episodic Welcome to The SynBioBeta Podcast: Conversations with synthetic biology’s leading thinkers on building a better world with biology. Hosted by John Cumbers, founder and CEO of SynBioBeta, where tech meets bio and bio meets tech.

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]]> The SynBioBeta Podcast 2019 SynBioBeta John Cumbers false en https://synbiobeta.com/ In this episode of the SynBioBeta Podcast, John Cumbers sits down with Shannon Hall, co-founder and CEO of Pow.bio, to talk about how her team is flipping traditional fermentation on its head. Pow.bio’s AI-enabled, continuous fermentation platform decouples cell growth from production—enabling higher yields, faster scale-up, and dramatically lower costs. Shannon shares what led her to leave a successful career at Bio-Rad, why manufacturing is the often-overlooked bottleneck in synthetic biology, and how her company is bringing modern, data-rich, software-driven biomanufacturing to life. From food proteins and fine chemicals to probiotics and enzymes, this episode explores the promise of continuous systems, digital twins, and the smart bioreactors of tomorrow.

]]> Fermenting the Future While Making Biomanufacturing Nimble - with Shannon Hall Fermenting the Future While Making Biomanufacturing Nimble - with Shannon Hall 00:41:32 b2c6d1ea-013f-46eb-82fa-991a82e4eccb 2 4 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/fermenting-the-future-while-make-biomanufacturing-nimble-with-shannon-hall Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:20:40 +0000 In this episode of the Podcast, SynBioBeta founder and CEO, John Cumbers, speaks with Harshal Chokhawala, co-founder and CEO of ZymoChem, about how the company is reengineering the foundations of materials science using microbial fermentation. Harshal discusses his scientific journey from organic chemistry to building a carbon-conserving biotech platform capable of producing bio-based adipic acid, a key component in nylon 66. Their recent partnership with lululemon aims to bring sustainable, high-performance textiles to market.

The conversation also touches on ZymoChem’s second major innovation: a biodegradable superabsorbent polymer for use in diapers—a response to the overwhelming waste generated by the hygiene industry. Harshal explains their BAYSE platform, the technology powering these innovations, and how they’re scaling up production to meet market demand.

The discussion closes with thoughts on scaling biomanufacturing, policy support, and the broader bioeconomy opportunity in the U.S.

]]> From Microbes to Materials—ZymoChem's Vision for a Plastic-Free FutureZymoChem's Vision for a Plastic-Free Future From Microbes to Materials—ZymoChem's Vision for a Plastic-Free FutureZymoChem's Vision for a Plastic-Free Future 00:44:42 a574ab26-375d-4761-b2ea-74105d48b6cb 1 4 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/from-microbes-to-materialszymochems-vision-for-a-plastic-free-futurezymochems-vision-for-a-plastic-free-future Thu, 01 May 2025 15:30:11 +0000 On this SynBioBeta podcast, John Cumbers talks with Edward Shenderovich, the Founder and CEO of Synonym, a company creating bioeconomy infrastructure to help next-generation bioproducts scale and get to market. Edward will speak at this year’s SynBioBeta conference on “Scaling Biological Capacity,” and in today’s episode, John and Edward will discuss how Synonym addresses some of the challenges in biomanufacturing with its technology-driven products and focus. 

Edward Shenderovich is the founder and CEO of Synonym, which provides startups with a way to value the feasibility of their technology and effectively de-risk scalability. Edward has extensive experience in the tech industry and has founded numerous companies and VC firms, including Essential Capital, Knotel, Kite Ventures, and Merchantry. Edward and his co-founder Joshua Lachter started Synonym in January 2022 to establish, fund, and construct large-scale bio-manufacturing facilities, offering synthetic biology producers of various scales adaptable production capabilities while simultaneously providing infrastructure investors with opportunities in a novel, carbon-negative bio-manufacturing asset class.


