Grow Everything Biotech Podcast

Gerit Tolborg, CEO and co-founder of Chromologics, joins Karl and Erum to explore how filamentous fungi can replace synthetic and plant-extracted food dyes with a fermentation-derived red pigment called Tellurin. Gerit shares how a PhD discovery in Denmark led to a venture-backed startup producing a tasteless, odorless, and highly vibrant natural color that performs across processed food categories, from cured meats to bakery to dairy. The conversation covers the real economics of bio-based colorants (including the critical concept of cost-in-use versus kilo price), the challenges of scaling downstream processing from a two-liter reactor to industrial CMOs, and how regulatory pathways at the FDA and EU's FSA are evolving to accommodate fermentation-derived ingredients. Gerit also makes a compelling case for fermentation as a tool for decentralizing and de-risking global supply chains, freeing agricultural land from color crop production and building resilience against climate and geopolitical disruption.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Science News: A Sulfur Exoplanet and What It Means for Extremophile Life
• (00:03:45) - Is Biotech Winter Over? New IPOs and the Industrial Biotech Outlook
• (00:08:45) - Introducing Gerit Tolborg and the Chromologics Origin Story
• (00:10:15) - Discovering Novel Fungal Pigments During a PhD in Denmark
• (00:13:15) - How Fermentation Produces a Tasteless, Odorless Red Pigment
• (00:16:30) - Color Vibrancy, Purity, and Competing with Synthetic Dyes
• (00:19:00) - Building a Mission-Driven Team in the Post-COVID Purpose Economy
• (00:20:45) - Color as the Forgotten Ingredient and Main Purchase Decision Driver
• (00:23:00) - Navigating FDA and EU Regulation for Novel Food Colors
• (00:25:45) - The GMO Perception Gap Between Europe and the US
• (00:27:30) - Scaling Fermentation: Downstream Processing and Cost Realities
• (00:30:15) - Cost-in-Use vs. Kilo Price: The Real Economics of Bio-Based Color
• (00:34:15) - Target Markets: Meat, Bakery, Dairy, Cosmetics, and Beyond
• (00:37:15) - Clean Labels, E-Numbers, and Naming a Novel Ingredient
• (00:42:00) - Quick Fire Round and Host Takeaways

Links and Resources:

• Chromologics
• Chromologics raises $ bring its natural colour ingredients closer to market 
• Chr. Hansen - Color House (now Novonesis)
• Scientists found new sulfur-rich exoplanet
• Tickets for the GE Live Event with Roebling 
• BioInnovations Events - For 25% off use code: Grow Everything

Topics Covered:

fungi pigments, bio-based colorants, fungal dyes, natural pigments, sustainable color, food colorants, synthetic dyes alternatives, antioxidant pigments, food and beverage, clean ingredients

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

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Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media

Ricky Cassini, CEO of Michroma and a former logistics professor turned biotech founder, breaks down why replacing synthetic food dyes is harder than it sounds—and why fermentation-based colorants can outperform both petrochemical dyes and many plant-based “natural” extracts. The conversation covers the core technical constraints that matter to food companies (thermal stability, pH stability, coloring power, flavor neutrality, and supply reliability), why fermentation behaves more like manufacturing than farming, and how regulatory shifts are accelerating demand for bio-based reds and whites (including titanium dioxide alternatives). For an audience following the future of materials and biomanufacturing, this episode is a practical look at how industrial fermentation can modernize a legacy supply chain while meeting performance and consumer expectations.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Cold open: “Are we eating printing ink?” + beverage innovation
• (00:06:55) Conference mode + introducing Ricky Cassini (Michroma)
• (00:11:05) How a strategy consultant became a fungal pigments CEO
• (00:14:10) Pigment vs dye: soluble vs dispersed (coffee analogies)
• (00:16:05) The “food contradiction”: healthy intent, petrochemical reality
• (00:18:40) Why plant-based reds struggle (cost, stability, supply chain)
• (00:22:35) Pricing confusion: cost per kilo vs cost-in-use (paint analogy)
• (00:26:05) What colors Michroma is starting with (red, yellow/orange, white)
• (00:28:05) Performance specs that matter: heat, pH, light, flavor, reliability
• (00:30:05) Labeling: “Red 40 / Yellow 5” vs natural naming + how novel fermented colors may be listed
• (00:33:05) Go-to-market: choosing categories where stability is the bottleneck (dairy, bakery, snacks, vitamins)
• (00:35:15) Unexpected use cases: aquaculture (salmon) + packaging inks that can migrate into food
• (00:36:55) Manufacturing strategy: partnering with CJ vs building plants; “time compression” and capex discipline
• (00:38:10) Scaling pressure points: regulatory timeline + the time/capital reality for novel ingredients
• (00:39:45) 5–10 year vision: same bright foods, but colors made via microbes (supply chain shift)
• (00:40:35) Quickfire round: fluorescent food-grade pigments, Gantt charts, and GMO marketing
• (00:41:40) Wrap + host outro + upcoming episodes and partner promo

