Grow Everything Biotech Podcast

In this episode of Grow Everything , hosts Karl and Erum dive into the world of community biology with Dr. Casey Lardner, Executive Director of Genspace. They explore how this groundbreaking Brooklyn lab is reimagining who gets to participate in science — and how. From radical accessibility and inclusive education to the launch of Gotham Foundry, Casey shares how Genspace is cultivating a culture...

In this thought-provoking episode of Grow Everything , host Karl sits down with Suzanne Lee, founder of Biofabricate and pioneer in the biomaterials revolution, for a conversation that redefines how we think about material innovation. With passion and precision, Suzanne shares her journey from fashion design to biodesign, revealing how her early experiments with growing microbial cellulose led to...

In this episode, Karl and Erum sit down with Shelby Newsad, Partner at Compound, to unpack the explosive rise of consumer biotech, biohacking, and radical health optimization. Shelby shares inside stories from Compound’s Biohacker Demo Day, exploring how crypto funding, accessible blood testing, and personal health data are reshaping the future of healthcare. From peptides and proteome sequencing...

Karl and Erum bring on Dr. Alexander Titus, a commissioner on the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, to explore the exciting and challenging intersections of biotechnology and policy. Alexander shares his experiences from his unique journey across academia, government, and industry, diving into the role of biosecurity, the potential of synthetic biology, and the emerging conve...

Karl and Erum sit down with Elle Black, a product designer and manufacturing strategist whose journey into the world of skincare, AI, and biology is anything but typical. Elle shares how her background in physical product development led her to dive deep into the supplement and cosmetics industries—spaces rich with opportunity and riddled with misinformation. From decoding the intricacies of INCI...

Karl and Erum are joined by Nancy Diniz, Co-Founder of bioMATTERS LLC, to explore the future of biodesign and sustainable materials. Drawing on her background in architecture and digital fabrication, Nancy unpacks how bioMATTERS is creating novel mycelium- and microbe-based materials that are not only biodegradable but alive. The conversation traverses speculative design, the challenge of scaling...

Karl and Erum speak with Dr. Angela M. Belcher, MIT professor and pioneer in bioinspired materials, about how biology can transform the way we manufacture sustainable technologies. Drawing inspiration from how abalone build shells and viruses assemble structures, Angela shares how her lab uses genetically engineered viruses—like M13 bacteriophage—to grow batteries, solar cells, and cancer-targetin...

Karl and Erum sit down with Erika Milczek, CEO and founder of Curie Co, to explore how synthetic biology is rewriting the rules of modern chemistry. Erika, a former Merck chemist, shares her journey from Big Pharma to launching a biotech startup that engineers enzymes to replace legacy chemicals in personal care and consumer goods. With insights grounded in regulatory shifts, manufacturing scalabi...

Karl and Erum are joined by Dr. Ashley Beckwith, Founder & CEO of Foray Bioscience, for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of biomaterials and the emerging role of plant culture in shaping it. Ashley unpacks how Foray is pioneering new approaches to growing materials directly from plant cells, redefining how we produce, restore, and preserve biological resources. The episode explores th...

In this energetic recap of SynBioBeta 2025, Erum and Karl bring listeners straight into the heart of the year’s most important synthetic biology gathering. From Drew Endy’s visionary keynote on distributed, localized manufacturing to the ever-present theme of AI as the enabler of hyperscale biology, this episode unpacks the biggest ideas shaping the future of biomanufacturing and materials innovat...

Erum sits down with Michael Heltzen, CEO of eXoZymes, to dive into the transformative world of cell-free biomanufacturing. Michael shares the origin story of ExoZymes—from a student bioengineering dream at UCLA to ringing the NASDAQ bell—and unpacks why scalability, sustainability, and design thinking are central to the next generation of biotech. If you're curious about how biology can be eng...

Karl and Erum revisit their energetic and unfiltered recap of SynBioBeta 2024. With candid reflections on the conference and the broader synthetic biology ecosystem, they spotlight key trends including the rise of accessible community bio labs, decentralized events like the Biopunk gathering, and the convergence of deep tech and culture. This is not your average event recap—it's a tour through the...

Erum and Karl break down a concept they've lived and breathed—but rarely spelled out: orchestration. If you're building a startup in synthetic biology or advanced materials, this is a must-listen deep dive into how influence is built before your product lands or your funding closes. They pull back the curtain on how to create "value chain syndicates," why intros aren’t just intro...

