What motivates you to keep pushing NotCo forward?

The main motivation that I have with NotCo is trying to democratize food consumption. This is part of what we proposed ourselves when we lead off this project: to change the way the world is feeding by the means of our own technology. Every idea, development, trial and launch needs to demonstrate that with our technology we can do everything. NotCo proves that with the right use of intellect and resources you can accomplish profound changes, this is our background and this is what I stand for.

What made you join the NotCo team?

The wish to change the way we are doing things nowadays. If we don’t take action today to switch the course of things, in ten years we will be living in a world with a 15% chance to feed our whole population. It is clearly unsustainable, and if we’re not part of the solution we become part of the problem. The decision was not instantaneous, but the trust was generated by a brilliant team and by the big opportunity that technology was putting right in front of us. The world of plants gives us an infinite world of possibilities, there is still so much to explore and discover to reach our goal, and the integration of different areas of knowledge was key to start doing this possible.

Why is NotCo important (in your words)?

The food industry needs a reset: we need to transform it into an industry that cares about the environment, the farmers and consumers. This is where I think we gain true relevance, we can somehow create a different food system, without animals and for everyone. We are capable of measuring experimentally the components of the food we love by using artificial intelligence and plants, and then scale this in order to replace the animal in the equation, the impact is huge not only for a few but to every person, animal and planet. There is no limit. This means we can transform sustainable, healthy and delicious food from a privilege into a right, into an opportunity and into hope for a better world.

What is your importance to the company? What do you bring to the table?

Food is much more than texture, taste, aroma and there are many components that one can measure experimentally. My expertise lies on fields of plant biochemistry and genomics. When we develop a recipe with Giuseppe, the team is in charge of looking for the patterns hidden between different attributes which describe food, in order to replace the animal in the equation and all that involves: physical, nutritive and functional characteristics. All of this needs to be made accessible and feasible. All of this is possible, thanks to the amazing group of scientists and food engineers that assemble countless resources to continue exploring and developing our way into a new food system.