Links and Resources:

• michroma
• Michroma says fermentation will power next wave of natural colors
• 2025 1st Place Winner of The Future is Fungi Awards
• 159. The Future Is Fungi Awards: From Mushroom Dreams to Real-World Things
• CJ bio - Global Fermentation
• World Bio Markets - Our new partners
• BioInnovations Events - For 25% off use code: Grow Everything
• World Bio Markets - Podcasts
• Mars Snacking
• Molecule Manifesto - Advanced Biotech for Sustainability Report
• Tickets for the GE Live Event with Roebling 

Topics Covered:

fungi pigments, bio-based colorants, fungal dyes, natural pigments, sustainable color, food colorants, synthetic dyes alternatives, antioxidant pigments, food and beverage, clean ingredients

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

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Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media

Recorded live during DC Climate Week, the Grow Everything team sits down with investors Veronica Breckenridge, Jillian Chase, and Michael Luciani to unpack the real state of the US bioeconomy race with China, why fermentation and scale-up capacity are a persistent bottleneck, and how policy, non-dilutive funding, and better founder execution can close the gap. The panel argues that the US still leads in innovation, AI, and robotics, but needs faster, clearer regulatory pathways and smarter go-to-market strategy, including focusing on high-margin “profit pools” first, designing for manufacturability and downstream processing, and building consumer demand through clearer storytelling about health and product benefits.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Live from DC Climate Week: intro and panelist lineup
• (00:06:00) US vs China: how real is the biomanufacturing gap
• (00:12:00) Policy signals: DOD, DARPA, and non-dilutive funding
• (00:18:00) Biggest bottleneck: fermentation infrastructure and scale-up capacity
• (00:24:00) The “graveyard” lessons: downstream costs and manufacturability
• (00:30:00) Go-to-market strategy: profit pools vs TAM, and unit economics
• (00:36:00) Consumer storytelling: health, microplastics, and demand creation
• (00:42:00) AI + robotics: how they change the bioeconomy race
• (00:48:00) What unlocks US biomanufacturing: regulation and faster pathways
• (00:54:00) What to watch next: RNA, peptides, and proof of profitable companies

Links and Resources:

• D.C. Climate Week
• Graveyard Report
• NSCEB
• SynBioBeta Pass - Discount code: Grow Everything 

Topics Covered:

bioeconomy, biomanufacturing, synthetic biology, fermentation, biological materials, industrial biotech, US-China competition, venture capital, bio-based supply chain, biodiversity

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

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Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media

Karl and Erum talk with Jesse Adler, founder of Pitri, about why color is not just aesthetic, but chemical, biological, and deeply tied to human and environmental health. Jesse traces their path from biomolecular science and biodesign into building fungal pigments that can replace synthetic and animal-derived colorants, starting with the beauty industry as a high-margin, ingredient-driven entry point.