Connect with Edward: @eshender 

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> Scaling New Heights in Biomanufacturing - with Edward Shenderovich Scaling New Heights in Biomanufacturing - with Edward Shenderovich 00:57:30 39168d94-9b3b-4640-861d-2577870980a5 John Cumbers 8 3 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/scaling-new-heights-in-biomanufacturing-with-edward-shenderovich Tue, 16 Apr 2024 23:27:27 +0000 On this SynBioBeta podcast, John Cumbers talks with Eben Bayer, the CEO of Ecovative, a pioneering company at the forefront of developing sustainable materials using mycelium. John and Eben will discuss Ecovative’s journey toward creating a billion pounds of mycelium, explore some of the cutting-edge agricultural technology used in mushroom growing, and discuss the transformative potential of new mycelium crops in consumer goods. Additionally, John and Eben will dive into Ecovative’s unique use of AI and digital twins.

Eben Bayer is the CEO of Ecovative, a pioneering company at the forefront of developing sustainable materials using mycelium, Co-founder of My Forest Foods, which uses mycelium to make foods like Mybacon, and is listed as an inventor on 64+ patents. As an entrepreneur, inventor, and futurist, Eben speaks around the world, communicating the immense potential of natural technologies and advocating sustainable stewardship of Spaceship Earth. In addition to his executive roles at Ecovative and MyForest Foods, he advises environmental start-ups in New York and worldwide. 


Connect with Eben: @ebenbayer

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> Mycelium Magic: Crafting a Greener Future - with Eben Bayer Mycelium Magic: Crafting a Greener Future - with Eben Bayer 00:49:04 928e5caa-43fd-4161-9c4e-19720063255a John Cumbers 7 3 full false https://www.synbiobeta.com Fri, 16 Feb 2024 20:19:08 +0000 On this SynBioBeta podcast, John Cumbers talks with Sean McClain, founder, and CEO of Absci, a generative AI drug creation company on a mission to create better drugs for patients faster. Sean and John will continue some of the discussion that we started on the SynBioBeta stage around generative AI and its critical role in drug discovery, some news from AbSci’s recent R&D day, and Sean’s recent visit to Congress to discuss the opportunities and threats from AI and bio.

Sean McClain is the Founder and CEO of Absci, which he built from a basement lab to a publicly traded company that continues to strive towards his vision of creating therapeutics at the click of a button. Under his leadership, Absci scaled to over 200 employees, raised over $450M in capital, established a growing number of industry-leading partnerships and built an Integrated Drug Creation Platform that merges bleeding-edge generative AI models with proprietary high-throughput wet-lab data. Sean studied biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Arizona and has been the recipient of numerous recognitions for his entrepreneurship and innovation. He serves as a board member for the Oregon Translational Research and Development Institute and Life Science Washington.


Connect with Sean: @SeanRMcClain

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> AI in Action: Synthesizing the Future of Drug Discovery - with Sean McClain AI in Action: Synthesizing the Future of Drug Discovery - with Sean McClain 00:54:05 6bf0d4bd-8928-4552-9ac0-e9007347e6fa John Cumbers 6 3 full false https://synbiobeta.com Tue, 05 Dec 2023 22:38:54 +0000 Today, John Cumbers talks with Ursheet Parikh, a general partner at Mayfield Fund, an early-stage, global venture capital firm with a people-first philosophy and a 50-plus-year history of investing and partnering with founders. John and Ursheet will discuss the state of the synthetic biology market and what startups can do to survive and thrive in this turbulent economy.

Ursheet Parikh is a general partner at Mayfield Fund, where he has been investing in both human and planetary health companies since 2013. Ursheet’s investments include companies such as Mammoth Biosciences, which has a focus on discovering novel CRISPR systems; Mission Bio, which is looking to apply a Single-Cell Sequencing platform toward oncology; Qventus, which is blazing a trail in Healthcare-AI; and Endpoint Health, which is reshaping the Precision Immunology space—just to name a few. Ursheet holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a Bachelors in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai. He is passionate about accelerating healthcare innovation and transforming college education, where his family foundation is focused.

