Grow Everything Biotech Podcast

Updated: 28 Mar 2025 • 124 episodes
podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/messaginglab

Grow Everything reveals the world of biology as technology. Hosts Erum Khan and Karl Schmieder interview leaders and influencers biologizing industries with tools like synthetic biology, precision fermentation, bioprospecting, and more. These companies make biomaterials from waste, cosmetics that restore healthy hair and skin, and delicious cultivated foods in a bioreactor and so much more. Join us as we discuss the latest and greatest across biotech, synbio, entrepreneurship, and culture and how this transition is solving healthcare and climate change challenges.

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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, Dani

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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 divers

55 min
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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 sequenci

62 min
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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 A

61 min
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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, civ

59 min
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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 sha

56 min
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