The conversation explores how consumer expectations and industrial infrastructure were built around petrochemical dyes, why biological materials are often unfairly judged against synthetics, and what it takes to create drop-in, high-performing pigments from living systems. Along the way, Jesse reframes color as a functional feature in nature, shares early experimentation stories, and points to future opportunities like multifunctional pigments and the “holy grail” of opaque white.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Spring in Brooklyn, the BioD series, and why nature’s colors feel “high definition”
• (00:02:55) The Allbirds “AI pivot” and what meme-stock dynamics look like in real time
• (00:04:55) A major biotech IPO and the rise of in-licensing drugs from China
• (00:10:10) Spain’s investment into Boston biotech and signals of a thawing biotech winter
• (00:12:35) Introducing Jesse Adler and Petri: fungi-grown pigments for beauty
• (00:15:05) Jesse’s origin story: biomolecular science, creative making, and discovering biodesign
• (00:18:05) A “molecular worldview”: how materials constantly interact with our bodies and environments
• (00:20:20) The history of synthetic dyes and the hidden costs of “best available” color
• (00:23:45) What Petri’s pigments should feel like: drop-in performance plus better provenance
• (00:26:10) Early lab experiments, unexpected outcomes, and learning through making
• (00:29:15) Color as function in nature: UV protection, stress response, and antimicrobial roles
• (00:31:30) Lessons from Pangaia: lab-to-launch gaps, scale, and the mismatch of expectations
• (00:37:20) Working with living systems: consistency, fermentation “witchcraft,” and honest partnerships
• (00:40:10) Why petrochemical infrastructure matters: machines, print heads, and manufacturing risk
• (00:42:35) Where fungal pigments disrupt first: beauty vs textiles vs food
• (00:47:45) A future where colorants are multifunctional, not inert
• (00:51:10) Quickfire: misunderstood colors, surprising pigment use, and the “holy grail” of opaque white
• (00:55:05) Wrap-up: why the color revolution is just beginning

Links and Resources:

• Pitri Bio
• To Dye For - Alden Wicker
• 75. Dye Another Day: The New Way to Color Textiles with Colorifix's Orr Yarkoni
• 176. Dare to Commercialize: Damien Perriman’s eXoZymes Playbook
• 15. Meet the Willy Wonka of Algae. Elliot Roth
• D.C. Climate Week 2026 (April 20th - 26th)
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden
• Allbirds AI Pivot
• Kailera breaks IPO record $625M
• SynBioBeta Pass - Discount code: Grow Everything 

Topics Covered:

fungi pigments, bio-based colorants, fungal dyes, natural pigments, sustainable color, cosmetic colorants, synthetic dyes alternatives, antioxidant pigments, ingredient storytelling, clean beauty ingredients

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

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Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media

In this replay episode of Grow Everything, Karl and Erum catch up after recent travel, reflect on a standout mainstream biotech article about biology reshaping the global chemical industry, and discuss why “tissue-on-a-chip” experiments in space matter for long-duration missions. They then kick off a deeper dive into bio-based dyes by revisiting their interview with Orr Yarkoni, co-founder and CEO of Colorifix, who explains how engineered microbes can both produce and directly deposit pigment onto textiles to dramatically reduce toxic chemistry, water use, and energy demand compared to conventional dyeing. The conversation covers why black and high-performance reds remain the hardest colors to replace, how Colorifix approaches scale-up through distributed on-site fermentation hardware, and what it takes to meet the real-world fastness and safety standards that brands and mills require.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Travel catch-up and what the hosts have been thinking about lately
• (00:05:30) Mainstream biotech gets it right: biology as “Mother Nature’s R&D lab” for the chemical industry
• (00:07:15) Artemis and why deep-space biology experiments matter
• (00:08:40) Project Hail Mary and communicating across radically different biology
• (00:12:55) Why this season is focusing on bio dyes, and why textiles are a key wedge industry
• (00:16:55) Interview begins: Orr’s background and the pivot from arsenic biosensing to dyeing
• (00:20:15) How conventional textile dyeing works, and why it is so chemically and water intensive
• (00:24:10) What Colorifix does differently: microbes that make dye and fix it onto fabric
• (00:27:10) Performance realities: lightfastness, washfastness, and why “green but fragile” is not sustainability
• (00:29:35) Finding pigments in nature, choosing the right biosynthetic routes, and translating them across materials
• (00:34:20) Who buys what: dye houses, mills, and how the business model works
• (00:36:55) Scaling fermentation the hard way: standardizing hardware and enabling on-site production
• (00:40:05) Hardware basics and the economics of bioreactors for commodity chemicals
• (00:44:05) Worker health, safer chemistry, and toxicity testing across the full process
• (00:46:05) Where you can find Colorifix in-market, and which materials are trending
• (00:49:00) Color priorities: why blue is easiest, and why black is the biggest challenge
• (00:51:15) Regulation tailwinds: why some black chemistries are being phased out
• (00:55:15) The future: bio-manufacturing everyday goods at scale
• (00:58:45) Orr’s film recommendation: The Man in the White Suit
• (01:00:00) Closing: upcoming live recording at DC Climate Week and SynBioBeta

