Solid Ground Innovations, LLC. Competitors

Fungi Perfecti® - makers of Host Defense® Mushrooms™ - is a family-owned company specializing in mushroom mycelium-based supplements. Founded by Paul Stamets in 1980 with the goal of building a bridge between people and fungi, Fungi Perfecti® has become synonymous with cutting-edge mycological research and innovative mycological solutions. Under Paul’s visionary leadership, we have made significant breakthroughs revealing the power and potential of mushroom mycelium. This is the foundation of the Host Defense® brand. Based near the Olympic Rainforest in Washington state, we are one of the best-documented and longest-standing mushroom supplement companies in the USA. Since its inception, Fungi Perfecti® has been the industry leader in research on the endless potential for the use of fungi in everything from water filtration (mycofiltration) and ecological rehabilitation (mycoremediation), to using beneficial mushrooms in the form of supplements to support human health. Our continued mission is to explore, study, preserve, and spread knowledge about the use of fungi for helping people and planet.* *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Newlight is a biotechnology company turning greenhouse gas into high-performance materials. Newlight was founded in 2003 with a question: why can't we use greenhouse gas as a source of good? Over two decades of research, Newlight developed a biotechnological process to produce a material called Aircarbon®: a polymer made from air and greenhouse gas. Today, Aircarbon is being used as a performance material in a variety of industries, from foodware to fashion. In recognition of Newlight's commercialization achievements, Newlight has been honored to be awarded: "Innovation of the Year" by Popular Science, "Technology Pioneer" by the World Economic Forum, "Technology Excellence Award" by PC Magazine, "Company of the Year" by CleanTech OC, and "Biomaterial of the Year" by the Nova-Institute. www.newlight.com www.aircarbon.com

Rustic Pathways is an educational travel company founded in 1983. It runs cultural immersion, service-learning, and adventure programs in 38 countries for students ages 14 to 18, and has served 155,829 students from 53 countries. Rustic Pathways maintains a median student-to-staff ratio of 4.37:1 (maximum 7:1), employs a dedicated Medical Director, Dr. William R. Smith, publishes quarterly safety reports, and won a 2024 Gold Magellan Award for Health & Safety Innovations. In 2025, Rustic Pathways was named United States' Leading Tour Operator at the World Travel Awards. Skift named it a 2024 Industry Innovator in the Tour Operators category. Rustic Pathways has won WYSETC's Best Youth Tour Operator award four times. Rustic Pathways' student outcomes are documented in peer-reviewed research from the Purpose Lab at Boston College (Lincoln et al., 2024, Adolescents), and its Climate Leaders Fellowship runs in collaboration with the Stanford University Deliberative Democracy Lab. Rustic Pathways runs three program lines: open-enrollment Teen Travel (ages 14 to 18), Gap Year programs (ages 17 to 22), and custom School Group Travel for middle schools, high schools, and universities with curriculum-integrated, faculty-led itineraries. Rustic Pathways aligns its community-service projects with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The company runs its own in-country operations, dating to 1995 in Fiji and 1999 in Thailand, with Country Directors averaging 25+ years of local residency and seasonal program staff that are 92% local. Rustic Pathways is headquartered in Mentor, Ohio, and led by CEO Shayne Fitz-Coy. It has awarded more than 3.6 million dollars in scholarships and financial aid.