As CEO of ScaleUp Bio, Francisco (Paco) Codoñer, is on a mission to bring healthy, safe and nutritious food to as many people as possible in the most sustainable way. His family fuels his energy and passion for his mission, as Paco is driven to provide them with a better, healthier, and more resilient future. Paco was most recently based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, as the senior team leader of the systems biology team for Danone Nutricia Research, the global research and innovation arm of French food giant Danone. He is no stranger to Asia, as Paco has lived and worked in the region from 2019 to 2021 in his capacity as Head of the microbiome centre for Danone Nutricia Research in Singapore. Prior to his first assignment in Asia, Paco served as joint CEO and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) from 2010 to 2019 for cutting-edge biotech company Lifesequencing based in Valencia, Spain. Earlier in his career, Paco specialised in research and development (R&D) for the microbial field in institutions such as Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, Muenster University in Germany and the AIDS Research Institute in Spain. A Spanish national, Paco holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Genetics, a Master of Science degree in Molecular Evolutionary Genetics and a PhD in Biology (Molecular Genetics and Bioinformatics) from the University of Valencia. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Bioinformatics from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.

Presentation Description

Our world urgently needs new ways of sustainably producing food for populations across the world, urgently. Industrial agriculture and food production have resulted in extremely adverse environmental impacts. This presents an opportunity for the novel foods industry, particularly, for new food innovations using microbial and precision fermentation. But what challenges do global food tech start-ups confront as they seek to ScaleUp for success? ScaleUp Bio’s Francisco Codoner will explain what challenges our industry faces and how ScaleUp Bio is seeking to deliver a one-stop shop of services to enable our industry to succeed, from Singapore, to Asia, and beyond.