InnerPlant's Croptastic podcast discussing agricultural biologicals and the Andes platform.

## Links

- Website: https://andes.bio
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/gonzalo-fuenzalida-meriz-0026b931

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/gonzalo-fuenzalida-meriz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-26