Backed by 40 years of research, Frenzy is ready for the future.

1984

While working on his PhD at Northern Arizona University, Dr. Ken Paige first discovers wildflowers that have been grazed on by mule deer and elk experience an incredible regrowth which outpaces the non-damaged plants.

1985-1987

Dr. Ken Paige conducts fieldwork to back up his observations and publishes the first clear evidence that herbivory can increase reproductive success, known as overcompensation. In the publication, Dr. Paige points out that this phenomenon could lead to selective breeding in crop plants of the desirable traits that lead to overcompensation. He then joins the University of Utah as a postdoctoral fellow to study molecular genetics and continue his work. 

1988-2011

Dr. Paige joins University of Illinois as an Assistant Professor and continues studies on overcompensation. He expands his work to include students, who also see overcompensation in the field. Dr. Paige’s findings challenge the long-held beliefs that herbivory damage causes harm and he continues to support his findings on overcompensation. He determines what happens on a molecular genetic level to further support and defend his findings.

2012-2016

Dr. Paige and PhD student, Daniel Scholes along with other graduate students, have a scientific breakthrough. Together they identify the gene that triggers overcompensation in Arabidopsis. During this time, Ken and his students further define how to trigger overcompensation- removing the apical meristem. They also discover that in addition to a yield increase, other positive benefits are triggered.

2017

Cody Jones joins Ken’s lab as a PhD student and begins testing and researching soybeans, to assess if soybeans endoreduplicate like previous studies indicate. They succeed! Dr. Paige and Jones have success triggering overcompensation in soybeans.

2018

Dr. Paige files his first patent through the University of Illinois and along with Ag Entrepreneur Dr. Chris Harbourt, Frenzy Crop Systems, Inc. is founded with the goal to increase crop yields and trigger other benefits. 

2019-2022

The Frenzy team takes lab observations to the field. Frenzy’s first field trials in soybeans are conducted. The first patent for RevCell- the overcompensation response- is secured. 

2023

Dr. Paige develops and tests the first chemical spray triggering RevCell, the compensatory response in crops. A chemical application to trigger RevCell opens the door for commercialization. Dr. Paige and Dr. Harbourt begin to find additional team members. 

2024

  • Frenzy secures initial funding from Frenzy Founding Farmers
  • Frenzy hires founding team
  • Investors see Frenzy results in the field for the first time
  • Large scale field trials conducted with repeated results across commercial soybean varieties with positive results
  • Commercial Spray Tests conducted

2025

Frenzy engages the Ag community and begins publicly talking about its results and commercial potential. Frenzy expands field trial program

1984

While working on his PhD at Northern Arizona University, Dr. Ken Paige first discovers wildflowers that have been grazed on by mule deer and elk experience an incredible regrowth which outpaces the non-damaged plants.

1985-1987

Dr. Ken Paige conducts fieldwork to back up his observations and publishes the first clear evidence that herbivory can increase reproductive success, known as overcompensation. In the publication, Dr. Paige points out that this phenomenon could lead to selective breeding in crop plants of the desirable traits that lead to overcompensation. He then joins the University of Utah as a postdoctoral fellow to study molecular genetics and continue his work. 

1988-2011

Dr. Paige joins University of Illinois as an Assistant Professor and continues studies on overcompensation. He expands his work to include students, who also see overcompensation in the field. Dr. Paige’s findings challenge the long held beliefs that herbivory damage causes harm and he continues to prove his findings on overcompensation. He determines what happens on a molecular genetic level to further prove and defend his findings. 

2012-2016

Dr. Paige and PhD student, Daniel Scholes along with other graduate students, have a scientific breakthrough. Together they identify the gene that triggers overcompensation in Arabidopsis. During this time, Ken and his students further define how to trigger overcompensation- removing the apical meristem. They also discover that in addition to a yield increase, other positive benefits are triggered.

2017

Cody Jones as a PhD student joins Ken’s lab as a PhD student and begins testing and researching soybeans, hoping to show that through endoreduplication, they can also increase yields in a commercial crop. They succeed! Dr. Paige and Jones have success triggering overcompensation in soybeans. 

2018

Dr. Paige files his first patent through the University of Illinois and along with Ag Entrepreneur Dr. Chris Harbourt, Frenzy Crop Systems, Inc. is founded with the goal to increase crop yields and trigger other benefits. 

2019-2022

The Frenzy team takes lab observations to the field. Frenzy’s first field trials in soybeans are conducted. The first patent for RevCell- the overcompensation response- is secured. 

