The Bio Innovations North America conference agenda, running parallel to the 1-2-1 meetings program, was designed to drive the event’s core mission of driving the commercialization of US industrial biomanufacturing.
Carefully curated panels and keynotes sparked transformative 1-2-1 commercial discussions. Hand-picked speakers delivered actionable insights and solutions to critical industry challenges, helping unlock the immense potential of America’s bioeconomy.
08:00
Networking coffee & registration
09:00
Welcome & Opening Remarks
Leo Stemp, Head of Content, Bio Innovations North America
09:05
keynote address
NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine - Powering the Future of Biomanufacturing in America's Ag-Heartland
The NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine in Iowa and Nebraska is helping America’s agricultural heartland build and manufacture what the world needs next: from fuels and industrial materials to pharmaceuticals and consumer products. This session introduces how RuralSTAMINA connects research, manufacturing, workforce and entrepreneurship resources, and industry partnerships to turn agricultural resources into new high-value products, create competitive jobs, and unleash economic opportunities across Iowa and Nebraska.
Hosted by:
Maureen Larsen, Director, Nebraska Department of Economic Development
Featuring:
Dan Hoffman, CEO, Invest Nebraska
Kevin Moore, CEO, NSF RuralSTAMINA Engine
09:30
The Biomanufacturing Shark Tank
Calling all start-ups that rely on biomanufacturing inputs, innovate new biomanufacturing technologies, or use biomanufacturing to create their products. Do you want to pitch to potential partners and funders in the bioeconomy space?
Six biomanufacturing-related start-ups pitch to a panel of “Sharks”. Following each 3-minute pitch the ‘Sharks’ will put questions to the pitching teams. Once all the pitches are completed, two winners will be selected – one by the “Sharks” and one by the audience. Winners to be announced at the close of the conference.
Pitching companies:
Craft BioSolutions
Ecovaleric
Kemvera
Låkril Technologies
Oleo
Sustainable Chemicals
Hosted by:
Nigel Reuel, CTO, NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine
Sharks include:
Lisa Dufresne, Investment Manager, Corporate Venture Capital, GC Ventures
Keith Marcinowski, Principal Scientist, Advanced Science & Technology Scouting, The J.M. Smucker Company
Chris Forgey, Senior Segment Director, ADM
Michael Hershkowitz, Director, Global Sustainability and Sustainable Innovation, IFF
10:15
PANEL DISCUSSION
Biomanufacturing around the world: Lessons for U.S. scale-ups and international partnership opportunities
This panel explores the industrial biomanufacturing landscape outside the U.S., from Canada and South America to Europe and Asia, highlighting opportunities for cross-border partnership. From scale-up strategies and feedstock innovation to policy, incentives, and market development approaches, what lessons from overseas can be applied to the US bioeconomy? Join this session to explore cross-border collaboration opportunities to overcome shared challenges, de-risk investments, and accelerate scale-up, helping make bio-based the new normal.
Hosted by:
Varsha Sethuraman, Senior Research Associate, Lux Research
Featuring:
Dr Mike Dorrington, Director and Head of Food & Industrial Biotechnology, Ontario Genomics
Doris de Guzman, Principal, Green D Market Analytics
10:45
Networking coffee
11:30
Innovation from lab to lunchbox: Scouting and scaling novel biomanufactured ingredients and packaging solutions for The J.M. Smucker Company
Gain insights into how this leading consumer packaged goods company scouts, evaluates, and scales novel biomanufactured ingredients and packaging solutions. In this interview we discuss the potential for biomanufactured ingredients and packaging within The J.M. Smucker Company’s product lines. We explore the process for identifying emerging technologies, key criteria for selecting start-up partners, collaborative approaches to scale-up, and the qualification pathway that moves promising innovations from laboratory concept to commercial products.
Keith Marcinowski, Principal Scientist, Advanced Science & Technology Scouting, The J.M. Smucker Company
11:45
The Commoditization of FDCA: Navigating Feedstock, IP, and Scale-up
CellUranics is a venture-backed start-up developing and commercializing breakthrough technologies to help defossilize the chemical industry. We convert renewable and recycled feedstocks into cost-competitive, high-value bio-based chemicals, with an initial focus on glucaric acid and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA)—both recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy among the “Top 12 Value-Added Chemicals from Biomass.” Our platform enables sustainable applications across packaging, personal care, water treatment, and performance materials. Having successfully validated our proprietary process in a 50-tonne-per-annum pilot plant, we are now scaling toward a 5,000-tonne-per-annum demonstration facility.
Neng Guo, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, CellUranics
12:00
Enzymes - the hidden engine of sustainable product innovation
Consumer brands seeking sustainability still have to deliver products that are affordable and loved by consumers. That is difficult when many sustainability levers create trade-offs.
Enzymes, nature’s chemists, deliver real advantages wherever chemical transformations matter: they offer high chemical selectivity with fewer side reactions, and mild operating conditions, delivering innovative product performance, or improving efficiency of manufacturing, with less waste, lower cost, and improving sustainability.
Tim Eyes, Program Director, Imperagen
12:15
PANEL DISCUSSION
Scaling Biobased Innovations: Feedstock Abundance, Market Gaps, and the Path Forward
The quest to scale and commercialize biobased innovations faces numerous challenges. Lengthy timelines, hefty capital demands and the technical risk of building first-of-a-kind plants, create a “who pays for change” dilemma. From strategies to create demand, to an assessment of policy incentives, investment enablers and strategies to unlock North America’s vast biomass feedstock potential, join our panellists as they consider the most impactful steps that the industry, innovators, investors and policy makers must make to achieve industrial biomanufacturing scale-up success.
Hosted by:
Dr Alex Buck, Director of Industrial Innovation, Iowa Corn
Featuring:
Lisa Dufresne, Investment Manager, Corporate Venture Capital, GC Ventures
Dave Pucci, Principal Technologist – New Technologies, Technip Energies
James Glueck, Executive Director, Plant Based Products Council
12:45
Networking lunch
14:00
PANEL DISCUSSION
Building the talent pipeline to drive America's biomanufacturing scale-up
For North American industrial biomanufacturing to compete on the world stage the industry needs to build a talent pipeline of both innovators and operators. The industry faces labor shortages across the board from entry-level up to formulation specialists, with few even aware of biomanufacturing as a career pathway. This panel brings together educational institutions, government and companies looking to change this. Join this session to explore opportunities for partnerships across industry and academia to train the biomanufacturers of the future and turning North America into a global leader for industrial biomanufacturing expertise.
Hosted by:
Rob Owen, Executive Director, Bio Nebraska
Featuring:
Jackie Clifford, Biotechnology Program Director, Metropolitan Community College
James Beaupre, Director of Industrial Cooperation, University of Maine
Angela Consani, CEO & Co-Founder, Bioscience Core Skills Institute
14:30
Meeting Global RNG Demand Through Utility-Scale Deployment
Global Rewenwable Natural Gas (RNG) demand continues to grow, but much of today’s development remains fragmented across smaller projects. This presentation outlines how BioTech is bringing to market utility-scale RNG facilities, advanced fermentation technology, and expanded feedstock utilization to unlock the scale needed to meet future market demand while improving project economics and supply reliability.
Stuart Rymer, Vice President, Corporate Support, Biotech Energy Solutions
14:45
A technical presentation from a leading bio pioneer
If you think your company would be a good fit for speaking here, please email [email protected]