Connect with Ursheet: @ursheet

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> Venture Visions: Investing in the Future of Synthetic Biology - with Ursheet Parikh Venture Visions: Investing in the Future of Synthetic Biology - with Ursheet Parikh 01:07:10 b243ba6d-01c7-4e3a-8024-050e8228d417 John Cumbers 5 3 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/investing-for-the-future Fri, 27 Oct 2023 18:40:48 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Kyle Giffin, Co-Founder and COO of Latch Bio, the San Francisco-based company that is looking to harmonize data analysis through the application of its integrated bioinformatics platform. Over 50 leading biotechs in drug discovery, therapeutics, agriculture, and climate use LatchBio to accelerate R&D. The team is young, bold, and hiring. To learn more, go to www.latch.bio. 

Check out this week’s sponsor: Mayfield

Kyle Giffin is a co-founder and the COO of LatchBio. He studied neuroscience and data science at UC Berkeley. In 2021, Giffin dropped out of Berkeley to found LatchBio with the aim of accelerating fundamental science.


Connect with Kyle: @kylegiff

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> Making Data and Computation Accessible to Scientists - with Kyle Giffin Making Data and Computation Accessible to Scientists - with Kyle Giffin 00:43:50 c1465f53-6bf6-4765-a919-e32fa782bc92 John Cumbers 4 3 full false https://synbiobeta.com Wed, 17 May 2023 00:55:58 +0000 In this episode, John Cumbers chats with Michael Kamdar, President & CEO and Phil Paik, CTO, both of whom are  at Molecular Assemblies—a San Diego-based life sciences company developing an enzymatic DNA synthesis technology designed to power the next generation of DNA-based products. The trio will discuss the competitive DNA synthesis landscape, Molecular Assemblies plans for commercialization, and what Mike and Phil envision for the future of the company and the industry.

Check out this week’s sponsor: Form Bio

Mike Kamdar is an industry veteran with business development and financing expertise who joined Molecular Assemblies in 2016. Mike has been in leadership positions within the biotech industry for numerous years, guiding companies such as Aguron, Pfizer and Hepion, Mike has a bachelor's in biology from St. Joseph’s University and an MBA from Villanova University.


Phil Paik has over 16 years of experience in technology innovation and platform development and joined Molecular Assemblies in 2020 after serving as an Associate Director of Engineering at Illumina—where he spent a number of years responsible for fluidics architecture and instrument development. Phil received both his master’s and PhD degrees from Duke University.



Connect with Mike & Phil: @molassemblies

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> Faster, Better, and Cheaper: The Elusive DNA Triad Now a Reality - with Mike Kamdar & Phil Paik Faster, Better, and Cheaper: The Elusive DNA Triad Now a Reality - with Mike Kamdar & Phil Paik 00:38:57 d05153f5-3fd9-4221-b725-fdd4b5e0ab83 John Cumbers 3 3 full false https://synbiobeta.com Mon, 15 May 2023 21:55:25 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Claire Aldridge, Chief Strategy Officer at FormBio. Together they will discuss Form Bio, the spin-out from Colossal Laboratories & Biosciences, cell and gene therapies, why they are so difficult to manufacture, and the regulatory environment for these technologies.  

Check out this week’s sponsor: Molecular Assemblies

Claire Aldridge, Chief Strategy Officer at FormBio. Claire brings decades of experience facilitating the translation of scientific discoveries into patient and commercial benefits.  Claire has leveraged her training as a translator to act as a liaison between scientists and non-scientists, effectively communicating the potential of science. Her career has focused on technology commercialization, improving patient outcomes, working with disease-specific nonprofits, venture philanthropy, and biotech and life science investing.  

Claire has a Ph.D. from Duke University in the Department of Immunology and Program in Genetics, and her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science is from Texas A&M University.  Since grad school, Claire has had an extensive career in the biotech industry, leading them to numerous successful endeavors.

Connect with Claire: @ClaireAldrige2

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> Empowering Cell & Gene Manufaturing Using Computational Solutions - with Claire Aldridge Empowering Cell & Gene Manufaturing Using Computational Solutions - with Claire Aldridge 00:39:54 b1c71100-e721-4271-a918-d13352f7d883 John Cumbers 2 3 full false https://synbiobeta.com Wed, 03 May 2023 22:40:24 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Jason Kelly, Co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. Together they will discuss synthetic biology’s coming of age” and get Jason’s take on several topics, such as the history of programmable biology, Sam Altman, Ai and the role of AI in biology, and the new congressional commission covering national security and emerging biotechnology.

