Grow Everything Biotech Podcast

53 minutes 44 seconds

202. Setting Sail for Biotech Scale: Jenny Rooke Steers Innovators at Genoa Venture

Genoa Ventures founder and managing director Jenny Rooke joins Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez to explore bioconvergence, the expanding frontier where biology meets AI, automation, materials science, and real world business building. Drawing on her journey from physics and genetics to venture capital, Jenny explains why durable bio based companies must pair novel science with clear customer demand, disciplined scale up, and a path to meaningful commercial value. The conversation examines lessons from early synthetic biology, the realities of biomanufacturing at scale, next generation clinical assessment tools, and why founders working between traditional tech and biotech categories need investors who understand both.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Climate Week, bioliteracy, and biology as a climate solution
(00:03:00) America’s Living Library Act and the case for sampling public lands
(00:07:00) State microbes, public engagement, and the future of bioliteracy
(00:10:00) Erum’s biomanufacturing course and designing food safe colors
(00:15:00) Introducing Jenny Rooke and Genoa Ventures
(00:17:00) From physics and genetics to investing in science based companies
(00:20:00) The Genoa sail: founder autonomy, trust, and avoiding fatal mistakes
(00:22:00) What defines a bioconvergence company
(00:24:00) Why biotechnology needs a broader frame than pharma
(00:26:00) Lessons from synthetic biology’s first wave and the impact of AI
(00:28:00) Matching company timelines to biology, markets, and venture returns
(00:29:00) The future of clinical assessment tools and actionable health data
(00:32:00) Diagnostics, consumer data, and the difference between insight and infotainment
(00:34:00) Why bio based businesses can offer investors a different risk profile
(00:37:00) Why industrial biotechnology companies fail and what scale up requires
(00:40:00) Biomanufacturing, commercial readiness, and Genoa’s newest investment
(00:42:00) What Genoa is watching across tools, biology, and manufacturing
(00:45:00) Jenny’s four word credo and the founder mindset
(00:48:00) Closing reflections on bioconvergence and building the bioeconomy

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

bioconvergence, deep tech venture capital, synthetic biology investing, biomanufacturing, life science tools, clinical diagnostics, industrial biotech, bioeconomy

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

9 October 2026, 11:00 am

50 minutes 4 seconds

201. Out of Cell Experience: Michael Heltzen Drives Pure Chemistry at eXoZymes

Michael Heltzen, CEO of Exozymes, joins Grow Everything to explain how cell free biomanufacturing is opening new possibilities for natural products, nutraceuticals, and medicines. Michael shares why engineered enzymes can make high purity molecules without relying on living cells, how Exozymes moved its NCT program from discovery toward commercial manufacturing in less than two years, and why its capital light partnership model is central to scaling impact. The conversation also explores AI guided enzyme design, digital twins for manufacturing, rare cannabinoids, downstream processing, and the disciplined focus required to turn a broad biotechnology platform into real products.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Michael Heltzen and the Exozymes mission
(00:05:00) Why cell free manufacturing can unlock inaccessible natural products
(00:10:00) Combining molecular biology, computation, and AI guided enzyme design
(00:15:00) From laboratory platform to industrial scale production
(00:20:00) Commercial partnerships and the NCT market opportunity
(00:25:00) Rare cannabinoids and a new toolkit for medicinal chemistry
(00:30:00) The capital light licensing model for biomanufacturing
(00:35:00) Downstream processing, purity, and investor skepticism
(00:40:00) The future of sustainable enzyme driven chemical manufacturing
(00:45:00) Key takeaways on focus, partnerships, and platform innovation

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

cell-free biomanufacturing, enzyme engineering, exozymes, biosynthesis, cannabinoids, NCT (N-trans-caffeoyltyramine), synthetic biology, AI-driven enzyme design, scalable bioproduction, sustainable chemicals

