Show Notes
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Oona Snoeyenbos-West, an environmental microbiologist and co-founder of MycoMine, a pioneering startup using fungi to clean up pollution. With over two decades of experience, Oona is at the forefront of mycoremediation — the process of using fungi’s mycelium networks to break down environmental pollutants like oil spills, heavy metals, and plastics. We discuss her journey from a childhood fascination with dinosaurs to building a company that bridges the g...
More from The Future is Fungi
In this episode, we sit down with Paul and Thomas, co-founders of Lipitune, a spin-out from RWTH Aachen University and top-five winners in the Science Entrepreneur Award. Lipitune uses a fungus to ferment tunable oils, with fatty acid compositions designed for specific properties like melting point, oxidation stability, and spreadability. Starting in cosmetics, they aim to create functional oils, such as one that is solid in the jar but melts at skin temperature, with less variation than plan...
In this episode, we sit down with Lynn and Jakob, co-founders of Building with Microbes, top-five winners in the Science Entrepreneur Award. Building with Microbes is making building materials from waste bound by fungal mycelium and bacteria, repurposing a waste stream into circular building blocks, and creating an alternative that tackles emissions, resource extraction, and construction waste all at once. Growing tomorrow's materials from yesterday's concrete. They share their journey from P...
In this episode, we sit down with Brita, molecular biologist and co-founder of Mycolever, a biotech startup unlocking the potential of fungi to create sustainable ingredients for everyday products. As a top two finalist out of 187 startups in The Future is Fungi Award, Mycolever is developing fungal-based alternatives to petrochemical and deforestation-linked ingredients used in cosmetics and personal care. Brita shares her journey from academic research to entrepreneurship and explains how M...
From lab to market: building the future of food with fungi In the first episode of the season, we speak with Ricky Cassini, founder of Michroma and winner of The Future is Fungi Startup Award 2025, about how fungal biology and precision fermentation are being used to replace synthetic food dyes with natural, high-performance alternatives. Ricky shares what it really takes to turn deep science into real-world impact — from navigating regulation and scale to building resilience over a seven-yea...
"Science fiction is rapidly becoming science fact" In this episode, we journey beyond Earth with Dr. Lynn J. Rothschild, an astrobiologist pioneering the use of mycelium materials to build structures on the Moon and Mars. Alongside her is Natasha Haveman, a NASA researcher exploring how fungi can sustain astronauts with food on deep space missions. Together, they reveal how fungi could transform space exploration, from producing sustainable food and building “mycotecture” habitats to converti...