Check out this week's sponsor: Twist Bioscience

Jason Kelly is a co-founder and the CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks. He obtained his doctorate in Bioengineering from MIT in 2008, where he worked on engineering bacteria to produce biofuels. In 2009, Kelly co-founded Ginkgo Bioworks along with four other co-founders. Under his leadership, Ginkgo has grown to become one of the leading companies in the field of synthetic biology, with a focus on developing custom microbes for a wide range of applications, including pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and industrial chemicals. Jason has been recognized for his contributions to synthetic biology, receiving several awards, including MIT Technology Review's Innovator Under 35 and Forbes' 30 Under 30 in Energy.

Connect with Matt: @jrkelly

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> From Ideas to Reality: Synthetic Biology Comes of Age - with Jason Kelly From Ideas to Reality: Synthetic Biology Comes of Age - with Jason Kelly 00:40:21 6d7376cf-101c-4eb6-9735-a523872a1e08 John Cumbers 1 3 full false https://synbiobeta.com Mon, 24 Apr 2023 23:00:10 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Matt Ocko, co-founder and co-Managing Partner of the silicon valley deep tech venture fund DCVC. The topics for today are the different visions of the Star Trek and Star Wars future economies, the utopic versus the dystopic; how he evaluates a company in the context of these sci-fi classics; and why he has decided to invest in Deep Tech and what opportunities are emerging in synthetic biology.

Matt has over three decades of experience in the Deep Tech space, including computational and synthetic biology. Along with his investment work at DCVC, Matt holds upwards of 50 approved or pending patents. He also has a deep knowledge of China and the intellectual property environment there. He worked pro-bono with his Dad for 20 years to help develop China’s venture capital and technology regulatory frameworks. And somehow, he still finds time to build robots with his kids.

Connect with Matt: @mattocko

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> What Will Our Technology Future Look Like? Star Trek vs Star Wars - with Matt Ocko What Will Our Technology Future Look Like? Star Trek vs Star Wars - with Matt Ocko 00:52:15 e97f24e0-8638-48f2-855c-39de5035c59a John Cumbers 7 2 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/what-will-our-technology-future-look-like-star-trek-vs-star-wars Tue, 15 Jun 2021 23:26:40 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Massimo Portincaso, managing director and partner at BCG. John will be talking to Massimo about what nature co-design, how we're shifting from global supply chains to global value chains, what distributed biological manufacturing is, and more..

Massimo Portincaso co-leads the Deep Tech Mission, BCG’s unit focused on the deep tech approach to innovation, emerging technologies, and the new rules of engagement for all actors in the innovation space. He is also the Chairman of Hello Tomorrow, an organization dedicated to unlocking the power of deep tech to solve the toughest global challenges.

You can keep up with Massimo through his newsletter, The Antidisciplinarian, which covers happenings at the intersection of matter, computation, sensing, creativity, and ethics.

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> How nature co-design is changing the narrative - with Massimo Portincaso How nature co-design is changing the narrative - with Massimo Portincaso 00:39:02 91cac345-a1dc-4c6b-80aa-7d010bc1c54b John Cumbers 6 2 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/how-nature-co-design-is-changing-the-narrative-with-massimo-portincaso Tue, 02 Feb 2021 15:00:40 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Karl Schmieder the founder of messagingLAB, a strategy and consulting firm that helps biotechnology and synthetic biology companies create and execute strategies to drive the industry forward.

Connect with Karl: @karlschmieder

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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Be sure you make it to SynBioBeta Brand and Biology event December 2nd & 3rd! Click here for more information.

]]> Where brands and biology meet - with Karl Schmieder Where brands and biology meet - with Karl Schmieder 00:30:02 edc38dd7-ff4c-44f9-ad57-d09d6014da13 John Cumbers 5 2 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/where-brands-and-biology-meet-with-karl-schmieder Wed, 25 Nov 2020 22:07:54 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Ryan Bethencourt, founder and CEO of Wild Earth. John will be talking to Ryan about the state of COVID and questions like "Does eating animals cause pandemics?"