Links and Resources:

• Colorifix 
• 75. Dye Another Day: The New Way to Color Textiles with Colorifix's Orr Yarkoni
• Tracking the removal of Petroleum-based Food Dyes 
• Food Safety and Health Concerns of Synthetic Food Dyes
• National Geographic Spider Silk
• Artemis Mission - Lunar Flyby
• DC Climate Week
• SynBioBeta Pass - Discount code: Grow Everything 

Topics Covered:

industrial biotech, synthetic biology, biomanufacturing, microbial fermentation, engineered microbes, sustainable textiles, bio-based dyes, textile dyeing process, green chemistry

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

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Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media

Damien Perriman, Chief Commercial Officer of eXoZymes and the commercial lead behind the NCTx spinout, breaks down why cell-free biomanufacturing changes the rules for scaling nature’s rare molecules. Damien explains why the team spun NCTX out as a separate commercial vehicle, what it means to successfully transfer a process to a partner manufacturer (including a milestone Cayman validation), and why NCT (n-trans-caffeoyl tyramine), a trace compound found in peppercorns and hemp seed husks, has drawn so much attention as the only known agonist of HNF4A, a metabolic “switch” tied to mitochondrial function.

The conversation also covers the logic behind launching first in supplements, how to build credibility in a crowded category through safety and product consistency, how regulatory timelines shape strategy, and why industrial biotech needs to move from platform-first stories to molecule-led business cases that match real market demand.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Welcome, introductions, and why tech transfer matters
• (00:02:10) Why eXoZymes spun out NCTX to commercialize faster
• (00:03:30) Cayman scale-up milestone: 99% conversion and 99.6% purity
• (00:05:20) What the Cayman validation proves for product delivery and partners
• (00:08:10) Why launch NCT in supplements first, and what GRAS enables
• (00:10:00) Building credibility in supplements: safety, purity, and consistency
• (00:12:05) What HNF4A is, and why NCT is the only known agonist
• (00:14:30) What’s next: more human use studies, dose regimens, and GLP-1 adjacencies
• (00:16:00) NCT vs GLP-1s: “metabolic restoration” and where it might fit
• (00:18:10) “Natural” vs safe and effective: what really matters
• (00:21:00) Examples of trace natural molecules scaled for human use
• (00:22:30) GRAS + FDA timelines: how they’re navigating regulatory reality
• (00:26:00) The Molecule Manifesto: why industrial biotech needs molecule-led business cases
• (00:31:00) How eXoZymes chooses what to work on (idea management system)
• (00:33:00) Vision: what success looks like in 5–10 years
• (00:35:00) Quickfire: NCT in ice cream, NCT as “WALL-E,” and other rapid takes
• (00:38:10) What people misunderstand about cell-free biomanufacturing
• (00:40:00) Wrap-up + post-episode reflection

Links and Resources:

• eXoZymes
• Interview: Cayman Chemical validates eXoZymes' technology and scalability
• eXoZymes’ Cell-Free Biomanufacturing Platform Gets Positive Feedback from Cayman Chemical
• eXoZymes on LinkedIn
• Damien Perriman - new CCO
• 129. No Cells? No Problem! eXoZymes' Michael Heltzen on the Future of Microbe-Free Biotech
• 29. Gut Check with Stephanie Culler: Persephone’s Quest for Microbiome Breakthroughs
• 170. There's a Bug for That: Sophia Xu on CarbonBridge's Notebook Bioreactors
• 166. The Great Reformulation: Joshua Lachter Rethinks How We Make Everything at Scale

