This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Ethan Hunter, co-founder and COO of the South African-based precision fermentation startup, Immobazyme. Awkward Mission Impossible jokes aside (on my end), it was a fascinating conversation about the unique and diverse approach he and his co-founders have taken to building a B2B biomanufacturing company. One of the standout aspects of Immobazyme’s journey is the sheer breadth of markets they operate in—ranging from cultivated meat to salami to hair loss treatments!

For this week’s newsletter, I had the opportunity to chat with Eshan Samaranayake from Better Bite Ventures and author of the Better Bioeconomy newsletter. This feels like a full-circle moment for me, as Eshan interviewed me shortly after I left Vow in early 2024. Our friendship is a great example of the power of networking—and LinkedIn in particular.

This metaphor perfectly captures one of the biggest challenges in biomanufacturing today: waste and side-stream valorization. It’s also one of the first things Jason Whitfield, an investment associate at Main Sequence VC, shared with me during our initial conversation. From the get-go, we dived into biomanufacturing opportunities in Australia, and Jason’s ability to clearly articulate complex challenges like this one was striking.

I had the pleasure of chatting with two incredible founders who've been building a vibrant scientific community right here in Melbourne. Samuel Wines and Andrew Gray, co-founders of the shared co-working lab space CoLabs, shared their fascinating backgrounds, what drives them, and their vision for the future.

"We have a lot of companies building real, tangible solutions. Incumbents are being squeezed by new regulations and advances in technology, creating a perfect storm for innovation. 🌪️ Build something real, co-develop with customers, and start generating revenue quickly. Everyone’s hunting for unicorns. I’m more interested in cockroaches—companies that can grow and be strong regardless of the market. You can’t kill them!"

This week, I had the pleasure of catching up with my former Vow colleague, Dr. Katie Bashant Day, from Media City Scientific.

Australia's First Nations have known for generations that lightning can significantly impact plant growth. In fact, areas struck by lightning are known to provide fertile soil, leading to substantial increases in plant growth rates and excellent crop yields.

Before my time at Vow, if asked how to design a new lab space, my answer would have been, "just build a big white box and make sure it is compliant." It was only through Vow's cofounder Tim Noakesmith that I learned the value of beautiful spaces.