Recorded live on: March 15th, 2020

To watch the video component: https://www.facebook.com/SynBioBeta/videos/199598178035525/

Connect with Ryan: @RyanBethencourt

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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Be sure you make it to SynBioBeta 2020 this September 29 - October 1! Click here for more information.

]]> Does eating animals cause pandemics? - with Ryan Bethencourt of Wild Earth Does eating animals cause pandemics? - with Ryan Bethencourt of Wild Earth 01:20:19 bed1851e-0c98-4819-a1eb-6e07dca54d37 3 2 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/does-eating-animals-cause-pandemics-with-ryan-bethencourt-of-wild-earth Wed, 26 Aug 2020 00:00:14 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Emily Leproust, Entrepreneur and CEO of Twist Bioscience. John will be talking to Emily about why she founded Twist, the many industries that will be disrupted by DNA technology, and how Twist is building a company culture for growth diversity and excellence.

Emily is the co founder and the CEO of Twist Bioscience, an early pioneer in high throughput synthesis and sequencing of DNA. Emily is disrupting the process of gene synthesis to enable the exponential growth of synthetic biology applications in many fields, including medicine, DNA, data storage, agriculture biology, and industrial chemicals.

 

Connect with Emily.: @EmilyLeproust

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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Be sure you make it to SynBioBeta 2020 this September 29 - October 1! Click here for more information.

]]> How DNA synthesis is powering the fourth manufacturing revolution - with Emily Leproust How DNA synthesis is powering the fourth manufacturing revolution - with Emily Leproust 00:58:46 a1b07f3c-9952-4b41-b850-772647d8c64d John Cumbers 2 2 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/how-dna-synthesis-is-powering-the-fourth-manufacturing-revolution-with-emily-leproust Wed, 12 Aug 2020 00:00:17 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with John Nicols, President and CEO of Codexis, a leading protein engineering company here in Silicon Valley. I’ll be talking with John about “How protein engineering is the killer app for biology.” Specifically, I’ll talk with John about the amazing pedigree and origins of Codexis, how companies like Codexis are changing the way the biopharma industry does business, and John’s vision for how protein engineering is going to impact our daily lives.


Connect with John: @johncumbers

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Be sure you make it to SynBioBeta 2020 this September 29 - October 1! Click here for more information.

]]> How protein engineering is the killer app for biology - with John Nichols How protein engineering is the killer app for biology - with John Nichols 01:14:13 776912f8-698a-493c-adc8-a2dbea0d5982 John Cumbers 1 2 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/how-protein-engineering-is-the-killer-app-for-biology-with-john-nichols Wed, 05 Aug 2020 00:00:13 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with D.A. Wallach, recording artist and emerging tech investor. John will be talking to D.A. about his journey from performing artist to investor in emerging tech, how his unique background informs his investment thesis, and what opportunities he’s most excited about in synthetic biology these days.

 

D.A. Wallach is a recording artist, songwriter, and investor. While an undergraduate at Harvard, he was discovered by Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. As a solo artist, D.A. is signed by Harvest Records, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, and he is the former artist-in-residence at Spotify, a company where he was an early investor. Beyond music, D.A. invests in and advises several start-up technology companies, including Synthego, Glypse Bio, Beam Therapeutics, SpaceX, Ripple. Forbes selected D.A. as one of its 30 Under 30, and Fast Company named him one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business. In 2015, he launched Inevitable Ventures, an investment partnership with multibillionaire Ron Burkle that supports radical entrepreneurs in areas including health care, life sciences, and financial technologies. He is also an advisor to The Dreamers Fund, a partnership with actor Will Smith.

 

Connect with D.A.: @dawallach

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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Be sure you make it to SynBioBeta 2019 this October 1-3! Click here for more information.

]]> How an artist becomes an investor and advisor to the world’s greatest technology companies - with D.A. Wallach How an artist becomes an investor and advisor to the world’s greatest technology companies - with D.A. Wallach 00:52:28 c011a8be-d954-4ee6-a3ba-f82c5fd6d4e9 John Cumbers 10 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/how-an-artist-becomes-an-investor-and-advisor-to-the-worlds-greatest-technology-companies-with-d-a-wallach Tue, 10 Sep 2019 23:00:12 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Tom Dierking, design director of transformational platform technologies at Procter & Gamble. John will be talking to Tom about his passion for transforming the consumer experience, Procter & Gamble’s revolutionary line of water-free products, and where he sees synthetic biology impacting the way that consumer brands do business.

