Libsyn Directory

Algal Ambition - Algenie

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

Release Date: 08/16/2024

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

Nick Hazell, the founder of Algenie, shares his background and motivation in food and algae industries before moving to the potential of algae as a solution for carbon capture and the challenges of reducing the cost of algae production. Nick explains the evolution of algae production methods, from raceway ponds to photo-bioreactors, and introduces the helical photobioreactor developed by Algenie. He also highlights the importance of optimizing algae strains and the potential for algae to be used in various industries and applications. Nick envisions a paradigm shift where using more...

From Pits To Products - Kern Tec

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

Luca Fichtinger, one of the founders of Kern Tec, an Austrian-based upcycling food tech company, discusses their journey of turning fruit pits into new ingredients for the food and beverage industry. They have developed technologies to extract healthy fats and proteins from fruit pits and have created products such as food oils, chocolate spreads, and dairy alternatives. Luca emphasizes the importance of upcycling in reducing food waste and the environmental impact of the food industry. He also discusses the challenges of supply chains, the need for new technologies, and the importance of...

Full Fungal Fermentation - Libre Foods

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

Alan Iván Ramos, co-founder of Libre Foods, discusses the role of fungi and mycelium in alternative protein. He shares his journey from studying philosophy to joining the ProVeg Incubator and starting Libre Foods. Their first product is a fungi-based bacon that aims to replicate the taste, texture, and experience of traditional bacon without the harm. Alan also discusses the challenges of regulations, production, and the long-term vision of creating whole-cut meat alternatives. Takeaways Fungi and mycelium have the potential to play a significant role in alternative protein. Libre...

Cell-Based South Africa - Newform Foods (Mzansi Meat)

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

At 16 years old, Tasneem Karodia cut meat out of her diet for sustainability reasons. However it wasn’t until she was working in management consulting that she saw the accelerating potential of protein alternatives, and decided to leave her job to join the movement. Now as co-founder and CFO of Mzansi Meat, Africa’s first cultivated meat company, she comes on the podcast to share her story and that of the South African startup. We chat about what it was like to leave her previous job behind and the technological learning curve that came with transitioning to the sector. We also do a deep...

Compounding Cultivation - Cellivate Technologies

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

While completing his PhD in stem cell differentiation, Viknish Krishnan-Kutty realised he wanted to apply his science directly, rather than run the risk of having his research published and archived. Fast forward to now and he is the founder and CEO of Singapore-based startup Cellivate Technologies, a startup focused on enhancing and improving cell culture efficiency through the creation of edible microcarriers. In this week’s episode we speak to Viknish about what microcarriers are, as well as how Cellivate Technologies are using them to solve industry bottlenecks. We also discuss the main...

Cell-based Surimi - Fisheroo

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

One day while working as a biologist, Aaron Chua Yu Xiang had a friend who presented him with a question: why not become a pescatarian? At first he was sold however the more he began to research, the more he realised the plethora of issues - bycatch, parasites, micro-plastics - associated with the fishing industry. As a result, Aaron founded Fisheroo, a cell-based fish startup focussing on cultivating freshwater products, in particular surimi. We chat with Aaron about the difference between growing unstructured versus structured cell-based products, micro-carriers, and his thoughts on vertical...

Re-introducing Ice Cream - Pilk Foods

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

After five years of working in a top consulting firm, Pilk co-founder Alexander Pagonis wanted to try his hand at something new. With a deep cultural and family connection to ice-cream he ventured into a mission of creating an indulgent plant-based alternative. In this week’s episode we chat to Alex not only about Pilk Foods and the founding story, but also about his previous gelato startup and the valuable lessons learnt. We also talk about the ups and downs of being a founder, having difficult conversations with stockists, their approach to funding and how Pilk are choosing to do...

Alt Meat Ambition - Planted

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

From radical transparency to Guinness World Records, Planted is the alternative meat startup taking Switzerland by storm. In this week’s episode we chat to Christoph Jenny, one of Planted’s four co-founders, about his journey to starting the company and their approach to innovation. We also discuss their (literally) see-through production process, the benefits of having their own factory, and the power that can arise from being faced with a challenge. Blog:

Milk from Millet - Rainfed Foods

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

While working for a large dairy manufacturer, Sujala Balaji began to question just how sustainable the future of our food system really is. With over two decades of experience in the industry, it wasn’t long before she felt a strong sense of responsibility to make a difference. Now, Sujala is the cofounder and CEO of Rainfed Foods, an early-stage startup changing alternative dairy by tapping into the power of climate resilient crops such as millet. In this episode we chat more with Sujala about Rainfed’s mission and why millet, as well as the brand’s approach to marketing products,...

Cellular Seafood - Umami Meats

Food Meets Climate Podcast with Simon Newstead

While working on deep tech commercialisation for aquaculture, Mihir Pershad witnessed firsthand the issues facing our current seafood sector. Fast forward to now, and Mihir is the CEO of Umami Meats, a Singapore-based startup focused on cultivating seafood products. We chat to Mihir about his journey to entrepreneurship, as well as the evolution of Umami Meats as an early-stage company. We also discuss their scientific approach for deciding which species to cultivate, the benefits of focusing on B2B, biggest challenges, and most enjoyable experiences in the startup journey so far. Blog: ...

More Episodes

Takeaways

Nick's background in the food and algae industries has motivated him to explore the potential of algae as a solution for carbon capture.
The cost of algae production has been a major challenge, but Algenie is working on reducing costs through the development of the helical photobioreactor.
Optimizing algae strains and production methods is crucial for maximizing productivity and creating valuable outputs.
Algae has the potential to be used in various industries, from plastics to textiles, and can contribute to carbon sequestration.
A paradigm shift is needed, where using more algae-based products can lead to carbon sequestration and a more sustainable future.

Sound bites

Nick: “If you can find an economic reason to make all of your stuff ultimately out of algae, then what you're doing is you're making it out of carbon dioxide.”

Nick: “The trick is making sure that every algal cell gets exactly the photons it needs when it needs it”

Nick: “The helical photobioreactor solves the manufacturing cost of the photobioreactor and could be the biggest invention I've ever worked on”

Timestamps