SynBioBeta Speaker
Riccardo LoCascio
Novonesis
Partnering - Precision Proteins
Riccardo LoCascio is the Head of Partnering for Precision Proteins at Novonesis, with more than 15 years of experience in precision fermentation across global corporations (Novonesis, DuPont) and biotech start ups (Evolva, Arcadia Biosciences). He has structured and executed more than $1B in value creating strategic partnerships—from joint development agreements and minority investments to major manufacturing and commercialization deals—including Novozymes’ landmark $300M investment in the Blair, Nebraska precision fermentation facility.Riccardo has played a central role in shaping the Novonesis Precision Proteins portfolio, evaluating new programs and investments, and launching multiple bio based ingredients, including SONOVA™ GLA, GoodWheat™, and Veri Te™ Resveratrol. He holds a PhD in Microbiology from UC Davis, where he conducted pioneering research on Human Milk Oligosaccharides and the infant gut microbiome.
SynBioBeta 2026 Tickets are Live
Confirmed Speakers
Sessions Featuring
Riccardo
This Year
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Human Health
Programmable Nutrition: Engineering the Next Wave of Bioactive Food Molecules
Food is no longer just sustenance—it’s becoming a programmable interface with human biology. Advances in synthetic biology and foodtech are enabling the design of bioactive molecules that target specific health outcomes: regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, strengthening cardiovascular resilience, and even enhancing cognitive performance. From engineered microbes that secrete beneficial metabolites to programmable synbiotics tuned to the gut, this session will explore how programmable biology is transforming food into a therapeutic platform. Panelists will ask: what if the next breakthroughs in managing obesity, dementia, and heart disease don’t come from pharmaceuticals, but from intelligently designed foods and functional ingredients?
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Featuring
Ivan Jaubert
SynBioBeta
Director of Entrepreneurship
Startup-ecosystem builder connecting founders, investors, and corporates.
Alexandra Boelrijk
Kerry Group
Sr. R&D Dir. ProActive
25-year R&D veteran translating clinical evidence into nutrition breakthroughs.
Gregory Hocking
Mars Snacking
VP Global R&D New Innov. Territories
Reinventing snacking through sustainability and startup bets.
Riccardo LoCascio
Novonesis
Partnering - Precision Proteins
•
-
Human Health
Programmable Nutrition: Engineering the Next Wave of Bioactive Food Molecules
Food is no longer just sustenance—it’s becoming a programmable interface with human biology. Advances in synthetic biology and foodtech are enabling the design of bioactive molecules that target specific health outcomes: regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, strengthening cardiovascular resilience, and even enhancing cognitive performance. From engineered microbes that secrete beneficial metabolites to programmable synbiotics tuned to the gut, this session will explore how programmable biology is transforming food into a therapeutic platform. Panelists will ask: what if the next breakthroughs in managing obesity, dementia, and heart disease don’t come from pharmaceuticals, but from intelligently designed foods and functional ingredients?
Get a Ticket
Featuring
Ivan Jaubert
SynBioBeta
Director of Entrepreneurship
Startup-ecosystem builder connecting founders, investors, and corporates.
Alexandra Boelrijk
Kerry Group
Sr. R&D Dir. ProActive
25-year R&D veteran translating clinical evidence into nutrition breakthroughs.
Gregory Hocking
Mars Snacking
VP Global R&D New Innov. Territories
Reinventing snacking through sustainability and startup bets.
Riccardo LoCascio
Novonesis
Partnering - Precision Proteins
•
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Biomanufacturing
The Road to Commercial Scale: Capital and Market Demands Beyond the Pilot Plant
Scaling bio-based products to commercial production requires balancing technical readiness with market and financial realities. This session examines the capital investments, regulatory planning, and supply chain strategies necessary to move beyond the pilot stage. Experts will share lessons on aligning production capacity with demand forecasts, managing operational risk, and structuring partnerships that unlock funding and market access. Attendees will gain practical insights into navigating investor expectations, scaling efficiently without compromising quality, and making strategic decisions that ensure products can succeed commercially while meeting evolving market needs and sustainability goals.
Get a Ticket
Featuring
Cindy Groff-Vindman
CINBIO
Founder
Per Falholt
21st.BIO
CSO, Co-founder
Launched ~200 enzyme products, industrial biotech scale-up expert
Vanderlei Bellettini
ADM
VP Precision Ferm. Ops
Bioprocess scale-up veteran turning fermentation into real-world products
Richard Kenny
Hawkwood Bio
Founder & Mng. Partner
Techno-economic analysis for the bioeconomy
Verena Kallhoff
GHP
Sr. Dir, Global Life Sciences
Riccardo LoCascio
Novonesis
Partnering - Precision Proteins
•
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Biomanufacturing
The Road to Commercial Scale: Capital and Market Demands Beyond the Pilot Plant
Scaling bio-based products to commercial production requires balancing technical readiness with market and financial realities. This session examines the capital investments, regulatory planning, and supply chain strategies necessary to move beyond the pilot stage. Experts will share lessons on aligning production capacity with demand forecasts, managing operational risk, and structuring partnerships that unlock funding and market access. Attendees will gain practical insights into navigating investor expectations, scaling efficiently without compromising quality, and making strategic decisions that ensure products can succeed commercially while meeting evolving market needs and sustainability goals.
Get a Ticket
Featuring
Cindy Groff-Vindman
CINBIO
Founder
Per Falholt
21st.BIO
CSO, Co-founder
Launched ~200 enzyme products, industrial biotech scale-up expert
Vanderlei Bellettini
ADM
VP Precision Ferm. Ops
Bioprocess scale-up veteran turning fermentation into real-world products
Richard Kenny
Hawkwood Bio
Founder & Mng. Partner
Techno-economic analysis for the bioeconomy
Verena Kallhoff
GHP
Sr. Dir, Global Life Sciences
Riccardo LoCascio
Novonesis
Partnering - Precision Proteins
Session lineup still growing
Get a Ticket
Featuring
Speaker Coming Soon
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Human Health
From Cells to Patients: Solving the Scale Mismatch in Virtual Biology
Drug discovery often measures biology at the cell level while interventions work at the tissue, organ, or whole-patient scale. This mismatch can make accurate cell-level predictions irrelevant in the clinic. This session dives into strategies to bridge that gap: multiscale modeling that nests single-cell dynamics within organ-level simulations, spatial transcriptomics that preserve context, and surrogate models that translate cell-level outputs into clinical biomarkers. Speakers will ask: how do we ensure virtual biology reflects not just what cells do in isolation, but how biology behaves in the real complexity of patients?
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Featuring
Speaker Coming Soon
