Episode 8
7. Waste is the New Gold: How Polybion Grows Luxury Biomaterials Part 2
In this episode of Grow Everything, Alexis discusses the challenges and benefits of scaling a biotech product in the leather industry. He shares how his company, Polybion, has strong partnerships with leather manufacturers that enable them to rapidly prototype new products. Alexis also talks about…
Show notes
Episode Description:
In this episode of Grow Everything, Alexis discusses the challenges and benefits of scaling a biotech product in the leather industry. He shares how his company, Polybion, has strong partnerships with leather manufacturers that enable them to rapidly prototype new products. Alexis also talks about their facility in Ensenada, which is powered by solar energy and recycles water for use in growing batches of their biotech product. He explains that this product is not meant to replace traditional animal leather, but rather offers similar performance for up to 70% of the market. Additionally, Alexis discusses the possibility of hiring employees from abroad and working remotely, as well as the potential for using synthetic biology to create bio materials and materials for use in space or other planets.
Grow Everything brings to life the bioeconomy when hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories from the field and interview leaders and influencers in the space. Life is a powerful force and it can be engineered. What are we creating?
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Topics Covered:
00:00:00 Focus On Scale And Yield: The Brothers' Visionary Approach to Biotech Production
00:04:14 Growing Up Entrepreneurs: A Family's Experience in the Biotech Industry
00:07:50 Investor Pushes For Leather Application With Microbial Technology
00:13:08 Exploring The 200-year-old Leather Tradition In Leon, Mexico and Its Potential for Biotech Advancements
00:18:47 Exploring Remote Hiring And Working In San Miguel for Biotech Companies
00:25:25 Creating A New Textile: Comparing Performance Of Animal Leather And Biotech Leather Alternatives
00:27:38 Exploring Synthetic Biology For Materials And BioMaterials Production 00:33:13 Leather Industry Worries Over Potential Shift towards Biotech Leather
00:35:14 Leather Industry's Resistance To Change and Adoption of Biotech Materials
00:40:14 The Beauty Of Local Organic Waste: Crafting Leather From Microbes Using Sustainable Practices
00:42:35 Material Used For Liquid Leggings and Its Potential for Biotech Production
Episode Links:
Alexis Gómez-Ortigoza Linkedin
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Topics: bioeconomy, biomanufacturing, Biotechnology, synthetic biology, entrepreneurship, biomaterials, leather, leather industry, sustainability, circular economy, waste management, climate technology, startup, scalability, capitalism 2.0, microcosmos
About Grow Everything
Grow Everything reveals the world of biology as technology. Hosts Erum Azeez Khan and Karl Schmieder talk with the founders, scientists, and executives biologizing entire industries — biomaterials from waste, precision fermentation, cultivated food — and unpack how the bioeconomy is solving health and climate challenges. Winner of SynBioBeta's 2026 Impact Award.