#15 Henri Kunz (Geneus): Why biomaterials and innovation struggle to scale

#17 Jaemin Park (Niber Technologies): Lab to label: Spinning the next Ingredient Brand in performance textiles

In this episode of the HeroInside Ingredient Branding Podcast, Tomas Vucurevic speaks with Jaemin Park, Co-Founder and CEO of Niber Technologies. Built on more than two decades of electrospinning expertise, Niber is transforming from an OEM technology supplier into an Ingredient Brand. Jaemin shares the family's remarkable journey of scaling electrospinning from laboratory technology into industrial manufacturing and explains why the company believes Ingredient Branding is the missing link between breakthrough material innovation and consumer understanding. Together, Tomas and Jaemin discuss why end-to-end technology ownership matters, how PFAS regulations are reshaping the performance textiles industry, and why educating consumers creates value across the entire supply chain. The episode concludes with Tomas reflecting on why BRAIND chose to partner with Niber on its Ingredient Branding journey. This episode is essential listening for material innovators, Ingredient Brands, textile professionals, founders, and anyone interested in commercializing breakthrough technologies. Themes & Timestamps: 02:00 – Jaemin Park's background and Niber's family story 03:02 – What electrospinning is and how it works 04:01 – Why Niber controls the entire innovation platform 05:02 – Why now is the right time for electrospinning in performance textiles 06:11 – Why Niber chose Ingredient Branding over remaining an OEM supplier 07:33 – Creating value across the entire supply chain 08:57 – Niber's Ingredient Brand launch plans 09:45 – Why did BRAIND choose to work with Niber? ________________________________________ Keep following the journey of the guest: * Niber Technologies Website [https://niber.tech/ ] * Niber Technologies LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/nibertechnologies/ ] * Jaemin Park on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaemin-park-1975b9107/ ] ________________________________________ Subscribe Elsewhere * ⁠YouTube⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@ingredientbrand] * ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hero-inside/id1726010469] * ⁠Castbox⁠ [https://castbox.fm/channel/id5765898] ________________________________________ Questions, Collaborations, and Sponsorships If you have any questions or ideas, reach out! We're also open to collaborations and sponsorships. Want to be featured on HeroInside? Contact us through podcast@braindery.com, and we'll get back to you. ________________________________________ BRAINDERY is the education and community platform of BRAIND®. It offers tools like the first Ingredient Branding MasterClass and the HeroInside podcast to support the Ingredient Branding community. ________________________________________ About the Host Tomas Vucurevic is the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND® and one of the leading global experts in Ingredient Branding. Tomas has over 40,000 hours of experience as a global Ingredient Branding expert. Half of his career was as Global Brand Manager for Gore-Tex. The other half was as the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND, a brand strategy consultancy focused exclusively on Ingredient Branding. He has guided more than 70 projects helping companies to get more value out of their innovations by transforming from the ZERO position as a supplier into the HERO position as an Ingredient Brand that consumers seek. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Tomas on LinkedIn⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-vucurevic-braind]

#16 From Zero to Hero: lessons from 3 seasons of HeroInside Podcast

In this special episode of the HeroInside Ingredient Branding Podcast, our host Tomas Vucurevic is joined by Noah Charney to look back on three seasons of conversations with some of the world’s most influential ingredient brand pioneers. Together, they revisit the biggest lessons, recurring patterns, and industry shifts that emerged throughout the podcast journey: from iconic performance ingredient brands like RECCO®, ECONYL®, and Vibram®, to emerging next-generation innovators redefining sustainability, commercialization, and supply chain integration. Tomas reveals how the HeroInside podcast evolved from an educational initiative into a central element of BRAIND’s communication ecosystem, and discusses how the ingredient branding landscape has changed over the past three years. The conversation explores why ingredient branding is so much more than just visible marketing communication, why commercialization and supply chain integration are becoming as important as innovation itself, and how shifting economic and political realities are reshaping sustainability narratives across industries. This episode is a must-listen for founders, innovators, strategists, investors and anyone interested in the future of ingredient branding. Themes & Timestamps: 00:30 – Looking back on the HeroInside journey after 3seasons 01:42 – What Tomas learned from hosting the podcast 05:12 – Why every successful ingredient brand is a long-termjourney 07:21 – The creation of BRAINDERY and democratizingIngredient Branding knowledge 10:54 – Recommended HeroInside episodes and founder stories 15:00 – How sustainability and next-gen materials changedIngredient Branding 17:06 – Supply-chain inertia and the challenge of scalinginnovation 18:48 – Lessons from Henri Kunz and luxury industry dynamics 22:17 – Audience feedback: Ingredient Branding as a businessmodel 23:25 – Why Ingredient Branding is a go-to-market model, nota marketing tactic 24:47 – How Ingredient Brands create long-term businessresilience 26:36 – How sustainability narratives shifted in recentyears 28:52 – Tomas’ three generations of Ingredient Brandingmodel 31:07 – Why sustainable materials now need to outperformincumbents 34:40 – Predictions for the future of Ingredient Branding 36:47 – PFAS-free innovation and the future of performancematerials 38:40 – Tomas’ biggest advice for founders buildingIngredient Brands today 40:55 – “Innovation = invention + successfulcommercialization” 41:45 – Why commercialization strategy must start from dayone 42:12 – Legacy, knowledge sharing, and supporting the field ________________________________________ Subscribe Elsewhere * ⁠YouTube⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@ingredientbrand] * ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hero-inside/id1726010469] * ⁠Castbox⁠ [https://castbox.fm/channel/id5765898] ________________________________________ Questions, Collaborations, and Sponsorships If you have any questions or ideas, reach out! We're also open to collaborations and sponsorships. Want to be featured on HeroInside? Contact us through podcast@braindery.com, and we'll get back to you. ________________________________________ BRAINDERY is the education and community platform of BRAIND®. It offers tools like the first Ingredient Branding MasterClass and the HeroInside podcast to support the Ingredient Branding community. ________________________________________ About the Host Tomas Vucurevic is the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND® and one of the leading global experts in Ingredient Branding. Tomas has over 40,000 hours of experience as a global Ingredient Branding expert. Half of his career was as Global Brand Manager for Gore-Tex. The other half was as the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND, a brand strategy consultancy focused exclusively on Ingredient Branding. He has guided more than 70 projects helping companies to get more value out of their innovations by transforming from the ZERO position as a supplier into the HERO position as an Ingredient Brand that consumers seek. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Tomas on LinkedIn⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-vucurevic-braind]

