# Hiro Iwanaga

> Hiro Iwanaga is the Co-Founder and CEO of Talus Renewables (TalusAg), the company behind the world's first commercial modular green ammonia production system. A Stanford-trained engineer-turned-investor-turned-builder, Iwanaga spent years at hedge funds like Baupost Group and Silver Point Capital before channeling a decade of philanthropic green ammonia research into a full commercial venture. His technology - containerized units that turn air, water, and renewable electricity into fertilizer - is now operating in Kenya and Iowa, cutting farmer fertilizer costs by 30-50% and proving that decentralized, zero-carbon ammonia production is not a distant dream but a deployable reality.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Talus Renewables / TalusAg
- **Organizations:** Talus Renewables, TalusAg, The Leo Project (Board), Stanford LEAD Council, San Francisco Ballet (Leadership)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Science in Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Master of Science in Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Founded the world's first commercial modular green ammonia production system, First commercial green ammonia deployment in Africa (Kenya Nut Company, 2023), First local green ammonia production in North America (Iowa, 2025)

## Career timeline

- **2004** — Graduated from Stanford University with BS/MS in Management Science and Engineering
- **2008** — Funded philanthropic research at Stanford to develop modular green ammonia systems for food security in sub-Saharan Africa
- **2008-2013** — Analyst at The Baupost Group, leading investments in solar, renewables, and clean hydrogen
- **2013** — Analyst at Silver Point Capital
- **2013-2017** — Partner at PFM, LP (Partner Fund Management)
- **2017** — Co-founded TalusAg with David Toyne, commercializing a decade of green ammonia research
- **2023** — Closed $22 million Series A funding led by Material Impact and Xora Innovation/Temasek
- **2023** — Deployed first commercial green ammonia system at Kenya Nut Company's Morendat farm, reducing fertilizer costs by 30-40%
- **2025** — Launched first North American green ammonia production in Boone, Iowa with Landus cooperative
- **2025** — First US corn crop grown with American-made green ammonia (April 2025)
- **2025** — Won Gold Edison Award in Community-Based Sustainable Resources category

## Achievements

- Founded the world's first commercial modular green ammonia production system
- First commercial green ammonia deployment in Africa (Kenya Nut Company, 2023)
- First local green ammonia production in North America (Iowa, 2025)
- First US corn crop grown with American-made green ammonia (April 2025)
- Raised $22 million Series A from Material Impact, Xora Innovation (Temasek), Cavallo Ventures, and Rice Investment Group
- Gold Edison Award 2025 - Community-Based Sustainable Resources
- Scaled from philanthropic research project (2008) to commercially operating global company
- Technology deployed across three continents: Africa, North America, and Angola (2028 target)

## Latest updates

- **2025-04** — First US corn crop grown with American-made green ammonia at Landus cooperative farms in Iowa
- **2025-02** — Landus and TalusAg announced first local green ammonia production in North America at Boone, Iowa facility
- **2025** — Won Gold Edison Award in Community-Based Sustainable Resources category
- **2025** — Selected as keynote speaker at Cultivate 2025 and VERGE 2025 conferences
- **2024** — Partnership with Minbos Resources for Capanda Green Ammonia Project in Angola, targeting Q1 2028 deployment
- **2023-12** — First commercial green ammonia system installed at Kenya Nut Company's Morendat farm in Kenya
- **2023-11** — Closed $22 million Series A funding round

## Links

- Website: https://talusag.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hiro-iwanaga-0a808b168/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/hiro-iwanaga
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-14