The Biotech Startups Podcast 🧬Reinventing Leather: How SynBio Is Transforming a $100B Industry | Michael Newton (Part 4/4)
Aug 28, 2025
42:19
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"We're not making a more sustainable leather. Yes, we do that. What we're making is a better leather. It's real leather, but it comes completely uniform in rectangular sheets that you can then work with super efficiently."
In this episode of The Biotech Startups Podcast, Qorium CEO Michael Newton reveals how his mission-driven team is reinventing leather through synthetic biology and tissue engineering, producing uniform, high-quality material.
He draws on his Nike experience to discuss the realities of scaling deeptech, overcoming fundraising and market-entry challenges, forging key partnerships, and stresses the value of mentorship and bold early-career risks.
Key topics covered:
- Disrupting the Leather Industry: Using synthetic biology for scalable, high-quality, sustainable leather
- Scaling Deeptech Innovation: Overcoming engineering and manufacturing hurdles from lab to factory
- Navigating Fundraising Challenges: Securing Series A for bold biotech in a tough market
- Team Building & Culture: Building resilient teams through values and clear mission
- Advice & Reflections: Lessons in mentorship, growth, and the power of risk-taking
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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Find our guest, Michael Newton, at these links:
Website: http://www.qorium.com/
Find our host, Jon Chee, at these links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonchee
Learn more about Excedr:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/excedr/
Website: https://www.excedr.com
Intro & Outro Songs Created by OkKyojin, Owned by Excedr:
Website: https://flow.page/kyojin
Resources & Articles:
Make Trouble by Cecile Richards: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35721620-make-trouble
The “Acquired” Podcast: https://www.acquired.fm/episodes/google
Insights and leadership from Jensen Huang: https://www.mba.ust.hk/mba-programs/mba-pulse/leadership-lessons-jensen-huang-insights-next-generation-leaders
CRISPR Screening and Tissue Engineering at Harvard and the Wyss Institute: https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/crisprs-impact-today/
Companies, Universities, & People mentioned:
Planned Parenthood Federation of America: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us
Qorium: https://qorium.com/
Nike: https://www.nike.com/
Mosa Meat: https://www.mosameat.com/
Dr. Mark Post: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markpost1/?originalSubdomain=nl
Ramanan Raghavendran: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramananraghavendran/
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:43 Qorium’s Mission: Reinventing Leather with Real, Sustainable Material
03:03 The Leather Industry: State, Problems, and Qorium’s Disruption
07:41 Product First: Making Better Leather, Not Just Sustainable Leather
08:09 The Technology Behind Qorium: Cultivation and Tissue Engineering
11:24 Go-to-Market Strategy: Partnerships, Scaling, and Industry Adoption
16:57 Industry Resistance and the Need for Progress
20:47 Fundraising for Deeptech: Challenges and Realities in the Current Climate
24:46 Reflecting on Macro Trends and the Importance of Persistence
32:24 Shoutouts: Mentors, Family, and Influential Figures
36:50 Advice to Younger Self: Taking Risks and Riding Trends
39:23 Closing Thoughts and Gratitude
40:09 Outro
The Biotech Startups Podcast gives you a front-row seat to the business and science of building a biotech. Hosted by Jon Chee, CEO of Excedr, the show features honest conversations with founders, execs, and investors about their work, their companies, and how they got there. From scientific breakthroughs to startup lessons, each episode explores what it really takes to grow a life science company—from pre-seed to IPO.