In this episode of the SynBioBeta Podcast, John Cumbers sits down with Shannon Hall, co-founder and CEO of Pow.bio, to talk about how her team is flipping traditional fermentation on its head. Pow.bio’s AI-enabled, continuous fermentation platform decouples cell growth from production—enabling higher yields, faster scale-up, and dramatically lower costs. Shannon shares what led her to leave a successful career at Bio-Rad, why manufacturing is the often-overlooked bottleneck in synthetic biology, and how her company is bringing modern, data-rich, software-driven biomanufacturing to life. From food proteins and fine chemicals to probiotics and enzymes, this episode explores the promise of continuous systems, digital twins, and the smart bioreactors of tomorrow.

In this episode of the Podcast, SynBioBeta founder and CEO, John Cumbers, speaks with Harshal Chokhawala, co-founder and CEO of ZymoChem, about how the company is reengineering the foundations of materials science using microbial fermentation. Harshal discusses his scientific journey from organic chemistry to building a carbon-conserving biotech platform capable of producing bio-based adipic acid, a key component in nylon 66. Their recent partnership with lululemon aims to bring sustainable, high-performance textiles to market.

The conversation also touches on ZymoChem’s second major innovation: a biodegradable superabsorbent polymer for use in diapers—a response to the overwhelming waste generated by the hygiene industry. Harshal explains their BAYSE platform, the technology powering these innovations, and how they’re scaling up production to meet market demand.

The discussion closes with thoughts on scaling biomanufacturing, policy support, and the broader bioeconomy opportunity in the U.S.