LISTEN: Biotech founder breaks down how she turns microorganisms into high-quality protein in just 24 hours
September 5, 2025 | Austin Barnes
On this episode of Startland News’ Plug and Play Topeka founder podcast series, we explore a ground-breaking food innovation with Katelijne “Kate” Bekers, co-founder and CEO of MicroHarvest.
This biotech startup is pioneering the world’s fastest protein production — turning microorganisms into high-quality protein in just 24 hours, using sustainable fermentation and agricultural side-streams, while slashing water, land use, and CO₂ emissions by more than 95 percent.
Bekers walks us through MicroHarvest’s rapid ascent — from lab experiments to commercial scale production — now delivering 10 tons per day and targeting a full-scale facility of 15,000 tons annually by 2026. We also delve into how its MPX single-cell protein and HILIX nucleotide extract offer more than just nutrition — they bring functionality for sectors ranging from aquafeed to pet and human nutrition.
Recorded live at the Plug and Play Animal Health & AgTech Expo in Topeka, this episode continues Startland News’ 12-part series on the founders transforming the future of animal health and agtech — and putting Topeka on the map as a national innovation hub.
Listen to a teaser below or click here for the full podcast episode.
Featured Business
2025 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Ronawk lauds departing chief science officer as she launches her own biotech startup
Kansas City’s life sciences ecosystem continues to expand, the founders of Ronawk said Monday, celebrating plans for the Overland Park biotech company’s chief scientific officer to launch her own venture — returning to her roots in diagnostics and drug development, and growing the region’s culture of innovation. Dr. Amy Manning-Boğ is transitioning from her role…
Eyes on City Hall, White House: His app wants to break social media’s grip on your politics
A fractured news and social media ecosystem driven by biased algorithms makes it more difficult than ever to confidently vote based on facts — or even just understand the news of the day, said Mychal Shaw, touting the rapidly increasing but evergreen need for his civic literacy app. “I was raised in a family of…
Kauffman taps financial exec to help foundation invest in ideas, collaborations that expand opportunity
A newly named addition to the leadership cabinet at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is expected to play a crucial role in fostering equitable, inclusive, and sustainable prosperity, said Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, announcing Ben Clouse as the organization’s chief financial officer. “Ben brings a proven record of strategic financial leadership and a deep commitment to…
LISTEN: Ground Truth Ag puts real-time objectivity into grain grading; here’s how it makes your food safer
On this episode of our 12-part Plug and Play Topeka podcast series, we speak with Kyle Folk, CEO and founder of Ground Truth Ag — a next-gen ag-tech company using AI, machine vision and near-infrared spectroscopy to deliver real-time grain-quality data across the farm-to-market workflow. Folk shares how his upbringing on a Canadian farm inspired…