bioCircular Loop

Send us Fan MailMelina Gerdts introduces the concept of disruptive innovation as a necessary force for systemic change in society. She discusses the insights from Natalie Kyriacu's speech on humanity's contradictions and hosts Patrick Rose, the Innovation Manager at SPRIND, a state-owned agency in Germany focused on fostering unconventional technologies. Patrick explains SPRIND's unique approach to funding and supporting innovative projects, emphasizing the importance of a fail-fast culture and the role of government in driving innovation. The episode concludes with a discussion on the scope of innovations supported by SPRIND and Patrick's vision for the future of innovation. Patrick discusses the innovative SPRIND Challenge in Circular Biomanufacturing, the unique support system for startups at SPRIND, and the cultural differences in accepting failure between Europe and the US. He emphasizes the importance of risk tolerance and the need for a shift in mindset to foster innovation. The discussion also highlights the global influence of SPRIND's model and its potential to inspire similar initiatives worldwide.SPRINDSPRIND Challenge: Circular BiomanufacturingNatalie Kyriacou is the author of Nature's Last Dance: Tales of Wonder in an Age of Extinction. Natalie Kyriacou full speech. This is her speech at Reclaiming Democracy Together, an event by Conversations at the CrossroadsSupport the show

Send us Fan MailbCL is back! In this episode of the bioCircular Loop podcast, Melina Gerdts interviews Nemailla Bonturi, co-founder of ÄIO, a startup based in Estonia that focuses on brewing fats and oils through precision fermentation technology. Nemailla shares her journey from being a scientist to an entrepreneur, the innovative processes behind ÄIO, and the challenges of navigating regulatory landscapes and securing funding. The conversation also touches on the importance of sustainability, circular economy practices, and the future of food technology.Check out ÄIO at https://aio.bio/. Support the show

Send us Fan MailRecorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this final episode of the miniseries features Hendrik Waegeman, Head of Business Operations at Biobase Europe Pilot Plant, reflecting on what it really takes to scale bio-based innovation in Europe.After two days of panels, pitches and workshops, the big question remains simple: how do we scale successfully?Hendrik breaks it down. Whether you are a startup or a corporate, the fundamentals are the same. Product market fit. Price competitiveness. Scalability. Fast time to market. The difference is often how you deal with those factors.Startups are pushed to move fast. Corporates move step by step. And in bio-based scale-up, step by step matters. At lab scale everything looks perfect. At industrial scale, pressure, shear, mixing, oxygen gradients and equipment realities change the game. The devil really is in the details.We also talk about:Why unrealistic cost assumptions can kill a scale-upThe importance of early techno-economic assessmentsSurrounding yourself with experienced advisorsPartnerships as a necessity, not a luxuryDedication as the defining founder traitThen we zoom out. Europe has historically been strong in pilot and demo infrastructure. But the US, China, India and others are investing heavily and moving fast. Europe analyzes well, but acts slowly. The race is getting more competitive.One takeaway that sticks: think big, act small. Keep moving, even when funding slows down or the path gets messy.This closes our 11-episode Pitch Perfect miniseries on scaling bio-based innovation. If you made it through all of them, you now have a pretty realistic picture of what scaling actually looks like. Not the hype version. The real one.If you’re building, investing, or scaling in the bioeconomy and want to share your own journey, lessons, or setbacks, send us a message on LinkedIn.The scale-up story is far from over.This episode is part of a Miniseries powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy.Support the show

