BERKELEY, Callif. (KGO) — If you love the entrepreneurial drama of “Shark Tank” or the high stakes competition of “American Idol,” UC Berkeley has its own version playing out this week – and it involves cow farts.
A team of six Berkeley students is representing the university in the Atlantic Coast Conference InVenture Prize, a prestigious competition showcasing the best student entrepreneurs across the ACC. Their startup, MoFarm, aims to capture methane from dairy cows and turn it into something far less polluting – and far more profitable. Two of the team members were on ABC7 Eyewitness News at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, and talked with ABC7 Eyewitness News anchor Kristen Sze.
As the students say in their pitch video: “For the first time ever, we are able to capture farmers’ valuable waste and turn it into cash… so join us, MoFarm, in turning emissions into earnings, and farts into fuel.”
A Berkeley Idea With Real World Stakes
Team members Ethan Foong and Tom Blake, both undergraduates, say the idea started in an engineering class.
“We met in an engineering class,” Blake told us. “We came up with using metal organic frameworks… these incredible materials that can capture gases at really low concentrations. We were looking for a place we could really do some good with them.”
That search led them to the dairy industry – where farmers are struggling financially, and methane emissions remain a major climate challenge.
How It Works
MoFarm installs a system inside dairy barns that vacuums up methane cows naturally emit. The gas is filtered using advanced materials developed at UC Berkeley and then sold as renewable natural gas. Farmers get a share of the revenue.
“It helps farmers keep farming for a product they’re already producing – and that’s currently just wafting away,” Blake said.
Their process is based on the scientific breakthrough discovered by UC Berkeley Professor Omar Yaghi, for which he won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Testing With Local Farms
The team is already piloting the technology with Bay Area partners.
“We’re working with a couple farmers out in Marin,” Foong said. “We’ve been in contact with the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, who’s really excited to help us.”
MoFarm’s customers include Straus Family Creamery and Clover Sonoma as they refine methanesensing and airflow modeling inside barns.
“We’re really trying to understand how the air wafts throughout the barn,” Foong said. “Once we have that, we can hone down the design and move toward a full prototype.”
The Competition: Berkeley on the National Stage
The ACC InVenture Prize brings together student innovators from 15 universities. Teams pitch live – very Shark Tank – to a panel of judges. The finals take place Friday at the University of Notre Dame, where MoFarm will compete for funding, visibility, and the title of top student startup.
How Viewers Can Support MoFarm
Audience support plays a role in the competition, and the team is encouraging Bay Area viewers to get involved. Text “Cal” to 415-965-7445 to vote or visit MoFarm to learn more.
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