#15 Henri Kunz (Geneus): Why biomaterials and innovation struggle to scale

In this episode of the HeroInside Ingredient BrandingPodcast, Tomas Vucurevic speaks with Henri Kunz, founder of Geneus®, a company operating at the intersection of synthetic biology, biomaterials, advanced textiles, bioprocessing, and robotics. Henri brings a radically systems-oriented perspective tomaterial innovation. Drawing from biomedical engineering, logistics, and deep-tech commercialization, he explains why most biomaterials fail long before scale, why fashion’s supply-chain logic actively resists disruption, and why entirely new markets — including autonomous and robotic systems — may define the future of advanced textiles. This episode is essential listening for material founders,ingredient brands, investors, and anyone questioning whether sustainability narratives alone can drive real industrial change. Enjoy the episode and make sure to subscribe to HeroInside so you don’t miss the next one. We’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment, share, and leave a rating. ________________________________________ Keep following the journey of the guest: * Geneus Website [https://www.geneus.fr/ ] * Geneus LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/geneusfr/ ] * Henri Kunz on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/henrikunz/ ] ________________________________________ Subscribe Elsewhere * ⁠YouTube⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@ingredientbrand] * ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hero-inside/id1726010469] * ⁠Castbox⁠ [https://castbox.fm/channel/id5765898] ________________________________________ Questions, Collaborations, and Sponsorships If you have any questions or ideas, reach out! We're also open to collaborations and sponsorships. Want to be featured on HeroInside? Contact us through podcast@braindery.com, and we'll get back to you. ________________________________________ BRAINDERY is the education and community platform of BRAIND®. It offers tools like the first Ingredient Branding MasterClass and the HeroInside podcast to support the Ingredient Branding community. ________________________________________ About the Host Tomas Vucurevic is the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND® and one of the leading global experts in Ingredient Branding. Tomas has over 40,000 hours of experience as a global Ingredient Branding expert. Half of his career was as Global Brand Manager for Gore-Tex. The other half was as the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND, a brand strategy consultancy focused exclusively on Ingredient Branding. He has guided more than 70 projects helping companies to get more value out of their innovations by transforming from the ZERO position as a supplier into the HERO position as an Ingredient Brand that consumers seek. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Tomas on LinkedIn⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-vucurevic-braind]

#14 Mohamad Midani (VALORIZEN): Branding the no man’s land of bio-based materials