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

2 October 2026, 11:00 am

1 hour 28 minutes

200. That's One Cell of a Machine: Jason Kelly of Gingko Automates Labs to Accelerate Discovery

For the 200th episode of Grow Everything, Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan talk with Jason Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks and former chair of the US National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, about why biology is still so hard to engineer. Jason explains why a cell is the only coded substrate we have besides a computer, why the real bottleneck is tooling rather than ideas, and why Ginkgo moved from royalty based research partnerships to selling robotic hardware and lab data as a service. Using a subway, car and Waymo analogy, he separates automation from autonomy and makes the case for replacing the manual lab bench, which eats roughly 97 percent of research spending while running 40 hours out of 168. He walks through Ginkgo's Boston system of 105 robots running 24/7, new autonomous labs for MIT, Caltech, Northwestern and the University of Maryland, and the OpenAI project where GPT-5 ran 30,000 experiments a week and beat state of the art in cell free protein synthesis by 40 percent. He also lays out the policy stakes as drug discovery shifts to China, and why the day biology becomes predictably easier to engineer, biotech gets bigger than tech.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) A cell is a machine that can do a million other things
(00:07:00) AI data centers, contamination, and the waste to value opportunity
(00:14:00) Biosecurity, guardrails, and who is accountable for AI in biology
(00:21:00) Ginkgo's mission: programming a computer you did not design
(00:28:00) Why Ginkgo reset its business model from royalties to tools and data
(00:34:00) Subway, car, Waymo: what an autonomous lab actually means
(00:41:00) Inside Nebula: 105 robots, 24/7 lab work, and autonomous labs for MIT and Caltech
(00:47:00) The end of experimental scarcity and what scientists do next
(00:54:00) Offshoring biotech to China and the policy fix Jason wants
(01:01:00) Simulating cells, Moore's law for biology, and the markets beyond pharma

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

autonomous labs, laboratory robotics, AI in biotechnology, synthetic biology, bioengineering, biological automation, data as a service, biotech infrastructure, cell engineering, programmable biology

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

25 September 2026, 11:00 am

49 minutes 29 seconds

199. Space, the Final Fermenter: Mario Maggio Brews Biology in Orbit with Ambrosia Space

Biology may be the most important technology we take off planet, and Mario Maggio is building the hardware to prove it. The founder and CEO of Ambrosia Space joins Erum Azeez Khan and Karl Schmieder to explain why space bioprocessing has been stuck at 10 to 20 milliliters while bench scientists on Earth work at 250 milliliters and beyond, and what changes when a two and a half liter fed batch bioreactor with pH, dissolved oxygen, and total cell density sensors finally flies. Mario traces his path from aerospace propulsion and the Nova C lunar lander at Intuitive Machines to life support systems at Paragon and Axiom Space, and the realization that biology is the best CO2 scrubber, oxygen source, and chemical factory available for long duration missions where petroleum, farms, and easy resupply do not exist. The conversation digs into the engineering reality of fluids and gas in microgravity, why glass and ceramics never fly, the stainless steel and aluminum builds that replace them, the intentional and unintentional bacteria that come with building a bioreactor from scratch, and the NASA TechLeap winning CellSep continuous flow centrifuge that carries cells and secreted products into downstream processing without gravity. Mario also lays out the near term commercial case, from protein crystallization and monoclonal antibodies that behave differently in orbit to biofuels, vitamin production, medicines, and the big silver tanks that will feed astronauts because there will be no farms or cattle. He offers a candid read on artificial gravity gradients, why the Moon matters for building large vehicles in space, and why the same hardware that grows yeast for beer on Mars becomes the root of better biomanufacturing on Earth. Erum and Karl open with field notes from Bio Innovations North America in Omaha, including Midwest feedstock advantage, consortia momentum, the 30 percent of cost hiding in downstream processing, and why Smucker and Mars are actively scouting biotech innovators.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Why Biology Is the Best Commercial Case for Space
(00:04:52) Bio Innovations North America and the Midwest Bioeconomy
(00:07:21) Why Smucker and Mars Are Scouting Biotech Innovators
(00:11:42) Inside Ambrosia Space: Bioreactors Built for Orbit
(00:15:24) Scaling Past 150 Milliliters: Space Biology's Volume Problem
(00:18:12) Stainless Steel, Leaks, and Why Glass Never Flies
(00:21:36) NASA TechLeap and the CellSep Continuous Flow Centrifuge
(00:26:08) Protein Crystals and Monoclonal Antibodies Made in Microgravity
(00:31:22) Artificial Gravity, Lunar Bases, and Closing the Loop on Life Support
(00:36:12) Quick Fire: Space Food Reality, HAL, and Biologics in Orbit

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

space biomanufacturing, Ambrosia Space, orbital bioreactors, microgravity biotechnology