Topics Covered:

cell-free biomanufacturing, industrial biotech, NCTx, HNF4A, metabolic switch, tech transfer, CDMO, supplements vs pharma, GRAS, purity and consistency

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grow Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media

Mari Granstrom, founder and “chief executive activist” of Origin By Ocean, joins the Grow Everything podcast to explain how massive seaweed blooms, driven by nutrient pollution and eutrophication, can become a regenerative feedstock for bio-based and biodegradable chemicals. Mari shares how a career in industrial biochemistry, plus years of scuba diving and growing up near the polluted Baltic Sea, shaped their mission to transform invasive sargassum into high-performance ingredients that can replace many oil-derived inputs in everyday products. The conversation covers the scale of the sargassum problem across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, how Origin By Ocean processes seaweed into “white powders” customers can use in cosmetics and nutraceuticals, and why the future of climate entrepreneurship needs diversity, integrity, and business models that restore ecosystems instead of extracting from them.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Seaweed is the oil we never used
• (00:01:00) Karl’s Hidden Brain live show story + talking to strangers
• (00:03:00) Spring break travel + staying plugged into biotech
• (00:04:05) Pfizer Oscars ad: what “breakthrough” messaging gets right
• (00:08:15) Echo Biotech + NYC’s biotech network, from biomaterials to investing
• (00:11:10) Meet Mari Granstrom and Origin By Ocean (how they met at Climate Week)
• (00:14:00) Mari’s path: biochemical expertise inside big chemical companies
• (00:16:25) Eutrophication 101 + spotting seaweed blooms as future biomass
• (00:19:20) The sargassum crisis: 40–60M tons/year in the Caribbean + Gulf
• (00:21:00) Is this just a Gulf issue? Baltic Sea vs “real oceans”
• (00:23:00) Turning research into a real biorefinery business
• (00:25:00) “Chief executive activist”: science, entrepreneurship, advocacy as one role
• (00:28:05) How seaweed can replace oil-derived functionality in everyday products
• (00:30:10) Regenerative value chains vs ESG (doing less harm vs net-positive)
• (00:33:00) Why diversity (backgrounds, not just demographics) drives better solutions
• (00:34:00) Future-casting: where marine biomass will (and won’t) make sense
• (00:37:00) Quickfire: ocean’s passive-aggressive text, algae blooms, nudibranchs
• (00:40:00) Demo products: cosmetics, hair growth, makeup + showing customers potential
• (00:41:00) Wrap-up reflections (seaweed as feedstock, alternate history)

Links and Resources:

• Mari Granstorm episode links
• SynBioBeta Pass - Discount code: Grow Everything 

Topics Covered:

fermentation, biomanufacturing, yeast, Lallemand, enzymes, biofuels, xylose, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, genomics, synthetic biology

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grow Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media

