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Erum and Karl dive into the fascinating world of the skin microbiome with Natalie Enslow, CEO and co-founder of Fjor. Natalie shares her journey from marketing to biotech, explaining how her brand is revolutionizing skincare by embracing the power of beneficial bacteria. She discusses the importance of microbial diversity, the challenges of launching a biotech-driven skincare brand, and how Fjor's enzyme-powered formulations are designed to support rather than replace the skin’s natural microbiome. The conversation also touches on the future of gender-neutral skincare, the intersection of biotech and entrepreneurship, and why the beauty industry needs a serious science-backed shake-up.
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:
Links and Resources:
Topics Covered:
biomanufacturing, biotech startups, biotech investing, biomanufacturing pilot plants, Houston economic development, synbio
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Karl and Erum sit down with Veronica Breckenridge, founder of First Bight Ventures, to discuss how the convergence of biology and technology is driving the biggest innovations of the 21st century. Drawing from her deep tech background, including her time at Apple, Veronica explores rapid advancements in genome sequencing, AI-driven biotech, and the vast untapped potential of microbes, emphasizing why now is the time to harness biology to tackle global challenges in health, nutrition, sustainability, and manufacturing. From synthetic biology startups to biomanufacturing at scale, this episode delves into the future of biomaterials and how venture capital can accelerate the next wave of biotech breakthroughs—making it a must-listen for anyone interested in scaling biotech innovations, investing in the bioeconomy, or exploring the intersection of computation and biology.
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:
Links and Resources:
Topics Covered:
biomanufacturing, biotech startups, biotech investing, biomanufacturing pilot plants, Houston economic development, synbio
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Karl and Erum sit down with Massimo Portincaso, founder of Arsenale BioYards, to discuss the urgent need to rethink how we scale biomanufacturing. Massimo shares why today’s approach to industrial biotech—modeled after biopharma—is fundamentally flawed and how Arsenale is flipping the script. From nature co-design to AI-driven strain selection, he lays out a bold vision for scaling bio-based production in a way that is economically viable and industrially scalable. If you care about the future of precision fermentation, sustainable materials, and the bioeconomy, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss!
Learn more at www.messaginglab.com/groweverything
Links and Resources:
Arsenale Bioyards
Farm.One
Common Side Effects (TV series)
Nature Co-Design report
Genomatica aka Geno
Officinae Bio (now Maravai Life Sciences)
"Scaling Cells, Dreaming Big: The Biomanufacturing Cloud with Synonym’s Edward Shenderovich"
Topics Covered:
Biomanufacturing, bioreactors, downstream processing, upstream processing, bioengineering, bioeconomy, italian biotech
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media
Flavors, fragrances, and the science behind what makes things smell and taste amazing—Karl and Erum explore this world with Bob Weinstein, a legend in the industry who has spent decades at Firmenich, Robertet, and now Bedoukian Research. Bob takes them on a journey from the early days of animal-derived scents (yes, civet was a thing) to the rise of biotech-powered ingredients that are shaping the future of sustainable fragrance and flavor. They get into the art and science of scent, the challenges of scaling biomanufacturing, and why companies, much like organisms, have to evolve to survive. Plus, Erum shares her experience making her own perfume—though Bob has some thoughts on her ingredient choices.
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:
Links and Resources:
Topics Covered:
Biotech beauty, flavors and fragrances, corporate leadership, perfume, taste, bioengineering
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media
In this episode of Grow Everything, Karl and Erum sit down with Dr. Glennis Mehra, the absolute powerhouse behind BioLabs at NYU Langone, to talk about what it really takes to build a biotech startup in New York City. From how to deal with imposter syndrome to finding funding in a capital-constrained world, Glennis shares hard-earned insights on how founders can survive (and thrive) in one of the toughest, most exciting biotech ecosystems on the planet. They get into the magic of founder-to-founder collaboration, why biology’s complexity is finally getting the respect it deserves, and whether AI is about to make lab work obsolete (spoiler: it’s not). Plus, Erum debates whether traveling to Mars just to eat lettuce is worth it.
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:
Links and Resources:
Topics Covered:
Biotech, Business, NYC, Innovation, Incubator, Accelerator, Startups, Biomanufacturing
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media
Erum and Karl get into the nitty-gritty of evolution, automation, and space microbes with Erika DeBenedictis—CEO of Pioneer Labs, a computational physicist, molecular biologist, and all-around biotech explorer. They chat about her wild career path from JPL and Sandia National Laboratories to engineering microbes for Mars and running an academic lab dedicated to Robotics-Accelerated Evolution (yes, that’s as cool as it sounds). You can expect to hear all about AI-driven protein design, the future of fully automated science, and why programmable experiments might just be the next CRISPR. Plus, a little existential musing on whether life on Earth is just beta-testing for the universe.
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:
Links and Resources:
Topics Covered:
Mars, soil microbes, space biotech, genetic engineering, biotech, bioeconomy, research and development
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media
In this special Grow Everything episode swap with The Climate Biotech Podcast, Erum and Karl introduce a mind-blowing conversation with the one and only George Church. If you’re into synthetic biology, you already know he’s a legend—co-founding 50+ biotech companies and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with DNA. In this episode, George talks about scaling microscopic innovations to solve massive global challenges—think rewilding ecosystems, bio-mining for new molecular tools, and engineering biology to fight climate change. He even throws out wild ideas like testing space colonies on Earth before heading to Mars. Stick around after the episode for Erum and Karl’s takeaways and a heads-up on a funding opportunity from Homeworld Collective!
