LISTEN: Fermenting a clean future through products from meat alternatives to skin creams and baby formula
September 13, 2025 | Austin Barnes
On this episode of Startland News’ Plug and Play Topeka founder podcast series, we chat with Francesca Gallucci of Natáur, a Baltimore-based biotech company that’s reimagining how essential nutrients are made. Combining synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and eco-friendly fermentation, they’re producing bio-based taurine (and other naturally occurring sulfur compounds) without relying on petroleum.
Gallucci takes us behind the scenes: where Natáur’s science comes from, how its platform works, and how the company plans to scale up safely and sustainably.
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
LaunchKC, Techweek to welcome 10 tech firms to KC in style
In roughly four months, Kansas City will welcome a crop of tech startups bolstered by thousands of dollars in funding and a rockstar arrival. Kansas City’s LaunchKC competition — which aims to attract 10 tech firms to relocate to KC with $50,000 grants — has partnered with national tech conference Techweek to offer the winners…
New platform GUILDit offers art entrepreneurs visibility
A new program called GUILDit to promote and support art entrepreneurship is coming to Kansas City. The program is a bi-monthly gathering where art entrepreneurs take the stage to give six-minute presentations followed by questions and answers in the hopes of crafting a stronger Kansas City art economy, and to further connections between local artists.…
In time for Mother’s Day: Ovatemp wants to boost women’s fertility
The arrival of Ana Mayer’s baby girl isn’t the only thing she’ll be thinking about this Mother’s Day. Mayer — who’s among the newest founders in the Techstars-led Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator in Kansas City — will also be mulling how to further develop Ovatemp, the Boston-based ovulation tech company she leads. Ovatemp offers women…