In this episode of the HeroInside Ingredient Branding Podcast, we welcome Dr. Mohamad Midani, a leading voice in natural fibers, bio-based materials, and the emerging bioeconomy in the Arab world. Together with Tomas, he explores why shifting away from fossil-based materials is, in his words, “a matter of human survival,” and what it really takes to build value chains, not just supply chains, around bio-based innovation. Mohamad shares his personal journey from a textile family to fiber science, explains why bio-based materials lag behind synthetics in both scale and branding, and outlines how Ingredient Branding can unlock visibility and fair value for innovators, especially in regions like the Middle East and North Africa. He also introduces VALORIZEN’s three platforms, including PalmFil®, PalmPeat, and NOUKK, and discusses why branding should be treated seriously. Enjoy the episode and make sure to subscribe to HeroInside so you don’t miss the next one. We’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment, share, and leave a rating. Themes & Timestamps: 02:34 – What drives Mohamad’s passion for bio-based fibers 05:16 – Biggest obstacles to moving away from fossil-based materials 07:20 – Price gaps, deep-tech costs & consumer willingness to pay 08:42 – Ingredient Brand landscape for bio-based materials 12:08 – Who “owns” natural fibers & can they be Ingredient Brands? 13:10 – Bio-based innovation & Ingredient Branding in Middle East and North Africa 17:07 – Why branding is undervalued & the mindset shift needed 20:14 – VALORIZEN’s mission & three technology platforms (PalmFil®, PalmPeat, Noukk) 26:41 – When to start building an ingredient brand ________________________________________ Keep following the journey of the guest: * VALORIZEN Website [https://valorizen.com/] * VALORIZEN LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/valorizen/ ] * Mohamad Midani on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/msmidani/ ] ________________________________________ Subscribe Elsewhere * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ingredientbrand] * Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hero-inside/id1726010469] * Castbox [https://castbox.fm/channel/id5765898] ________________________________________ Questions, Collaborations, and Sponsorships If you have any questions or ideas, reach out! We're also open to collaborations and sponsorships. Want to be featured on HeroInside? Contact us through podcast@braindery.com, and we'll get back to you. ________________________________________ BRAINDERY is the education and community platform of BRAIND®. It offers tools like the first Ingredient Branding MasterClass and the HeroInside podcast to support the Ingredient Branding community. ________________________________________ About the Host Tomas Vucurevic is the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND® and one of the leading global experts in Ingredient Branding. Tomas has over 40,000 hours of experience as a global Ingredient Branding expert. Half of his career was as Global Brand Manager for Gore-Tex. The other half was as the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND, a brand strategy consultancy focused exclusively on Ingredient Branding. He has guided more than 70 projects helping companies to get more value out of their innovations by transforming from the ZERO position as a supplier into the HERO position as an Ingredient Brand that consumers seek. ⁠⁠⁠Follow Tomas on LinkedIn⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-vucurevic-braind]

#13 Mikael Eydt (Beyond Leather): Taking the Leap - from apple waste to next-gen leather alternative

In this episode of the HeroInside Ingredient Branding Podcast, we welcome Mikael Eydt, co-founder of Beyond Leather, the company behind Leap - a next-generation material made from apple waste. We explore how Leap grew from a university experiment into a recognized Ingredient Brand, what it really takes to integrate a new material into existing manufacturing, and how thoughtful partnerships (like the iconic Danish furniture brand TAKT) can accelerate market adoption. Mikael shares candid lessons on pricing, scalability, transparency, and why he avoids the “vegan leather” label in favor of building a distinct category for next-gen materials. This episode is essential for innovators, material founders, and anyone interested in how purpose-driven materials become credible ingredient brands. Themes & Timestamps: 02:11 – Where Leap is today 03:06 – Origin story: from apple waste to a material brand 05:26 – Timeline & surprises: speed, detours, and what he’d do differently 07:03 – Breakthrough with TAKT: why the right partner matters 09:18 – Beyond a capsule: portfolio-wide adoption vs PR stunts 11:01 – Integrating Leap into existing supply chains (Weishin, scale, fit) 15:23 – Terminology: should non-animal materials be called “leather”? 18:04 – Animal welfare & broader sustainability lens 20:09 – Bio-content, performance, price: coexistence over conflict 23:03 – Market reality: funding shifts, demand signals, and staying focused 26:01 – What’s next for Leap 27:46 – Founder challenge: ingredient brand vs big brand “competition” ________________________________________ Keep following the journey of the guest * Leap Website [https://www.explore-leap.com/ ] * Beyond Leather LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondleather/posts/?feedView=all] * Mikael Eydt on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikael-eydt/ ] ________________________________________ Subscribe Elsewhere * YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ingredientbrand] * Apple Podcasts [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hero-inside/id1726010469] * Castbox [https://castbox.fm/channel/id5765898] ________________________________________ Questions, Collaborations, and Sponsorships If you have any questions or ideas, reach out! We're also open to collaborations and sponsorships. Want to be featured on HeroInside? Contact us through podcast@braindery.com, and we'll get back to you. ________________________________________ BRAINDERY is the education and community platform of BRAIND®. It offers tools like the first Ingredient Branding MasterClass and the HeroInside podcast to support the Ingredient Branding community. ________________________________________ About the Host Tomas Vucurevic is the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND® and one of the leading global experts in Ingredient Branding. Tomas has over 40,000 hours of experience as a global Ingredient Branding expert. Half of his career was as Global Brand Manager for Gore-Tex. The other half was as the Founder and Managing Director of BRAIND, a brand strategy consultancy focused exclusively on Ingredient Branding. He has guided more than 70 projects helping companies to get more value out of their innovations by transforming from the ZERO position as a supplier into the HERO position as an Ingredient Brand that consumers seek. ⁠⁠⁠Follow Tomas on LinkedIn⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-vucurevic-braind]