bioCircular Loop

A Pitch Perfect Miniseries | #11 Can Europe keep up with China and US in scaling bio? ft. Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant

Recorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this final episode of the miniseries features Hendrik Waegeman, Head of Business Operations at Biobase Europe Pilot Plant, reflecting on what it really takes to scale bio-based innovation in Europe. After two days of panels, pitches and workshops, the big question remains simple: how do we scale successfully? Hendrik breaks it down. Whether you are a startup or a corporate, the fundamentals are the same. Product market fit. Price competitiveness. Scalability. Fast time to market. The difference is often how you deal with those factors. Startups are pushed to move fast. Corporates move step by step. And in bio-based scale-up, step by step matters. At lab scale everything looks perfect. At industrial scale, pressure, shear, mixing, oxygen gradients and equipment realities change the game. The devil really is in the details. We also talk about: * Why unrealistic cost assumptions can kill a scale-up * The importance of early techno-economic assessments * Surrounding yourself with experienced advisors * Partnerships as a necessity, not a luxury * Dedication as the defining founder trait Then we zoom out. Europe has historically been strong in pilot and demo infrastructure. But the US, China, India and others are investing heavily and moving fast. Europe analyzes well, but acts slowly. The race is getting more competitive. One takeaway that sticks: think big, act small. Keep moving, even when funding slows down or the path gets messy. This closes our 11-episode Pitch Perfect miniseries on scaling bio-based innovation. If you made it through all of them, you now have a pretty realistic picture of what scaling actually looks like. Not the hype version. The real one. If you’re building, investing, or scaling in the bioeconomy and want to share your own journey, lessons, or setbacks, send us a message on LinkedIn. The scale-up story is far from over. This episode is part of a Miniseries powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant [https://www.bbeu.org/] and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy [https://www.pitchperfectbioeconomy.eu/].

A Pitch Perfect Miniseries | #10 When the corporate opts out: scaling a bio-based PET alternative anyway ft. Tasseikan

Recorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Marc Lankveld, Founder of Tasseikan [https://tasseikan.nl], on building a biotech route to replace PET with a bio-based alternative. Tasseikan develops a fermentation process that converts sugar into FDCA, a building block for PEF, a bioplastic designed to substitute PET in packaging. Think bottles, food packaging, and applications where strength and gas barrier properties really matter. Unlike PLA, PEF is not biodegradable. It is meant to be recycled. The goal is not compostable plastic, but a drop-in, high-performance alternative to fossil-based PET. Marc shares the full journey. It started 15 years ago at Delft University, was scaled once inside Corbion, paused when strategic priorities shifted, and then rebuilt from scratch. Today the company is back in pilot phase and preparing for the next step: a demo facility. A few key themes from the conversation: * Scaling is not just about the process. You need the application and value chain ready as well. * Strategic partnerships matter. Tassekan works contractually with Technip Energies, keeping agility while leveraging large-scale engineering expertise. * Entrepreneurs need optimism, but also realism. * Plan for success. And plan for what could go wrong. One line that sticks: think big, act small. Scaling bio-based plastics is a long game. It requires patience, partnerships, and the ability to deal with whatever situation comes next. If you’re working on bio-based materials or industrial biotech, this episode is a grounded look at what rebuilding and scaling really takes. This episode is part of a Miniseries powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant [https://www.bbeu.org/] and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy [https://www.pitchperfectbioeconomy.eu/].

A Pitch Perfect Miniseries | #9 Biotech and baking: the secret ingredient to successful scaling ft. Puratos

Recorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Bram Pareyt, Group Upstream R&D Director at Puratos, on what biomanufacturing actually looks like inside a global food ingredients company. Puratos is a B2B producer of ingredients for bakery, patisserie and chocolate. But behind the scenes, biotech plays a much bigger role than you might think. For Bram and his team, biomanufacturing means enzymes, functional fermentation and using nature as inspiration. One example is a thermostable protease inspired by Yellowstone, developed and scaled in-house to improve texture, extend shelf life and contribute to cleaner labels. It started as a technical project. It became a health and functionality play. We talk about what it takes to scale biotech inside a corporate: * Focus and dedicated teams * Aligning biotech expertise with application expertise * Understanding how and why a technology works, not just that it works * Continuous screening for new startup partners via Sparkalis And then we get into the real tension: economics. A solution that costs ten times more than the benchmark will struggle, no matter how sustainable it is. Consumers may care about clean label and health, but there is still an economic reality in food. Regulatory complexity in Europe adds another layer. Bram also shares practical advice for founders: bring a real solution to a real problem. Not just a dream. Be clear about what you are good at and where you need help. Build trust early. If you want to understand how biotech scales inside established food companies and what corporates actually look for in partnerships, this episode is a very honest look behind the curtain. This episode is powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant [https://www.bbeu.org/] and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy [https://www.pitchperfectbioeconomy.eu/].

A Pitch Perfect Miniseries | #8 Rethinking crop protection: Can Llama antibodies replace chemical pesticides? ft. Biotalys

Recorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Bart Walcarius, Head of Technology Integration at Biotalys, on what it really takes to scale protein-based crop protection  Biotalys is developing biodegradable, protein-based biocontrols as an alternative to conventional chemical pesticides. The twist? Their technology is built on unique single-chain antibodies derived from camels and llamas, engineered into highly specific proteins that target crop pests and diseases with precision. We talk about: * Why cost of goods is everything in agriculture * Competing with ultra-cheap chemical pesticides * Building high-performing production strains via precision fermentation * Scaling from lab to pilot with Biobase Europe * The importance of early manufacturing partnerships * Why regulatory approval can make or break the timeline A major milestone: the US EPA has issued a proposed registration decision to approve their first biofungicide, EVOCA [https://www.biotalys.com/our-solutions/evoca], a huge step toward entering the US market, potentially by 2028. But as Bart makes clear, scaling bio-based innovation in agriculture isn’t fast. It’s months and years of strain development, process optimization, regulatory work, and building trust with manufacturing partners. The key lesson? Start partnerships early. Build the right multidisciplinary team. And be patient, because real scale takes time. If you’re working at the intersection of biotech and agriculture, this will give you valuable insights on what it means to move from platform to product to field. This episode is powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant [https://www.bbeu.org] and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy [https://www.pitchperfectbioeconomy.eu].

A Pitch Perfect Miniseries | #7 When there is no appetite for risk, who is funding FoodTech? ft. EIT Food

Recorded live at the Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy event in Brussels, this episode features Yvette Go, Investor at EIT Food, on what it really takes to finance and scale bio-based and food innovation in Europe. EIT Food, an initiative backed by the European Commission, supports agrifood innovation across the entire journey, from idea (TRL 1) to seed funding and beyond. Yvette sits right at the investment stage, bridging the gap between accelerator tickets and Series A capital. We dive into: * What investors actually look for in bio-based startups * Why market validation matters even at early stage * The importance of supply chain positioning from day one * Founder stamina and surrounding yourself with the right people * What “scalability” really means (and what it doesn’t) We also unpack the food tech funding rollercoaster: After the 2021 peak, global food tech investment dropped by 70% (50% in Europe). The hype reset the market and pushed out generalists. What remains is a more specialized, hopefully wiser investor landscape. From agritech timelines to lab-grown food regulation, this conversation tackles the big question: how do we feed 10 billion people with finite resources? One thing is clear: this isn’t a short-term trend. It’s a long-term systems shift. If you’re building in food, ag, or bio-based innovation, this episode gives you the investor’s lens on what survives the reset. This episode is powered by Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant [https://www.bbeu.org] and Pitch Perfect Bioeconomy [https://www.pitchperfectbioeconomy.eu].