Kevin Wegner, VP of R&D at Lallemand, joins Karl and Erum to share three decades of wisdom from the frontlines of industrial fermentation. From his gateway into the industry through homebrewing beer to leading global teams that deliver high-value microbial products at billion-gallon scale, Kevin reveals why a 1% improvement in ethanol yield translates to massive economic value, how his team engineered yeast strains that produce both enzymes and ethanol simultaneously, and why scaling from large to even larger bioreactors requires solving genetic and environmental puzzles simultaneously. The conversation explores Lallemand's century-long evolution from baker's yeast to cutting-edge synthetic biology, the untapped potential of xylose and complex sugars for expanding biomanufacturing feedstocks, and Kevin's vision for anaerobic fermentation, digital twins of cells, and biodegradable materials with perfectly tuned lifecycles. Whether you're fascinated by the microbial diversity hiding in America's public lands, curious about why sour beer yeast is a game-changer for Brooklyn craft brewers, or wondering how fermentation could revolutionize water treatment and replace single-use plastics, this episode unpacks the science, strategy, and scale needed to grow everything.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Flux capacitor, compost heat, and New York City garbage as fuel
• (00:03:10) - AI regulation and “synthetic beings”
• (00:06:00) - Shoutouts and recent hangs (Paul Shapiro, Superorganism, The Wooly)
• (00:09:40) - Longevity + a sauna networking event
• (00:13:30) - Advanced Biotech for Sustainability report + introducing Kevin Wegner
• (00:15:50) - Kevin’s origin story: chemistry, microbiology, and homebrewing beer
• (00:17:00) - Early lessons in large-scale fermentation and scale-up realities
• (00:22:00) - What Lallemand does today and who they serve
• (00:33:40) - How legacy fermentation drives innovation (including sour beer yeast)
• (00:37:30) - America’s Living Library Act, Molecule Manifesto, digital twins, and “anaerobic everything”
• (00:46:40) - Quickfire round + plastics moonshot
• (00:49:30) - Wrap-up and upcoming events (DC Climate Week, SynBioBeta)

Links and Resources:

• Lallemand
• Lallemand Patent Approval
• Novel Yeast- Mascoma, Lallemand Jointly Marketing the New Product
• ⁠SynBioBeta Pass⁠ - Discount code: Grow Everything 

Topics Covered:

fermentation, biomanufacturing, yeast, Lallemand, enzymes, biofuels, xylose, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, genomics, synthetic biology

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grow Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media

What if the oldest miners on Earth weren't humans at all—but microbes that have been extracting metals for billions of years? In this episode, Karl and Erum sit down with Liz Dennett, founder and CEO of Endolith, who's deploying extremophile microbial communities to unlock up to 1.9x more copper from existing mine heaps at industrial mining sites across the US. Liz shares her journey from growing up in resource-rich Alaska to pioneering bio-leaching technology that's tackling a critical challenge: we need more copper between now and 2050 than humanity has produced in its entire history—and every data center, EV, and AI query depends on it. But here's what makes this conversation different: Liz isn't trying to disrupt mining, she's working with it, bringing "purple-haired PhD energy" to one of the world's most conservative industries through safety-first culture, collaboration over competition, and under-promising, over-delivering results. This episode reveals why biology might be our best tool for responsible resource stewardship and what it really takes to bring breakthrough biotechnology into legacy industrial systems—plus, the copper oxidation series on Liz's nails.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - Welcome to the Show: Microbes, Mining, and the Copper Crisis
• (00:01:53) - The PowerPoint-Google Slides Software Saga
• (00:03:47) - Meeting Clients In Person: Building Deeper Connections
• (00:05:05) - Erum's Panel Experience and the HairDAO Moment
• (00:06:56) - Mining, Microbes, and Copper in the Human Body
• (00:08:59) - Why Copper Matters for AI and Electrification
• (00:11:00) - Introducing Liz Dennett: From Alaska to Endolith
• (00:12:43) - Growing Up in Alaska: Natural Resources as Lived Reality
• (00:14:00) - The Moment Biology Met Mining
• (00:15:00) - What is Heap Leaching? Visualizing the Process
• (00:17:00) - Recovery Rates and Why 10% More Copper is Monumental
• (00:18:00) - Biology's Surprises: Communities Over Single Organisms
• (00:19:43) - Extremophiles: Microbes That Love Sulfuric Acid
• (00:21:00) - Dirty Biology: Engineering Control vs. Biological Adaptability
• (00:23:00) - Building Trust in a Conservative Industry
• (00:25:00) - Culture at Endolith: Safety, Feedback, and Snacks
• (00:27:00) - Validation Work and Customer-Specific Testing
• (00:28:00) - How Data, Biology, and Infrastructure Shape Resource Thinking
• (00:30:00) - The Copper Crisis: More Needed by 2050 Than Ever Before
• (00:33:00) - When Does Biology Work? Redox Reactions and Metal Recovery
• (00:34:00) - GMOs vs. Wild Type: The Labradoodle Analogy
• (00:36:00) - Bio-Leaching Evolved: Not Just One Microbe, A Full System
• (00:38:00) - Collaborating with Rio Tinto Nuton and Gunnison Copper
• (00:40:00) - Force Multipliers, Not Mine Operators
• (00:41:00) - The Copper Oxidation Series on Liz's Nails
• (00:42:00) - The 10-Year Vision: Biology as a Standard Mining Layer
• (00:44:00) - Quick Fire Questions: Wilderness vs. Mine Site, Copper vs. Lithium
• (00:45:00) - The Unwavering Playlist and Fundraising Energy
• (00:47:00) - Wrap-Up and Final Thoughts on Collaboration and the Energy Transition

