Thanks to Dr ilan Samish, CEO and Founder of Amai Proteins, an Israeli Foodtech start-up that has developed the first sugar substitute that tastes just like sugar by redesigning sweet proteins found in the jungle and producing them for mass consumption. As an expert in computational protein design & genetics with a stellar academic career, he followed his heart and passion moving into the start-up world, with a mission of helping ween the world off its addiction to sugar. Ilan shared many nu...
Jun 14, 2023•47 min
I loved this week’s leaders on a mission conversation with Michelle Zhu, CEO and co-founder of Huue, a biotechnology start-up making sustainable dyes such as indigo blue – Think denim, and instead of using toxic chemicals, they turn sugar into a dye. When Michelle met up with an old friend Tammy Hsue from their Stanford days and started learning about the usage of toxic chemicals for color production within the fashion industry, they joined forces with a vision to disrupt the fashion industry at...
May 23, 2023•38 min
Thanks so much to Rob Hranac, CEO of Pattern Ag for coming on this week’s leaders on a mission show. By utilizing breakthroughs in genomic sequencing Pattern provides predictions about next seasons pest, disease and fertility risk to crops. Rob talks through the importance of healthy soils which are critical not just for food production, but also for climate change mitigation. Rob outlines some of the challenges as a first time CEO, and the importance of building a great culture and team. Rob ou...
May 08, 2023•38 min
It was a delight to discuss the opportunities for decarbonizing the chemical industry with Matt Lipscomb, CEO and Founder of DMC Biotechnologies. Matt talks through some fundamental lessons from the early 2000s biofuel journey and the opportunities for precision fermentation to accelerate the journey to Net Zero. Matt talks through his journey and vision in building a scalable biomanufacturing platform offering a path to transforming how the world produces chemicals. Matt reflects on the challen...
Apr 18, 2023•42 min
What a pleasure to be joined on this week's leaders on a mission podcast by climate and food tech entrepreneur Nick Halla. We had a great discussion, covering his unique journey as the first employee of Impossible Foods. Nick talks about his passion for building a more environmentally sustainable world and the opportunities that food and agriculture have to make a massive impact in helping reduce CO2 and greenhouse gas emissions. Nick outlines the growth of the plant-based sector, talks abo...
Mar 21, 2023•41 min
What a pleasure having Andre Menezes, CEO and Co- Founder of Next Gen Foods come onto this week’s leaders on a mission podcast. We discussed his deep passion for learning, growing businesses across a myriad of sectors, and the exciting growth and opportunities for Next Gen foods to deliver exceptionally tasty plant based foods, making it easy for consumers to do good for the planet. Having closed over USD 130 million worth of capital, and having launched TINDLE internationally, Andre talks about...
Feb 14, 2023•46 min
Innovation in the fields of robotics, autonomy, and deep learning across agriculture, was the focus of this week's leaders on a mission podcast with Paul Mikesell, CEO and Founder of Carbon Robotics, a mission-driven company pioneering sophisticated artificial intelligence technology, to help farmers improve crop quality and yield. As an entrepreneur and engineer, Paul spent over 20 years scaling and growing Tech companies, and I enjoyed hearing how he came to set up an Ag tech company and ...
Jan 30, 2023•34 min
Thanks so much to Steve Meller, CEO of CH4 Global, for coming on this week’s leaders on a mission podcast. Steve has a unique energy and is vastly experienced in many different fields and disciplines. With time ticking, and a rapid transformation in greenhouse gas emissions needed to limit climate disaster, Steve talks through CH4’s mission and vision to drastically reduce ruminant methane emissions through the coming decade. Having set ambitious goals to reduce the equivalent of one gigaton of ...
Jan 16, 2023•42 min
What a pleasure to welcome Yonatan Golan, Co-Founder, and CEO of Brevel, an Israeli FoodTech startup, on this week's leaders on a mission podcast show. Yonatan shares his passion for improving the world through sustainable nutrition and cutting-edge science. Yonatan talks through his vision of leading Brevel from a startup to a global innovation player, seizing up opportunities in using microalgae as a cost-competitive source for alternative protein production. Yonatan talks through the uni...
Dec 12, 2022•41 min
Great discussion on all things innovation in the food industry with Sharon Walbert, VP of Global Innovation at Bunge Loders Croklaan, on this week's leaders on a mission podcast. We spoke about some of the significant changes and trends within the food industry and how the industry is attracting new generational talent, with people attracted to creating an impact on changing the food system to help feed 8 billion people by 2050. Sharon offers some insights into the current state of the plan...