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 – Microscopic, but make it massive
00:00:17 – Erum and Karl are back—let’s grow everything
00:00:36 – The Homeworld Collective: where biotech meets climate
00:01:44 – Enter George Church (yes, that George Church)
00:03:34 – From river dolphins to rewriting life—George’s early days
00:05:25 – Synthetic biology’s glow-up (and growing pains)
00:07:18 – Climate biotech: hurdles, hype, and huge potential
00:11:32 – Can biotech be infinitely scalable and atomically precise?
00:21:36 – Inorganic synthetic biology: when life meets metal
00:24:50 – Biotech's biggest climate bets—what’s next?
00:27:02 – Genetic engineering, but make it ecosystem-sized
00:29:04 – Space colonies on Earth? Let’s test before Mars
00:37:26 – Rapid-fire Q&A—George Church vs. the audience
00:39:49 – Curiosity is the best lab equipment—George’s advice
00:42:26 – Final thoughts from Karl and Erum, next steps, and a funding opportunity
Topics Covered:
Genetic engineering, biotech, bioeconomy, research and development, climate biotechnology
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media
Doug Friedman joins the podcast to talk about one of the toughest challenges in biotech—how to survive long enough to actually make an impact. As the head of BioMADE, he's on a mission to build a bioindustrial manufacturing ecosystem that doesn’t just rely on wishful thinking and a single grant check. He explains why most biotech startups get only "one shot on goal" (spoiler: they miss, they’re done) and how we can fix that. Think of it like debugging a bad DNA sequence—you need iteration, not instant perfection. Doug also discusses how government funding is shaping the future of biomanufacturing, why biology today is where semiconductors were in the ‘80s, and why scaling biology might just need its own version of Moore’s Law.
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 – Fail Fast or Fail Forever – Why biotech startups need more than one shot on goal
00:00:27 – AI Shake-Up – DeepSeek changes the game (and the stock market) overnight
00:01:01 – China vs. AI – What a hedge fund, government crackdowns, and new algorithms have in common
00:02:19 – Power Hungry AI – Why data centers might outgrow the energy grid before we’re ready
00:03:36 – DeepSeek’s Disruption – What it means for AI, efficiency, and the future of computing
00:04:13 – Innovation Under Pressure – How limitations create the best breakthroughs
00:05:46 – Mind Reading? – The wild world of telepathy research and what it means for biotech
00:07:45 – Quantum Strangeness – Exploring dimensions beyond what we can see
00:09:17 – Longevity Hacks – The Brian Johnson experiment: biohacking or billion-dollar placebo?
00:12:48 – Biomanufacturing is Booming – Why the future of production is biological
00:28:35 – PFAS Panic – 3M halts production, and microelectronics scrambles for solutions
00:30:53 – BioMADE’s Master Plan – How industry collaboration is making biomanufacturing real
00:36:56 – Government Meets Biotech – Bridging public and private sectors for impact
00:38:44 – The Bioeconomy is Here – What it means for industries beyond biotech
0:42:29 – Talk to Your Legislators – How to get policymakers to care about biotech
00:46:08 – The Hardest Part of Biomanufacturing – What innovators need to overcome
00:50:42 – Biomanufacturing’s Future – The biggest opportunities waiting to be unlocked
00:52:46 – Final Thoughts – Wrapping up lessons from the frontier of biotech
Links and Resources:
BioMADE
Homeworld Collective (Apply today!)
The Climate Biotech Podcast
DeepSeek Wipes $1 Trillion from Tech Share Prices
The Telepathy Tapes
Don't Die, The Man Who Wants to Live Forever
Rapamycin
General Probiotics
Antheia
Schmidt Sciences
Liberation Labs
Topics Covered:
biomanufacturing, collaboration, public private partnerships, distributed biomanufacturing, longevity biotech, telepathy, tech
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media
Noah Helman, co-founder of Industrial Microbes, unpacks how his team is giving ethanol a glow-up as a renewable feedstock for creating advanced polymers and sustainable carbon fibers. With a decade of experience in the trenches of biomanufacturing, Noah discusses how they’re engineering microbes to work smarter, not harder, tackling the challenges of cost, scale, and environmental impact. From leveraging industrial partnerships to envisioning a future where waste becomes the ultimate raw material, Noah delivers sharp insights with a side of microbial magic, proving that biology is not just life—it’s a powerhouse of innovation.
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:
Episode Links:
Topics Covered: Biomanufacturing, acrylic acid, acrylonitrile, carbon nanofibers, industrial microbes, biotech startups, spaceships, accelerators, synbio investments
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media
Erum and Karl have an incredible chat with Nick Edwards, the innovative mind behind Potato AI. Nick goes into the inspiration behind the platform's unique name, rooted in childhood curiosity and scientific wonder, and shares his journey from neuroscience research to building a groundbreaking tool aimed at accelerating scientific discovery. He explains how Potato tackles the overwhelming deluge of scientific literature and the reproducibility crisis using AI to structure and analyze data in transformative ways. With stories from his own career, a stint in consulting, and running his podcast "Once a Scientist," Nick discusses the future of AI, science, and collaboration. This episode has amazing insights into how technology is reshaping the very fabric of research.
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:
Episode Links:
Topics Covered: Research, AI research assistant, AI Scientist, Biotech, Lab Automation, Reproducibility
Have a question or comment? Message us here:
Text or Call (804) 505-5553
Instagram / Twitter / LinkedIn / Youtube / Grow Everything
Email: [email protected]
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media
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