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
Is Wichita the next tech hotspot? Startup week organizer says pieces are falling into place
Startland News’ Startup Road Trip series explores innovative and uncommon ideas finding success in rural America and Midwestern startup hubs outside the Kansas City metro. This series is possible thanks to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which leads a collaborative, nationwide effort to identify and remove large and small barriers to new business creation. After…
‘You Belong Here’: Add these 10 GEW events to your calendar (then keep clicking)
Global Entrepreneurship Week is returning to Kansas City in November with the ability for attendees to build their own week-long schedules from more than 150 planned virtual and in-person sessions. With a theme focused on inclusion, the wide-ranging options offer resources and insight for solopreneurs and small business to scaling startups — regardless of geography.…
West Coast accelerator for women taps second wave of Kansas City tech founder talent
Kansas City is in the pipeline now, as the FourthWave Accelerator for women in tech recently selected a local founder for its cohort for the second consecutive year. After her own valuable experience with the accelerator in 2021, Carlanda McKinney, founder of Bodify, encouraged her fellow Pipeline fellow Terri Foudray, founder and CEO of ConvIOT,…
After exit: How Rx Savings Solutions’ $875M sale could mean opportunity for KC (even if details aren’t yet clear)
The years after a headline-grabbing acquisition can mean a “jump ball” for the ecosystem where the startup was grown, said Jeff Hornsby, acknowledging the various outcomes ahead when a hometown company gets new owners. Possibilities range from massive community reinvestment to staffing reductions and all-out relocation, though such moves aren’t mutually exclusive. “They may say…