Nov 30, 2022•39 min
Great conversation on this week's leaders on a mission podcast with Co-Founder and CEO of 3 Bar Biologics, Bruce Caldwell. Having spent 20 years at P&G, I was intrigued by his journey into the start-up world of Ag Tech, the soil microbiome, and his vision for a healthier world. Bruce gives some great insights into how shifting the fermentation paradigm has created an opportunity to develop technology enabling microbial products that work more effectively, delivering Lab like quality to ...
Nov 14, 2022•38 min
As an internationally recognized leader in the AgTech world, I could have spoken for hours with AN Michiels on this week's leaders on a mission podcast. As a passionate promotor of innovation within AG Tech, An talked about the latest developments within Agriculture and how modern advances in Biotechnology and Breeding technologies are helping to drive a healthier and more sustainable future. She reflects on her career, talks through some big lessons and learnings, and offers excellent care...
Oct 31, 2022•44 min
Check out this week's leaders on a mission podcast with David Bucca, CEO, and Founder of Change Foods. Having worked for over 13 years in the aerospace industry, David made a significant career change in 2017 to realign his professional purpose with his purpose. David talks through his vision for Change Foods, a US -Australian start-up with a laser approach to developing real dairy foods that delight the taste buds, nourish people and sustain the planet by using the magic of microbes instea...
Oct 19, 2022•46 min
Thanks to JF Dechant, CEO, and co-founder of Elicit Plant, for coming onto this week's leaders on a mission show. Elicit Plant is an Ag tech innovator, producing plant-derived molecules that protect crops from drought. JF talks about his vision and mission and how the company is helping farmers manage adverse and worsening weather conditions. Coming from a career within the security and software industries, JF talks through some of the learning and challenges in adapting to the AgTech indus...
Oct 03, 2022•40 min
Another fantastic conversation on this week's leaders on a mission podcast with Virginia Corless, CEO of MoA Technology, a disruptive Ag Tech company. Virginia explains MoA's mission to feed the world's growing population efficiently, safely, and sustainably. Virginia presents the massive challenges farmers face managing herbicide-resistant weeds and how MoA was created to solve this issue by creating compelling, new-world herbicides. She talks through her journey and learnings as...
Sep 20, 2022•46 min
What a great pleasure to host Debbie Yaver, Chief Science Officer of Nature's Fynd, on this week's leaders on a mission podcast, where we went deep into the world of microbes and protein expression. We explored Debbie's career and leadership journey and her passion for science. We spoke about innovation and the exciting technologies helping companies like Nature's Fynd feed the world's 10 billion people by 2050.
Sep 05, 2022•44 min
What a pleasure to host Jason Kakoyiannis, Managing Partner and creator of Ferment Co, a company creation studio dedicated to the next wave of synthetic biology product companies. Jason has been building companies at the edge of possibility, and we explored his unique background (not many end up in Biotech with a Ph.D. in art history), his unique perspective on the future of Synthetic Biology, and his vision for creating innovative companies that are solving some of the worlds big problems, abou...
Aug 22, 2022•45 min
A big thank you to Rachel Konrad for coming on to this week's leaders on a mission podcast. Having spent the last decade of her career leading communications for some of the world's most disruptive companies, from Tesla, to Impossible Foods, she has lots to share about building world-class disruptive companies committed to making the world a better place. She shares her fascinating story and career and offers excellent advice to companies serious about building a disruptive brand. I lo...
Aug 02, 2022•54 min
In this episode, I am joined by Giovanni Battistini, innovation champion and founder of Phenotap, a disruptive wellness technology company. He reflects on his career, which took him through designing military systems from the navy and into the world of nutrition and wellness, talking through some of the principles of leading innovation across different industries. Gio explained some of the challenges and innovation work he conducted in helping reduce the burden of sugar overconsumption and assoc...
Jul 11, 2022•43 min
In this episode, I am joined by Eric O'Brien, co-founder and Managing Director of Fall Line Capital, a specialist investor in both Farmland and AgTech. Eric reflected on some of his fundamental values, shaped by his parents' sacrifices. Having embarked on a successful career in venture investment, he outlined his journey into Agricultural investment with his partner Clay Mitchell. Eric spoke about Fall Line's investment thesis and some of the market's significant technology-t...