Send us Fan MailRecorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Marc Lankveld, Founder of Tasseikan, on building a biotech route to replace PET with a bio-based alternative.Tasseikan develops a fermentation process that converts sugar into FDCA, a building block for PEF, a bioplastic designed to substitute PET in packaging. Think bottles, food packaging, and applications where strength and gas barrier properties really matter.Unlike PLA, PEF is not biodegradable. It is meant to be recycled. The goal is not compostable plastic, but a drop-in, high-performance alternative to fossil-based PET.Marc shares the full journey. It started 15 years ago at Delft University, was scaled once inside Corbion, paused when strategic priorities shifted, and then rebuilt from scratch. Today the company is back in pilot phase and preparing for the next step: a demo facility.A few key themes from the conversation:Scaling is not just about the process. You need the application and value chain ready as well.Strategic partnerships matter. Tassekan works contractually with Technip Energies, keeping agility while leveraging large-scale engineering expertise.Entrepreneurs need optimism, but also realism.Plan for success. And plan for what could go wrong.One line that sticks: think big, act small.Scaling bio-based plastics is a long game. It requires patience, partnerships, and the ability to deal with whatever situation comes next.If you’re working on bio-based materials or industrial biotech, this episode is a grounded look at what rebuilding and scaling really takes.This episode is part of a Miniseries powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy.Support the show

Send us Fan MailRecorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Bram Pareyt, Group Upstream R&D Director at Puratos, on what biomanufacturing actually looks like inside a global food ingredients company.Puratos is a B2B producer of ingredients for bakery, patisserie and chocolate. But behind the scenes, biotech plays a much bigger role than you might think.For Bram and his team, biomanufacturing means enzymes, functional fermentation and using nature as inspiration. One example is a thermostable protease inspired by Yellowstone, developed and scaled in-house to improve texture, extend shelf life and contribute to cleaner labels. It started as a technical project. It became a health and functionality play.We talk about what it takes to scale biotech inside a corporate:Focus and dedicated teamsAligning biotech expertise with application expertiseUnderstanding how and why a technology works, not just that it worksContinuous screening for new startup partners via SparkalisAnd then we get into the real tension: economics.A solution that costs ten times more than the benchmark will struggle, no matter how sustainable it is. Consumers may care about clean label and health, but there is still an economic reality in food. Regulatory complexity in Europe adds another layer.Bram also shares practical advice for founders: bring a real solution to a real problem. Not just a dream. Be clear about what you are good at and where you need help. Build trust early.If you want to understand how biotech scales inside established food companies and what corporates actually look for in partnerships, this episode is a very honest look behind the curtain.This episode is powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy.Support the show

Send us Fan MailRecorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Bart Walcarius, Head of Technology Integration at Biotalys, on what it really takes to scale protein-based crop protection Biotalys is developing biodegradable, protein-based biocontrols as an alternative to conventional chemical pesticides. The twist? Their technology is built on unique single-chain antibodies derived from camels and llamas, engineered into highly specific proteins that target crop pests and diseases with precision.We talk about:Why cost of goods is everything in agricultureCompeting with ultra-cheap chemical pesticidesBuilding high-performing production strains via precision fermentationScaling from lab to pilot with Biobase EuropeThe importance of early manufacturing partnershipsWhy regulatory approval can make or break the timelineA major milestone: the US EPA has issued a proposed registration decision to approve their first biofungicide, EVOCA, a huge step toward entering the US market, potentially by 2028.But as Bart makes clear, scaling bio-based innovation in agriculture isn’t fast. It’s months and years of strain development, process optimization, regulatory work, and building trust with manufacturing partners.The key lesson? Start partnerships early. Build the right multidisciplinary team. And be patient, because real scale takes time.If you’re working at the intersection of biotech and agriculture, this will give you valuable insights on what it means to move from platform to product to field.This episode is powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy. Support the show

Send us Fan MailRecorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Yvette Go, Investor at EIT Food, on what it really takes to finance and scale bio-based and food innovation in Europe.EIT Food, an initiative backed by the European Commission, supports agrifood innovation across the entire journey, from idea (TRL 1) to seed funding and beyond. Yvette sits right at the investment stage, bridging the gap between accelerator tickets and Series A capital.We dive into:What investors actually look for in bio-based startupsWhy market validation matters even at early stageThe importance of supply chain positioning from day oneFounder stamina and surrounding yourself with the right peopleWhat “scalability” really means (and what it doesn’t)We also unpack the food tech funding rollercoaster:After the 2021 peak, global food tech investment dropped by 70% (50% in Europe). The hype reset the market and pushed out generalists. What remains is a more specialized, hopefully wiser investor landscape.From agritech timelines to lab-grown food regulation, this conversation tackles the big question: how do we feed 10 billion people with finite resources?One thing is clear: this isn’t a short-term trend. It’s a long-term systems shift.If you’re building in food, ag, or bio-based innovation, this episode gives you the investor’s lens on what survives the reset.This episode is powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy. Support the show