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

18 September 2026, 11:00 am

1 hour 2 minutes

198. A Grain of Truth: Chef Pierre Thiam Scaled Fonio Without Losing Its Roots

Chef and entrepreneur Pierre Thiam joins Grow Everything to explain how fonio, a resilient ancient grain from West Africa, can become a platform for biodiversity, regenerative agriculture, food security, and farmer prosperity. Pierre traces his journey from studying physics and chemistry to discovering the kitchen as a larger system connecting culture, health, ecology, and economics. He shares why fonio is nutritionally dense, gluten free, drought resistant, fast cooking, and versatile, as well as how Yolélé is building aggregation centers and modern processing infrastructure while keeping cultivation knowledge and ownership with smallholder farming communities. The conversation explores how biotechnology can complement biodiversity, why flavor must lead climate friendly food adoption, how underutilized crops can create clean label ingredients and new commercial markets, and why food can serve as a powerful tool for diplomacy and cultural understanding. For founders, scientists, investors, and builders in the bioeconomy, Pierre offers a human centered model of innovation that begins with nature, respects generational knowledge, and uses technology to unlock solutions that have been in front of us all along.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Why flavor must lead sustainable food adoption
(00:07:00) Artificial intelligence for science and protein design
(00:14:00) Pierre Thiam connects cooking, chemistry, culture, and diplomacy
(00:21:00) What fonio tastes like and why chefs love its versatility
(00:28:00) Scaling fonio through farmer centered supply chains and global markets
(00:35:00) Human centered design for West African farming communities
(00:42:00) Delicious first: the strategy behind climate friendly food adoption
(00:49:00) Biodiversity, forgotten crops, and the future of food security
(00:56:00) How biotechnology and local knowledge can work together
(01:02:00) Building healthier diets and stronger farming communities

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

Fonio, West African cuisine, sustainable food systems, regenerative agriculture, food biodiversity, underutilized crops, food diplomacy, Bambara groundnuts, climate-resilient crops, Yolélé

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

11 September 2026, 11:00 am

15 minutes 33 seconds

197. What’s in Your Cart? A Grocery Store Walkthrough of Next-Gen Food Innovation

Food technology is moving from farms and petrochemicals into bioreactors, fungi, engineered crops, and circular feedstocks. In this Grow Everything highlights episode, Erum Azeez and Karl Schmieder visit six stops across the grocery store to explore sweet proteins from Oobli, fermentation derived colorants from MycoFutures and Chromologics, the antioxidant rich purple tomato from Norfolk Healthy Produce, fungi based proteins from The Better Meat Co. and MyForest Foods, sargassum derived ingredients from Origin by Ocean, and the hard commercial work of getting emerging products onto retail shelves. For founders, scientists, investors, and builders across synthetic biology and sustainable materials, the central lesson is clear: fermentation is manufacturing, environmental problems can become valuable feedstocks, and biology wins when performance, taste, branding, and price are better for the customer.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Food technology innovations hidden across the grocery store
(00:01:57) Why fermentation should be understood as manufacturing
(00:03:02) Oobli sweet proteins replace sugar with tiny amounts of protein
(00:04:35) Fermentation creates powerful natural colors for food brands
(00:06:20) The purple tomato brings biotechnology into the produce aisle
(00:08:11) The Better Meat Co. grows nutrient rich mycoprotein in bioreactors
(00:09:54) MyForest Foods turns oyster mushroom mycelium into bacon
(00:11:15) Origin by Ocean transforms invasive sargassum into useful ingredients
(00:12:34) Startup CPG explains what gets emerging brands onto shelves
(00:13:50) Why biology must compete on taste, price, branding, and performance

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

Food technology is moving from farms and petrochemicals into bioreactors, fungi, engineered crops, and circular feedstocks. In this Grow Everything highlights episode

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

4 September 2026, 11:00 am

55 minutes 50 seconds

196. Beyond the Red Tape: Greg Jaffe on Policy as an Accelerator for Bio-Innovation

Biotech is moving fast, but regulation, public trust, and infrastructure still shape how quickly new ideas reach the market. In this episode of Grow Everything, Greg Jaffe joins Karl Schmieder to explore the regulatory future of the bioeconomy, drawing on Greg’s experience in environmental law, consumer advocacy, and as the USDA’s chief regulatory officer. They discuss why founders need to think about regulatory strategy early, how production methods, product claims, and intended use can dramatically change the path through agencies like USDA, EPA, and FDA, and why clear oversight can help build the trust emerging technologies need to scale. Greg and Karl also examine the regional nature of biomanufacturing, the importance of rural infrastructure and local partnerships, and why the future of the bioeconomy will require coordinated policy, stronger market demand, international access, and regulatory pathways that support innovation while protecting public confidence.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Intro: Moderna cancer vaccine news, Sargassum in Miami, and K18’s viral hairball activation
(00:13:00) Greg Jaffe’s path from environmental law to biotech policy
(00:16:30) Why the coordinated framework for biotechnology still matters
(00:20:00) What biotech startups need to understand about USDA, EPA, and FDA
(00:25:15) How claims, intent, and language can change a regulatory pathway
(00:28:15) Why public trust is essential for biomanufactured food and biotech products
(00:31:30) How biotech regulation differs in the United States, Africa, and Southeast Asia
(00:35:20) Why biomass and biomanufacturing are inherently local
(00:38:00) Which bio based sectors may be ready to scale first
(00:42:20) The role federal policy can play in making bio based products the default