2023

Dr. Paige develops and tests the first chemical spray triggering RevCell, the compensatory response in crops. A chemical application to trigger RevCell opens the door for commercialization. Dr. Paige and Dr. Harbourt begin to find additional team members. 

2024
  • Frenzy secures initial funding from Frenzy Founding Farmers
  • Frenzy hires founding team
  • Investors see Frenzy results in the field for the first time
  • Large scale field trials conducted with repeated results across commercial soybean varieties with positive results
  • Commercial Spray Tests conducted
2025

Frenzy engages the Ag community and begins publicly talking about its results and commercial potential. Frenzy expands field trial program

Business is our nature.

At Frenzy, we share a drive to unleash the natural potential of plants. We are scientists and ag business leaders, working side-by-side to bring transformational change to agriculture through the power of plants and partnerships.

Ken Paige, PhD

Founder, President & Chief Science Officer

Read Bio

Chris Harbourt, PhD

CEO & Co-Founder

Read Bio

Cody Jones, PhD

Staff Scientist & Co-Founder

Daniel Scholes, PhD

Vice President, Science

Jason Little

Vice President,
Operations

Dan Perkins, PhD

Director of Development & Regulatory

Mathew Duncan, CPSS/CPAg/CCA

Director of Agronomy

Mike Mrozik, PhD

Staff Scientist & IT Specialist   

Chris Holmes, PhD

Staff Scientist & Business Manager

Anthony Gregorio

Head of Finance, Corp Dev

Fabian A Pallo Rivadeneira

Staff Scientist

Carla Vandivier

Executive Administrator

Eric Sauter

Program Manager

Ted Harbourt

Brand & Marketing Advisor

Ryan Schon    

Advisor, Frenzy Product Manager

Jerry Flint, PhD    

Commercial Advisor

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ken paige
Ken Paige, PhD

Founder, President & Chief Science Officer

With over 40 years of experience in evolutionary ecology, molecular genetics, and conservation biology, Ken is a leader at the forefront of integrating research and education in the biological sciences. Ken most recently served as a Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior at the University of Illinois, where he served a 12-year period as Department Head and a key member of various interdisciplinary initiatives.

In addition to being a frequent published contributor, Ken has served as Editor-in-Chief of Conservation Biology, guiding one of the leading journals in the field. He has held leadership positions in academic societies, such as the Ecological Society of America and the Society for Conservation Biology. His work has earned him the title of Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the prestigious Arnold O. Beckman Award for research innovation and as a Levenick Teaching Fellow, recognizing his excellence in teaching.

Ken holds a B.S. in Wildlife Management and an M.S. in Biology from Arkansas State University, a Ph.D. in Evolutionary Ecology/Zoology from Northern Arizona University and was a Postdoc at the University of Utah merging the fields of ecology and molecular genetics. He is actively involved in mentoring the next generation of scientists and regularly serves on advisory boards and editorial panels.

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chris harbourt
Chris Harbourt, PhD

CEO & Co-Founder

With more than 25 years in leadership positions at the intersection of science, agriculture, engineering, and business, Chris leads Frenzy’s efforts to leverage science and deep industry connections to develop new profitability opportunities.

Most recently, Chris served as Global Head of Carbon and Chief Strategy Officer at Indigo Ag, creating the industry’s first scalable, high quality, and scientifically rigorous carbon credit program for farmers. Prior to Indigo Ag, Chris served as CEO of AirScout and co-founder and CEO of Agrible. He is a Board member for various companies and an advisor to venture firms and M&A advisories, and actively invests in ag tech as the managing partner of Hatch Ag Group.

Chris holds a B.S. in Biological Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech and a Master and PhD in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where, since 2009, he has served as adjunct faculty for the Crop Science and Ag & Bio Engineering departments helping students on paths to entrepreneurship in agriculture.

Frenzy believes partnerships are the key to success.

Backed by our Frenzy Founding Farmers our pre-seed investors are among the largest soybean farmers in the US and combined represent over 500,000 soybean acres.

University of Illinois and Frenzy are continuing to build on this strategic
relationship as we enjoy the UIUC Research Park ecosystem building connections and our business.

For more than 70 years, Brandt has provided innovative solutions to farmers and producers. Brandt began partnering with Frenzy in 2023 and in 2025 became one of our lead investors, fueling innovation and bringing us closer to commercilization.

An investor since 2025, EGE is working with us to enhance the effectiveness of our chemical applications.