Karl and Erum reconnect with Eben Bayer, Board Chair at MyForest Foods, for a compelling follow-up conversation on the evolution of mycelium-based food products. Eben dives deep into the scaling journey of MyBacon , a plant-based bacon alternative created through solid-state fermentation using gourmet mushroom mycelium. From early experiments producing just six packs a week to now operating at mul...

Karl and Erum welcome back Dr. John Cumbers—founder of SynBioBeta and Biological Enlightenment Studios—to dive deep into the transformative power of synthetic biology. From designing personalized proteins and sustainable materials to programming life for space exploration, John unpacks why synthetic biology could be the defining technology of our century. The conversation spans the central dogma,...

What if you could grow health-boosting compounds—not in fields, but in bioreactors—using the power of plant cells? In this episode, Karl and Erum sit down with Ilan Sobel, CEO of BioHarvest, to explore how the company is reshaping biotech, nutraceuticals, and biomanufacturing. From leveraging botanical synthesis to create highly bioavailable compounds like piceid resveratrol, to scaling sustainabl...

In this episode of Grow Everything, Karl and Erum dive deep into the transformative world of biomanufacturing with Molly Morse, CEO and Co-founder of Mango Materials. Molly shares how her team is using methane—one of the most potent greenhouse gases—as a feedstock to create PHAs, a class of biodegradable bioplastics. From wastewater treatment partnerships to collaboration with brands like Allbirds...

Karl and Erum sit down with Daniel Goodwin, co-founding Director of Homeworld Collective alongside his friend and collaborator Paul Reginato. Together, they explore how to build resilient, values-aligned infrastructure for a flourishing bioeconomy—beyond the venture model. From climate biotech to systems thinking, Daniel shares how Homeworld Collective is more than just a network—it's an emerg...

Erum and Karl dive into the fascinating world of the skin microbiome with Natalie Enslow, CEO and co-founder of Fjor. Natalie shares her journey from marketing to biotech, explaining how her brand is revolutionizing skincare by embracing the power of beneficial bacteria. She discusses the importance of microbial diversity, the challenges of launching a biotech-driven skincare brand, and how Fjor&#...

Karl and Erum sit down with Veronica Breckenridge, founder of First Bight Ventures, to discuss how the convergence of biology and technology is driving the biggest innovations of the 21st century. Drawing from her deep tech background, including her time at Apple, Veronica explores rapid advancements in genome sequencing, AI-driven biotech, and the vast untapped potential of microbes, emphasizing...

Karl and Erum sit down with Massimo Portincaso, founder of Arsenale BioYards, to discuss the urgent need to rethink how we scale biomanufacturing. Massimo shares why today’s approach to industrial biotech—modeled after biopharma—is fundamentally flawed and how Arsenale is flipping the script. From nature co-design to AI-driven strain selection, he lays out a bold vision for scaling bio-based produ...

Flavors, fragrances, and the science behind what makes things smell and taste amazing—Karl and Erum explore this world with Bob Weinstein, a legend in the industry who has spent decades at Firmenich, Robertet, and now Bedoukian Research. Bob takes them on a journey from the early days of animal-derived scents (yes, civet was a thing) to the rise of biotech-powered ingredients that are shaping the...

In this episode of Grow Everything, Karl and Erum sit down with Dr. Glennis Mehra, the absolute powerhouse behind BioLabs at NYU Langone, to talk about what it really takes to build a biotech startup in New York City. From how to deal with imposter syndrome to finding funding in a capital-constrained world, Glennis shares hard-earned insights on how founders can survive (and thrive) in one of the...

Erum and Karl get into the nitty-gritty of evolution, automation, and space microbes with Erika DeBenedictis—CEO of Pioneer Labs, a computational physicist, molecular biologist, and all-around biotech explorer. They chat about her wild career path from JPL and Sandia National Laboratories to engineering microbes for Mars and running an academic lab dedicated to Robotics-Accelerated Evolution (yes,...

In this special Grow Everything episode swap with The Climate Biotech Podcast, Erum and Karl introduce a mind-blowing conversation with the one and only George Church. If you’re into synthetic biology, you already know he’s a legend—co-founding 50+ biotech companies and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with DNA. In this episode, George talks about scaling microscopic innovations to solve...