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

USDA regulation, FDA food regulation, GRAS process, cultivated meat regulation, precision fermentation, food safety policy, bioeconomy policy, agricultural biotechnology, ultra-processed foods

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

28 August 2026, 11:00 am

1 hour 10 minutes

195. Because You’re Worth Biology: Olivier Rolland Talks Biotech at L’Oréal

Industrial biotechnology has enormous potential to create resilient supply chains, high performance ingredients, and a more sustainable bioeconomy, but good science alone is not enough. In this episode of Grow Everything, Karl and Erum speak with Olivier Rolland about the economic and industrial realities of scaling biology. Drawing on his experience across Michelin, TotalEnergies, Toulouse White Biotechnology, and L’Oréal, Olivier explains why biotech ventures must align sustainability, performance, cost, and customer expectations from the beginning. The conversation explores how techno economic analysis, early process constraints, industrial partnerships, standardization, and supportive policy can reduce risk and move promising molecules from the laboratory into commercial production. Olivier also discusses the biomanufacturing investment gap in Europe, the importance of resilient value chains, the limits of direct fossil replacements, and the opportunity to develop new molecules that deliver the same or better functions by design.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00): Music festivals, Mike Levin, and consciousness at every scale
(00:07:00): Biotech news, Houston biomanufacturing, and the Michelin Guide analogy
(00:14:00): Genome astrology, ingredient transparency, and food regulation
(00:21:00): Olivier Rolland on L’Oréal, Scope 3 emissions, water, and resilient supply chains
(00:28:00): Finding the sweet spot between performance, economics, and sustainability
(00:35:00): Techno economic analysis, retrofit constraints, and industrial partnerships
(00:42:00): Europe’s scale up funding gap and the emerging EU biotech framework
(00:49:00): Coalitions, fragmented value chains, and practical commercialization
(00:56:00): What sustainable aviation fuel teaches beauty about market pull
(01:03:00): Isofunctional molecules, biotech myths, duckweed, and rapid scale up

Links and Resources:

L'Oreal
Advanced Biotech for Sustainability
Ep. 156. When Matter Makes Decisions: Michael Levin on the Intelligence of Form
"What's it like to be a Cucumber" New York Magazine article about Mike Levin
BMS picks Texas for new $2.3B manufacturing campus
Bio-AI is All Atlases and Nowhere to Go by Jake Wintermute and American Wetware
BioInnovations Events - For 25% off use code: Grow Everything
Grow Everything LinkedIn

Topics Covered:

biomanufacturing, industrial biotechnology, sustainable materials, green chemistry, biotechnology commercialization, scope 3 emissions, defossilization, sustainable beauty, bio-based ingredients, bioeconomy

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

21 August 2026, 11:00 am

1 hour 12 minutes

194. Beauty Is in the AI of the Beholder: Debut’s Joshua Britton Turns Claims into Molecules

Joshua Britton, founder and CEO of Debut, joins Erum Azeez Khan and Karl Schmieder to explain why the future of molecular creation belongs to AI and biotechnology. Joshua shares how watching biologists create complex natural molecules in days inspired his shift from traditional chemistry and shaped Debut’s vertically integrated model for discovering, manufacturing, formulating, and commercializing high performance beauty ingredients. The conversation explores why technical breakthroughs alone do not build durable biotech businesses, how consumer demand and measurable performance should guide discovery, and why formulation, supply chains, scientific communication, and brand education are essential to commercialization. Joshua also describes how Debut uses computational models to screen vast chemical spaces, validates promising candidates in the lab, balances fast internal innovation with longer corporate partnerships, and prepares brands for regulatory changes affecting familiar cosmetic ingredients. For founders, scientists, investors, and operators building the bioeconomy, this episode offers a practical playbook for turning biological innovation into products consumers understand, trust, and choose.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Biology, beauty, and the battle between performance and chemistry
(00:07:00) Bio dyes, consumer perception, and why color changes experience
(00:14:00) Joshua Britton’s path from organic chemistry to biotechnology
(00:21:00) Why Debut chose vertical integration and consumer led discovery
(00:28:00) Formulation failures that reshaped Debut’s commercial strategy
(00:35:00) Balancing startup speed with global beauty partnerships
(00:42:00) Regulatory pressure and the opportunity for new biological ingredients
(00:49:00) Scientific communication, clinical proof, and brand adoption
(00:56:00) What it takes to move biotechnology into the mass market
(01:02:00) Key lessons on performance, AI, communication, and commercialization