 

Tom Dierking is the global design director of innovation capability at Procter & Gamble (P&G). He’s a passionate advocate of design and has been driving multidisciplinary innovation for over 20 years. In leading innovation at one of the world’s top brands, Tom’s work touches the lives of millions of us. Tom is especially focused on design-inspired innovation and bringing new experiences to consumers. Tom works with Procter & Gamble’s senior leadership, leveraging design thinking on brands and company strategy initiatives, and delivering design-inspired changes to improve operations across the company.

Thanks to Procter & Gamble (@ProcterGamble) for making this episode possible.

Connect with Tom

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> How this household name is beating climate change — and making great products - with Tom Dierking of P&G How this household name is beating climate change — and making great products - with Tom Dierking of P&G 00:38:28 a61b3a99-1fcd-4b53-b8b4-029cb907ba22 John Cumbers 9 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/how-this-household-name-is-beating-climate-change-and-making-great-products-with-tom-dierking-of-p-g Wed, 04 Sep 2019 00:29:37 +0000 For the pictures John and Eben reference check out our website article (https://synbiobeta.com/synbiobeta-podcast-the-mycelium-revolution/)

 

Today John Cumbers talks with Eben Bayer, CEO and Co-Founder of the biomaterials company Ecovative. He’ll be talking with Eben about:

  • Why mycelium is an ideal host not just for biochemical production but also biomaterials structuring.
  • Eben’s conception of “bio adaptation”, and the relationship of synthetic biology to “the good life.”
  • What emerging products and markets he is most excited about these days, be it plastics, plant-based foods, or even the scaffolding for growing organs.

 

Ecovative is a world-leading biomaterials company that is adapting natural processes to create sustainable materials. Eben has evangelized a strategy of bio-adaptation around the world, including presentations at TED Global, PopTech, and Davos. Ecovative has been recognized as a Tech Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, for its potential impact on climate change by the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge, the EPA Environmental Quality Award, and the Buckminster Fuller Challenge for socially responsible design.

 

Thanks to Ecovative (@ecovative) for making this episode possible.

 

Connect with Eben: @ebanbayer

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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Be sure you make it to SynBioBeta 2019 this October 1-3! Click here for more information.

]]> The Mycelium Revolution: How a mushroom can make food, plastic, and more - with Eben Bayer of Ecovative The Mycelium Revolution: How a mushroom can make food, plastic, and more - with Eben Bayer of Ecovative 00:47:18 807e0bab-9fed-4844-81c3-beb17f0b4ecc John Cumbers 8 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/the-mycelium-revolution-how-a-mushroom-can-make-food-plastic-and-more-with-eben-bayer-of-ecovative Tue, 27 Aug 2019 23:00:40 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Ali Tamaseb, an investor at the venture firm DCVC. John will be talking to Ali about his technical strategy for finding super-founders, emerging challenges for founders, particularly in synthetic biology, and what emerging market he is most excited about these days.

 

Ali is an entrepreneur, a previous startup founder, and a highly technical academic researcher. Ali has walked in the shoes of the scientist-turned-entrepreneur, and has first-hand experience with the challenges they face. At DCVC, he works on a broad spectrum of areas ranging from computational health and bio to cybersecurity. Ali received his Biomedical Engineering degree from Imperial College London, and he also graduated from the SIGM program at Stanford Graduate School of Business. He did research in the fields of neuroscience and human-computer interaction. Ali was an honoree of the British Alumni Award, and Imperial College President’s Medal for Outstanding Achievement. His work has been featured in BBC, Guardian, Forbes, The Telegraph, TEDx, and others.

 

Thanks to DCVC (@DCVC) for making this episode possible.

 

Connect with Ali: @alitamaseb

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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Be sure you make it to SynBioBeta 2019 this October 1-3! Click here for more information.