Jun 27, 2022•51 min
In this episode, I am joined by Brad Ringeisen, Executive Director at the Innovative Genomics Institut, founded by Jennifer Doudna, to advance genome engineering to cure disease and ensure food security. As a pioneer in live-cell printing, Brad talks through his passion for applied science and innovation, helping support groundbreaking research during his time at DARPA, deploying billions into novel science and technologies, including mRNA vaccines, synthetic biology, and a whole of disruptive i...
Jun 14, 2022•45 min
In this episode, I am joined by Graham Ellis, Partner of Agri-FoodTech Venture Capital at Praesidium. Graham discusses his passion and journey for bringing new technologies to market, talking through some of the learnings while working at Honeywell, and his transition to San Francisco, working in the start-up and Industrial Biotechnology revolution. Pivoting from fuels to food and cosmetics, Graham reflected on his experience gained at Solazyme/TerraVia, which paved his way to founding an Agri-F...
May 29, 2022•44 min
In this episode, I am joined by Eli Ziskind, Partner at Aqua Capital, a private equity firm investing in sustainable Agribusiness and Food Production. Eli talks about how growing up in Israel fostered his love of entrepreneurialism and his early passion for agriculture. Eli reflected on his career, where there was an excellent opportunity for growth and disruption across Ag, leading him to advise on several high-profile IPOs and big industry deals. Eli outlined why he joined Aqua and his vision ...
May 16, 2022•47 min
In this episode, I am joined by Adam Anders, Managing Partner of Anterra Capital, a high-impact venture fund backing entrepreneurs building a healthier food system. Adam talks through his career journey, from humble beginnings on a farm in a tiny rural town in Australia to cofounding Anterra Capital with an innovative investment thesis empowering farmers to feed the world while restoring the health of our environment. Adam discusses the current innovation landscape and looks at future opportunit...
Apr 28, 2022•36 min
In this episode, I am joined by Luc Mathis, CEO of Meiogenix, a disruptive AgBiotech breeding company, helping Agriculture adjust to climate change and move away from adding chemicals to fields. Luc talks through his journey as a postdoctoral researcher to a start-up CEO position. Luc speaks candidly about the work-life challenges and traveling schedule that caused burnout. He outlined the importance of crucial mentors who helped him along the journey and talked about the mission and vision for ...
Apr 11, 2022•42 min
In this episode, I am joined by Jasmin Hume, Founder, and CEO of Shiru, a Food Biotech start-up, passionate about creating the future of food and helping feed the worlds growing population by using less of the land's resources. From a Ph.D. in protein engineering, she outlines her journey in becoming a first-time CEO and founder and some of the critical influences that helped shape her values and ideals. She spoke about the importance of great role models and her vision for a sustainable fo...
Mar 29, 2022•44 min
In this episode, I am joined by Kris Wadrop, General Manager for the CPI, the UK-based not-for-profit Technology innovation center helping companies transition their manufacturing to a greener, more sustainable future. Kris outlined some of the challenges that small companies navigate when commercializing innovative and sustainable innovation. We discussed the growth of the food, nutrition, and Industrial biotechnology marketplace and how the CPI helps organizations on the technology readiness j...
Feb 17, 2022•42 min
In this episode, I am joined by Anthony Padgett, an international Agribusiness Executive. We reflected on his career conducting deals and business across the world, and the cultural differences and challenges as it related to integrating companies together. We explored the challenges and mindset of growing a company from scratch and some of his earlier experiences that helped him in the startup environment. We reflected on the major changes within the Ag sector, particularly related to the excit...
Jan 11, 2022•43 min
In this week’s episode I am joined by Han Chen, CEO, and Co-Founder of Zeakal, a pioneering plant science company, with a strong mission in food security and meeting nutritional demands on a global scale. Han reflects on his path into venture capital and agriculture, and the importance of the very personal mentoring, by the late great Jerry Caulder who supported him as an entrepreneur and first time CEO. Han talks through his vision for a healthier world, and his commitment to bringing all parts...
Dec 06, 2021•49 min
In this week’s episode I am joined by Sekhar Boddupalli an Agri-FoodTech and Life Sciences visionary and entrepreneur. Sekhar shares the great influence of working with Nobel Laureate’s Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein on his career, as well as Johann Deisenhofofer for his work on plant photosynthesis. Sekhar talks through his career journey, and how he was able to leverage modern science and systems biology, to help drastically reduce breeding cycles, creating healthier and more nutritious an...
Nov 01, 2021•40 min