Send us Fan MailRecorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Martin Tangney, Founder & President of Celtic Renewables, one of Europe’s most established bio-based scale-up stories.Celtic Renewables takes biological residues from the Scottish whisky industry and turns them into high-value, low-carbon chemicals like acetone and butanol, the essential building blocks used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food production, and everyday products.Less than 10% of what leaves a distillery becomes whisky. The rest? Untapped carbon.Celtic’s mission is simple: defossilize the chemical industry by squeezing more value out of what already exists above ground.In this episode, Martin shares:How a university research project became a commercial biorefineryWhy the biggest leap in scaling is from lab to pilotThe role of Biobase Europe in scaling 1,000xWhy surrounding yourself with complementary skills is everythingThe hard truths about funding, risk, and “everyone wants to be first to be second”Why founders need resilience, but also balanceOne of the strongest takeaways:Don’t build a pier. Build a bridge. Get to the promised land, even if it’s not perfect.This is a candid conversation about scaling industrial biotech, reframing “waste” as resource, and why change is the real driver of the bioeconomy.This episode is powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant. Support the show

Send us Fan MailRecorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Kristof Verbeeck, Business Development at ArcelorMittal Belgium, on what it actually means for heavy industry to bet on bio-manufacturing.ArcelorMittal Ghent is a 5-million-ton steel plant and the largest industrial CO₂ emitter in Belgium. Eight years ago, they decided to do something radical: build Europe’s first large-scale gas fermentation plant inside a steel mill, turning waste carbon monoxide and hydrogen into ethanol. Meet Steelanol. On paper, it made perfect sense:Higher-value product instead of flaring gasesAvoided CO₂ emissions under the EU ETS systemA potential cornerstone in the company’s decarbonization roadmapIn reality? Scaling first-of-a-kind industrial biotech inside heavy industry is complex, technically and politically.We talk about:Why the EU ETS was central to the business caseHow changing regulation reshaped market accessThe challenge of certification under the Renewable Energy DirectiveWhat it takes to commission 550m³ fermenters at industrial scaleWhy innovation speed and regulatory speed are often misalignedThe plant is built. It runs. Ethanol has been produced. But technical scale-up and regulatory frameworks still need to align for the model to fully deliver.Kristof shares candid insights into corporate risk-taking, regulatory uncertainty, and what startups should know before approaching heavy industry: validate your technology, understand corporate roadmaps, and don’t oversell.This episode is a real-world look at what happens when decarbonization moves from strategy slides into steel and concrete.This miniseries is powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy. Support the show

Send us Fan MailRecorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Line Kloster Pedersen, Founder & CEO of Visibuilt, and one of the boldest ideas we’ve seen on the bio-based stage this year. Visibuilt is developing the world’s first fungal binders for road construction, replacing fossil-based bitumen and highly polluting cement with mycelium, nature’s own underground binding network.Yes, you read that right.They’ve already built the world’s first mycelium bicycle parking lot in Denmark.We talk about:Why asphalt and concrete are massive climate problemsHow mycelium can bind rocks at low temperaturesCutting fossil dependency and energy use in constructionUsing local agricultural and forestry side streamsWhat it really takes to scale biotech into heavy industryLine shares how a run around the lakes of Copenhagen sparked the idea — and how Visibuilt has since raised €4.7M, built a team of 18, and is now raising a €4.5M seed round to move from manual production to modular scale.This is bioeconomy in action: science leaving the lab and entering infrastructure.If more than 60% of the roads in 2050 haven’t been built yet, the question is simple:Why should they be fossil-based?This episode is powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant. Support the show