]]> How to spot a synthetic biology unicorn - with Ali Tamaseb of DCVC How to spot a synthetic biology unicorn - with Ali Tamaseb of DCVC 00:33:50 68b179ff-41ac-45ea-8c1d-3736e946c11e John Cumbers 7 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/how-to-spot-a-synthetic-biology-unicorn-with-ali-tamaseb-of-dcvc Tue, 20 Aug 2019 23:00:13 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks with Dr. Santanu Dasgupta, Senior Vice President and Head of Biology at Reliance Industries Limited. John will be talking to Santanu about why algae is a great engineering platform, Reliance’s role in India’s arts, culture, and urban renewal, and the challenges to building the synthetic biology community in India

 

Santanu has more than 25 years in biotechnology research experience in various leadership roles. He has led many breakthrough global agriculture biotechnology programs, and has contributed to the discovery of numerous plant traits. He’s the author of several peer-reviewed papers and is the inventor of more than twenty US patents in the area of pathogen resistance in plants, drought tolerance, gene expression, and improved algae. Santanu has also contributed papers in over 100 National and international meetings and symposium.

 

Thanks to Reliance for making this episode possible.

 

Connect with Santanu: https://in.linkedin.com/in/santanudasgupta

Connect with John: @johncumbers

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]]> Building India's synthetic biology industry - with Santanu Dasgupta of RIL Building India's synthetic biology industry - with Santanu Dasgupta of RIL 00:39:30 b7c95385-5ee4-4265-99f6-d692d335b16e John Cumbers 6 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/building-indias-synthetic-biology-industry-with-santanu-dasgupta-of-ril Tue, 13 Aug 2019 23:02:33 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks to Dr. Christina Agapakis, biologist, writer, artist, and Creative Director at Ginkgo Bioworks. John will be talking to Christina about the role of creativity and design in biotechnology, what are Ginkgo’s top aims in terms of technology and its culture, and what kinds of opportunities she is most excited about today.

 

Christina serves as creative director at Ginkgo Bioworks, an organism design company that is bringing biology to industrial engineering. In that role, she collaborates with engineers, designers, artists, and social scientists to explore the many unexpected connections between microbiology, technology, art, and popular culture. Her graduate work at Harvard focused on producing hydrogen fuel in bacteria and making photosynthetic animals. She has taught designers at the Art Center College of Design and biomolecular engineers at UCLA, and once made cheese using bacteria from the human body. She is a prolific writer on biology, technology, and culture for a number of outlets. She’s also a founding editor of Method Quarterly, a magazine about science in the making.

 

Thanks to Ginkgo (@ginkgo) for making this episode possible.

 

Connect with Christina: @thisischristina

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]]> The role of creativity and design in biotechnology - with Christina Agapakis of Ginkgo Bioworks The role of creativity and design in biotechnology - with Christina Agapakis of Ginkgo Bioworks 00:41:17 eeeea346-3b52-446a-bcef-a9749d299bc2 John Cumbers 5 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/the-role-of-creativity-and-design-in-biotechnology-with-christina-agapakis-of-ginko-bioworks Tue, 06 Aug 2019 23:00:10 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks to Dr. Jenny Rooke, the founder and Managing Director of Genoa Ventures, and one of Silicon Valley’s leading venture capitalists in the synthetic biology industry. John will be talking to Jenny about how VCs assess the value and potential of firms, what it takes to start your own VC firm, and what kinds of opportunities she is most excited about today.

 

For over a decade, Jenny has been deploying capital at the frontiers of life sciences innovation, seeking out technology-fueled solutions and category-defying opportunities. Jenny began her venture career at Fidelity Biosciences. At the Gates Foundation, she managed $250M in project funding in genetic engineering, diagnostics, and synthetic biology. In 2018, Jenny founded her own firm, Genoa Ventures, building on her successful track record.

 

Thanks to Genoa Ventures for making this episode possible.

