203. The Valley of Do: Karl & Erum Orchestrate Bio-Ecosystems at Bioinnovations Conference

At Bio Innovations in Omaha and an adjacent investor gathering in Houston, Grow Everything hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan unpack the shift reshaping the bioeconomy: scientific discovery is becoming faster and less expensive, while deployment, scale up, and durable partnerships have become the real competitive advantage. They share conversations from the conference floor on the missing middle between bench science and commercial production, the Midwest’s feedstock and infrastructure advantage, the need for early technoeconomic discipline, and how corporates can give innovators clearer demand and specification targets. From pilot facilities and downstream processing to waste to value opportunities and resilient domestic supply chains, this recap maps the practical work required to turn biological innovation into products that matter. 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) Halloween, food dyes, and a motel room microbiology discovery (00:05:29) The fire microbe and the promise of extremophiles for manufacturing (00:07:46) AI agents, scientific discovery, and physical laboratories (00:14:43) Bio Innovations recap: Omaha infrastructure meets Houston capital (00:18:00) Discovery is cheaper, but deployment is the whole game (00:22:24) The missing middle: pilots, ecosystems, and the valley of do (00:26:45) Business models, corporate demand clarity, and consumer framing (00:34:40) Scale up lessons: feasibility, downstream processing, and tech transfer (00:42:28) Waste to value, bioeconomic resilience, and what comes next Links and Resources: Bioinnovations Steve Bray - TritenIAG Phillip Crawford -Roebling Mike Glasspool - Merrick Kyle Pomraning - Pacific Northwest National Lab Gatorade recall across 37 states in the U.S. Scientist discovered two new species of bacteria from a motel room they converted into a lab Incendiamoeba cascadensis. This 'fire amoeba' pushes the limit of what's possible for complex life Claude discovers a novel enzyme system with CRISPR-like repeats C5R Built a Research Lab Run by AI in 12 Weeks. 164. From Plasmids to Pallets: How Erin Marasco Scales Biology at Cargill 165. Biology Behind the Brands: Inside P&G’s Two-Century Story 166. The Great Reformulation: Joshua Lachter Rethinks How We Make Everything at Scale 102. Waste into WOW! Cemvita's Moji Karimi on Turning Carbon Problems into Golden Opportunities 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youtube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ / ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Grow Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Music by: Nihilore  Production by: Amplafy Media