Links and Resources:

Debut Biotech
Dye vs No Dye Doritos Cheetos Taste Test on Youtube
Dye vs No Dye Doritos Cheetos Taste Test on LinkedIn
New imaginary color, "Olo"
BioInnovations Events - For 25% off use code: Grow Everything
Grow Everything LinkedIn

Topics Covered:

biotech beauty, synthetic biology beauty, AI ingredient discovery, biomanufacturing, vertically integrated biotech, beauty innovation, skincare ingredients, cosmetic formulation, consumer biotech, premium skincare

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

14 August 2026, 11:00 am

54 minutes 22 seconds

193. The Full Color Spectrum: Nick Milne Ferments One Pathway for Every Color at Octarine Bio

Nick Milne, founder of Octarine Bio, joins Grow Everything to unpack how biology can reshape the future of color. In this episode, Nick explains why synthetic dyes have dominated textiles for more than a century, why sustainability alone is not enough to drive adoption, and how Octarine is building bio based pigments that can compete on performance, price, and scale. The conversation explores the environmental and human health problems tied to petrochemical dyes, especially azo dyes used in polyester, while showing how precision fermentation can create high strength pigments that work as drop in replacements for existing dye house workflows. Nick also shares how Octarine thinks about scale up, regulatory pressure in Europe, investor expectations, product development, and the practical realities of bringing biotech products into old and highly cost sensitive industries.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Nick previews Octarine’s high strength pigment platform
(00:00:23) Karl and Erum open with science policy, AI, biosecurity, and discovery in nature
(00:12:18) Introducing Nick Milne and Octarine Bio’s mission to rewrite color with biology
(00:14:03) Why biology can outperform chemistry in rare but powerful commercial use cases
(00:16:21) The slow shift from petrochemical dyes to bio based alternatives in textiles
(00:18:31) What Pure Palette looks like as a drop in replacement for synthetic dyes
(00:20:13) Octarine’s color pipeline, from purple and black to green, blue, red, and yellow
(00:21:39) How stronger pigments create a path toward price parity for textile customers
(00:28:13) Why European regulation may accelerate sustainable color adoption
(00:31:15) Scale up, consistency, azo dyes, and lessons for biotech founders

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

Octarine Bio, bio-based pigments, synthetic dye replacement, sustainable textile dyes, fermentation-derived colors, metabolic engineering, azo dye alternatives, textile color sustainability, precision fermentation pigments, sustainable fashion materials

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

7 August 2026, 11:00 am

1 hour 1 minute

192. Reading Between the Dyes: Roya Aghighi Unlocks Biological Pigments at Lite-1

Have you ever wondered why the color in your clothes can be so harmful to the environment? In this episode of the Grow Everything Podcast, Karl and Erum continue their BioDye series with Roya Aghighi, founder of Lite-1. Roya grew up in her mother’s fashion studio and later worked in the industry testing new materials, but she decided to leave after seeing the pollution caused by traditional dyeing methods. She explains how Lite-1 uses engineered microbes to produce colorful pigments through fermentation, beginning with black, one of the most difficult and damaging colors to make sustainably. Roya also discusses why natural variation in biology can be useful rather than a problem, and why the biggest challenge facing biological dyes may be getting brands and investors to share the risks of developing them. She predicts that color could eventually become an important tool for tracking a garment throughout its life. Before the interview, Karl and Erum also discuss radiation-loving microbes, cuts to pathogen testing, and organisms designed with the help of computers.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and speak with the leaders and innovators using biology to change the world. Biology is the world’s oldest technology, and it can be engineered. So, what are we growing?

Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Biology as a technology and why textile dye is so harmful
(00:05:00) Microbe expeditions, Bikini Atoll, and a Cyclospora outbreak
(00:10:30) Cuts to pathogen monitoring and organisms designed with computers
(00:16:40) Meet Roya Aghighi, from growing up in a fashion studio to founding a biotech company
(00:22:45) How Lite-1 uses fermentation to create a more sustainable black dye
(00:28:30) Why biological variation can be useful information
(00:34:30) Focusing on performance, testing, and regeneration instead of sustainability alone
(00:40:30) The challenges of cost, scale, and shared risk in the biological dye market
(00:47:00) Product standards, traceability, and the next premium opportunity in fashion
(00:52:00) Quick-fire questions and final thoughts from the hosts

Links and Resources:

Topics Covered:

biological dyes, microbial color production, sustainable black dye, textile dye pollution, fermentation-based colorants, bio-based textile dyes, regenerative fashion, traceable garment dyes, synthetic dye alternatives, Lite-1 Bio

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

31 July 2026, 11:00 am