By Mark Stone
“We’re out to change the world.”
It’s a phrase used frequently in press releases and media reports about entrepreneurs who believe their company or product is breaking new ground.
But Eben Bayer, CEO of Ecovative, said his company can comfortably make that claim and easily back it up.
Bayer co-founded Ecovative (pronounced ee-co-vay-tive) with Gavin McIntyre in Troy, New York, with aspirations of developing a new class of bioplastics based on mycelium, a naturally occurring mass of fine, branching tubes that form mushroom fungus.
Although an overwhelming majority of entrepreneurs find success by developing the next iteration of a product or service, Bayer took a far more challenging route: He started a new field of material science and found a market for it.
Today, Ecovative grows custom-shaped material that is durable enough to cradle computers and other goods during shipment. In essence, Ecovative wants to replace plastic foam packaging with sustainable mushroom packaging that home recyclers can toss into the compost bin.
Bayer, 31, credits Burt Swersey, one of his college professors at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, for the idea to form the company.
“Burt was an important mentor in my life who has since passed away,” said Bayer. “His class encouraged us to create technologies to benefit the planet and then start businesses. He was an incredible individual who pushed me to do more with my life.”
Connecting Values To Career
Having grown up on a Vermont farm on which his parents grew most of the family’s food and chopped down trees for firewood to heat the home, Bayer developed an intimate understanding of what it means to live sustainably.
With Swersey’s support during his senior year, Bayer was able to connect these values from his childhood with another principle he learned: You can do far more with your life than you imagined.
“I had a job lined up in Vermont, but he would call me every day and tell me, ‘You have to start this company,’” Bayer recalled.
Bayer took that job in Vermont, only to quit his first day. That decision would make Ecovative his first full-time job.
Influencing Environmental Policy
Although Bayer said the “low-tech biotech” Ecovative uses to make its materials may seem simple, figuring out how to sell it on a large scale challenged him in new ways.
“There was no pre-existing technology,” he said. “We had to invent the robots, the filling technology, the growth incubators to grow the molds.”
Ecovative spent its first three years creating prototypes and learning to scale, paving the way for company growth beyond expectations.
This year, the company’s two facilities in upstate New York have produced more than 1 million pounds of material and are on track to make another 10 to 20 million pounds in 2017.
Bayer also measures success by taking stock of the company’s influence. He noted that environmental regulators mentioned Ecovative in a new ruling that phases out formaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of the manufacturing process that’s found in wood and plastic products.
“On page 42 of the ruling, they cite our technology as one of the reasons they will phase it out,” Bayer said. “That’s the first interaction we’ve had where we’re getting written into policy.”
Sustainable At Work And Home
As Bayer looks ahead, he sees Ecovative poised to capitalize on the concept of grown products becoming mainstream — and harnessing the power of the consumer to do good.
Prices for a new line of home furniture are expected to range from $99 to $199, with more premium rates for higher-end office desks.
“People can go out and buy an Ecovative stool or chair that is fully grown, fabricated, chemical free and compostable at the end of its life,” he said. “I’m extremely excited about that, and I think people are ready.”
Bayer is equally passionate about practicing sustainability at home. Bayer and his wife live “off the grid” in a log cabin he built on land purchased four years ago. They rely on solar and hydro for power for heating and shelter, and grow a significant amount of their food, with plans to eventually raise everything they eat.
Although environmental experts are concerned about the world’s resources eventually running out, Bayer argues that waste and pollution are more critical concerns.
“When you create materials that can produce nutrients for the next product, you can do a lot more,” he said.
Mark Stone worked in tech for many years before deciding to make a career writing about it. He lives in Canada and also covers entertainment.
“We’re out to change the world.”
It’s a phrase used frequently in press releases and media reports about entrepreneurs who believe their company or product is breaking new ground.
But Eben Bayer, CEO of Ecovative, said his company can comfortably make that claim and easily back it up.
Bayer co-founded Ecovative (pronounced ee-co-vay-tive) with Gavin McIntyre in Troy, New York, with aspirations of developing a new class of bioplastics based on mycelium, a naturally occurring mass of fine, branching tubes that form mushroom fungus.
Although an overwhelming majority of entrepreneurs find success by developing the next iteration of a product or service, Bayer took a far more challenging route: He started a new field of material science and found a market for it.
Today, Ecovative grows custom-shaped material that is durable enough to cradle computers and other goods during shipment. In essence, Ecovative wants to replace plastic foam packaging with sustainable mushroom packaging that home recyclers can toss into the compost bin.
Bayer, 31, credits Burt Swersey, one of his college professors at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, for the idea to form the company.
“Burt was an important mentor in my life who has since passed away,” said Bayer. “His class encouraged us to create technologies to benefit the planet and then start businesses. He was an incredible individual who pushed me to do more with my life.”
Connecting Values To Career
Having grown up on a Vermont farm on which his parents grew most of the family’s food and chopped down trees for firewood to heat the home, Bayer developed an intimate understanding of what it means to live sustainably.
With Swersey’s support during his senior year, Bayer was able to connect these values from his childhood with another principle he learned: You can do far more with your life than you imagined.
“I had a job lined up in Vermont, but he would call me every day and tell me, ‘You have to start this company,’” Bayer recalled.
Bayer took that job in Vermont, only to quit his first day. That decision would make Ecovative his first full-time job.
Influencing Environmental Policy
Although Bayer said the “low-tech biotech” Ecovative uses to make its materials may seem simple, figuring out how to sell it on a large scale challenged him in new ways.
“There was no pre-existing technology,” he said. “We had to invent the robots, the filling technology, the growth incubators to grow the molds.”
Ecovative spent its first three years creating prototypes and learning to scale, paving the way for company growth beyond expectations.
This year, the company’s two facilities in upstate New York have produced more than 1 million pounds of material and are on track to make another 10 to 20 million pounds in 2017.
Bayer also measures success by taking stock of the company’s influence. He noted that environmental regulators mentioned Ecovative in a new ruling that phases out formaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of the manufacturing process that’s found in wood and plastic products.
“On page 42 of the ruling, they cite our technology as one of the reasons they will phase it out,” Bayer said. “That’s the first interaction we’ve had where we’re getting written into policy.”
Sustainable At Work And Home
As Bayer looks ahead, he sees Ecovative poised to capitalize on the concept of grown products becoming mainstream — and harnessing the power of the consumer to do good.
Prices for a new line of home furniture are expected to range from $99 to $199, with more premium rates for higher-end office desks.
“People can go out and buy an Ecovative stool or chair that is fully grown, fabricated, chemical free and compostable at the end of its life,” he said. “I’m extremely excited about that, and I think people are ready.”
Bayer is equally passionate about practicing sustainability at home. Bayer and his wife live “off the grid” in a log cabin he built on land purchased four years ago. They rely on solar and hydro for power for heating and shelter, and grow a significant amount of their food, with plans to eventually raise everything they eat.
Although environmental experts are concerned about the world’s resources eventually running out, Bayer argues that waste and pollution are more critical concerns.
“When you create materials that can produce nutrients for the next product, you can do a lot more,” he said.
Mark Stone worked in tech for many years before deciding to make a career writing about it. He lives in Canada and also covers entertainment.
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