205. The Sweet Taste of Negative Waste: Max Kufner Ferments Carbon Waste at Again

What does it take to turn industrial carbon dioxide into useful chemicals at a price the market will accept? On Grow Everything, Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan speak with Max Kufner, cofounder and CEO of Again, about using gas fermentation to make acetate and other products from industrial emissions. Max explains why feedstock economics and locating production close to customers matter, what the acquisition of Genomatica brings to Again, and why real production data is essential for predicting whether a bioprocess can work at industrial scale. He also shares how customer demand, licensing, project finance, and partnerships can help move biotechnology from the lab into the real world. Before the interview, the hosts explore an AI assisted biomanufacturing class and the latest discussion around deextinction. 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) - Biology, public engagement, and biomanufacturing education (00:05:00) - AI agents and cell free protein experiments (00:10:00) - Deextinction, the moa, and biotechnology (00:15:00) - Max Kufner on turning carbon dioxide into chemicals (00:20:00) - From venture capital to building Again (00:26:00) - Industrial bioreactors and manufacturing at the source (00:32:00) - Financing biotechnology scale with customer partnerships (00:38:00) - Building biomanufacturing facilities in the US and Europe (00:44:00) - Climate tech quick fire: engineers, finance, and teamwork (00:50:00) - Founder takeaways: customer demand and cost parity Links and Resources: Again Bio. Max Kufner LinkedIn Startup, Again: Turning CO₂ Emissions into Carbon-negative Chemicals Again acquires Geno to combine AI-driven discovery with industrial biomanufacturing Colossal, who de-extincted the dire wolf, now hatches chicks from artificial egg to help de-extinct moa 113. Microbe Mission Possible: Noah Helman Discusses iMicrobes' Quest to Turn Waste into Wealth 170. There's a Bug for That: Sophia Xu on CarbonBridge's Notebook Bioreactors 102. Waste into WOW! Cemvita's Moji Karimi on Turning Carbon Problems into Golden Opportunities Grow everything LinkedIn  Topics Covered: biomanufacturing, AI x bio, climate tech, green chemicals, sustainable manufacturing, industrial biotechnology, biotech scale-up, deep tech financing, carbon-negative products, alternative chemicals 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