Links and Resources:

• Links and resources Doc
• SynBioBeta Pass - Discount code: Grow Everything 

Topics Covered:

biomining, Copper, mining, microbes, bioleaching, heap leach, extremophiles, energy transition, electrification, critical minerals, industrial biotechnology

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grow Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media

Protein engineering has traditionally been slow, expensive, and stuck in trial-and-error mode—but AI is changing everything. In this episode, we sit down with Elise De Reus, co-founder of Cradle Bio, to explore how generative AI is revolutionizing the way scientists design proteins for medicines, enzymes, and sustainable materials. Elise shares her journey from studying fungi and building high-throughput strain engineering systems at companies like Zymergen and Perfect Day, to creating an AI-powered platform that helps R&D teams generate better protein variants in less time and at lower cost. We discuss the massive design space of proteins, the role of machine learning in navigating that complexity, how Cradle balances computational predictions with biological reality, and what it will take for the bioeconomy to reach its trillion-dollar potential. Whether you're in pharma, industrial biotech, or just curious about the future of biology as a design problem, this conversation offers a fascinating look at how AI is becoming an essential tool for engineering the building blocks of life.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) - The AI Revolution Meets Biology
• (00:01:00) - Why Erum Switched from ChatGPT to Claude (And What It Means for AI)
• (00:03:00) - Lab-Grown Meat Just Got Real: The Breakthrough That Changes Everything
• (00:06:00) - The Roadmap to a Trillion-Dollar Bioeconomy: Inside the AB4S Report
• (00:08:00) - Proteins 101: The Molecular Machines Running Your Life
• (00:10:00) - From Studying Fungi to Building AI Tools: Elise De Reus's Origin Story
• (00:12:00) - Inside Cradle Bio: The AI Studio Transforming How Scientists Design Proteins
• (00:15:00) - The "Short, Fat Data" Problem: Why Protein Engineering Needs Different AI
• (00:18:00) - Finding Needles in Infinite Haystacks: How Generative AI Navigates Protein Space
• (00:23:00) - When AI Is Confident But Wrong: Balancing Predictions with Biological Reality
• (00:27:00) - Speed vs. Caution: Why Pharma and Industrial Biotech Innovate Differently
• (00:30:00) - The $500 Billion Question: What's Really Blocking the Bioeconomy?
• (00:35:00) - Success Stories: How AI Unstuck Projects That Were Going Nowhere
• (00:38:00) - Sequence vs. Structure: Which AI Models Win at Protein Design?
• (00:41:00) - The Future Is Here: Better Data, Faster DNA Assembly, and Smarter Tools
• (00:43:00) - Quick Fire: Elise's Hot Takes on Biotech's Biggest Questions
• (00:47:00) - Biology as a Design Problem: Why This Changes Everything

Links and Resources:

• Cradle
• Turning lab-grown yeast into edible scaffolding
• SynBioBeta Pass - Discount code: Grow Everything 
• 166. The Great Reformulation: Joshua Lachter Rethinks How We Make Everything at Scale

Topics Covered:

protein design, protein engineering, biotech, lab automation, biomanufacturing. synthetic biology, AI drug discovery, directed evolution, biologics, computational biology, enzyme optimization

Have a question or comment? Message us here:

Text or Call (804) 505-5553

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grow Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Music by: Nihilore 

Production by: Amplafy Media