 

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]]> Investing at the frontiers of life science innovation - with Jenny Rooke of Genoa Ventures Investing at the frontiers of life science innovation - with Jenny Rooke of Genoa Ventures 00:33:12 013eef36-78b9-4550-83fc-ba5977cf2cc8 John Cumbers 4 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/investing-at-the-frontiers-of-life-science-innovation-with-jenny-rooke-of-genoa-ventures Tue, 30 Jul 2019 23:05:58 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks to Ursheet Parikh, partner at Mayfield and leader of their biotechnology and health care portfolios. The conversation is about what it takes to scale synthetic biology companies, some of the challenges they face, and how platform technologies in synthetic biology can help float all boats.

 

Ursheet is a proven repeat entrepreneur and executive who brings 15 years of product and leadership experience to the investment team at Mayfield. He focuses on innovation that is redefining the application and infrastructure stacks in cloud, mobile, enterprise technologies, genomics and digital health.

 

Ursheet’s current investments include Cloud Genix, Mission Bio, Mammoth Biosciences, Netsil, Qventus, Rancher Labs, Shiftleft, Versa Networks, and Zipongo.

 

Prior to joining Mayfield, he was an extremely successful leading manager at Microsoft and Cisco.

 

Thanks to Mayfield for making this episode possible.

 

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]]> Synthetic biology investing in an age of open platforms - with Ursheet Parikh of Mayfield Synthetic biology investing in an age of open platforms - with Ursheet Parikh of Mayfield 00:43:24 d1d4abd1-2350-4859-91db-3b1dd274b1cf John Cumbers 3 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/synthetic-biology-investing-in-an-age-of-open-platforms-with-ursheet-parikh-of-mayfield Tue, 23 Jul 2019 23:00:10 +0000 Today John Cumbers talks to Alexandre Zanghellini, co-founder and CEO of Arzeda about Protein Design 101. Alex leads Arzeda’s product and technology development and IP strategy. He’s an inventor of Arzeda’s platform for computational protein design and more recently also branched into computational metabolic pathway design. Alex will

introduce protein design, discuss automation and technical advancement, touch on a few applications, and the potential of protein design to improve the world and bring new products to market.

 

Thanks to Arzeda for making this episode possible.

 

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]]> Protein design 101 for synthetic biology - with Alexandre Zhanghellini of Arzeda Protein design 101 for synthetic biology - with Alexandre Zhanghellini of Arzeda 00:41:53 9f68f543-e4ff-4e71-ba38-712d10e0f698 John Cumbers 2 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/protein-design-101-an-introduction-to-protein-design-for-synthetic-biology-with-alexandre-zhanghellini Tue, 16 Jul 2019 23:00:09 +0000 John Cumbers talks to Ben Kellogg about telling a compelling synthetic biology story. Ben is the founder of BWK, an award-winning PR consulting firm representing clients like TED, MIT, Modern Meadow and Culture Biosciences. As the PR partner to TED’s Fellowship program, BWK works directly with the 400+ TED Fellows including scientists, technologists, artists and entrepreneurs. Ben graduated from Yale with a degree in English and has a decade of experience advising executives and entrepreneurs on their PR communications strategy.

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]]> How to tell your synthetic biology story - with Ben Kellogg of BWK How to tell your synthetic biology story - with Ben Kellogg of BWK 00:30:53 253d9561-d45b-4a9a-b733-4cb0e7f939ae John Cumbers 1 1 full false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/how-to-tell-your-synthetic-biology-story-with-ben-kellogg-of-bwk Wed, 10 Jul 2019 00:03:29 +0000 The SynBioBeta Podcast is here!

Subscribe now. Episode 1 debuts July 10th.

Conversations with synthetic biology’s leading thinkers on building a better world with biology. The podcast is hosted by John Cumbers, founder and CEO of SynBioBeta, where tech meets bio and bio meets tech.

Stay updated on the latest news in synthetic biology, check out our weekly newsletter and follow us on social media:

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Be sure you make it to SynBioBeta 2019 this October 1-3! Click here for more information.

]]> Welcome to the SynBioBeta Podcast! Welcome to the SynBioBeta Podcast! 00:01:14 46b5cbe6-8685-4b0f-a4b4-df2b4a9db0e0 1 trailer false https://pod.co/sbb-podcast/welcome-to-the-synbiobeta-podcast Wed, 03 Jul 2019 00:12:22 +0000