#161 Bylon, Recyclable Fibers, Ag Waste to Threads, Innovating Past Mistakes, & More w/ Oliver Shafaat (Sci-Lume Labs)

Thanks for returning to the CleanTechies Podcast on Substack! We have a big favor to ask you. Please take a couple minutes to fill out our listeners’ survey! Thank you SO much for being a supporter.🌎 Welcome back to the CleanTechies PodLetter, founder edition. Today, we are talking to Oliver Shafaat from Sci-Lume LabsRecently, we had the pleasure of speaking with Lori Dunn, who is decarbonizing today - but we wouldn’t have new technology like that without people like our guests today. Oliver Shafaat, the founder of Sci-Lume Labs. Today’s core discussion points are… * The overall problem with the apparel industry* How they are solving it using an agriculture waste feedstock to create circular fibers (bylon) * The challenges and process of developing deep-tech And much more… 📺 Watch on YouTube🍎 Apple Podcasts 🎧 Spotify🗣️ Join the Slack ChannelSubscribe to get these episodes and show notes directly in your inbox - if you find this valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber to help us continue this work. Already a subscriber? Upgrade to paid by clicking on “Upgrade to Paid” in the top right 👆The Guest: Oliver Shafaat* After finishing his PhD at Caltech, Oliver worked with Spiber Inc in Japan where he was studying advanced fibers. * Eventually, he felt the itch of entrepreneurship and knew he had to pull that thread to see where it led. * Fast forward to today, he’s now a Gener8tor alumni, based in Oklahoma, developing his technology day by day. The Startup: Sci-Lume LabsSustainable Fibers, Circularity, Biotech, BylonOne-liner: Developing fully recycalbe fibers from agricultural waste as the feedstock, to substantially reduce emissions in the apparel industry. Founded in 2022, the comapny is iterating quickly to develop recyclalbe fibers. They call it bylon. To date, Oliver has been named Biotech Innovator of the year. Sci-Lume has gone through the Gener8tor accelerator program. Step by step they are advancing to commercialization out of their Oklahoma-based lab. Enjoy the content but unable to support financially? Share the episode with your network and mention your favorite aspect of the show. 🙏📝 Show Notes:Topics* 01:16 Intro* 02:16 The Challenges of the Apparel Industry* 04:34 The Inspiration behind Bylon* 11:45 Evaluating Polymers* 13:59 Starting a Company* 15:22 Funding the Company* 18:45 The Process of Making Fibers* 23:19 Sourcing Feedstocks* 25:27 The Sustainability of Bylon* 28:31 Recyclability and End-of-Life* 30:21 IP and Business Model* 32:04 Scaling Up and Challenges Ahead* 34:58 Pilot Conversations* 38:49 Interest from Clothing ManufacturersLinks* Oliver Shafaat | Sci-Lume Labs* Connect with Somil | Connect with Silas* Check out our sponsor, NextWave Partners, for all your Climate, Renewables, and Sustainability recruitment needs.* This podcast is NOT investment advice. Do your homework and due diligence before investing in anything discussed on this podcast.🚨🚨🚨 Attention Hiring Managers! Are you struggling to find qualified candidates?—Reach out to our sponsors, NextWave Partners today to help solve that for you.NextWave Partners is a leading Global Renewables, Climate, & Sustainability recruitment consultancy solely focused on these impact areas. They are also B-Corp Certified.Reach out to them today to help you solve your hiring challenges and get you one step closer to making an impact.Asks 👋* We have recently launched a listener survey, and we would love to hear from you how we can improve the show and what you like most. Please take 7 minutes to help us with this. It’s 7 minutes for you, but it makes a huge impact on how we can serve you. * Have a specific guest or topic you’d like us to discuss? Leave a comment and let us know. Here’s the thing: Somil and I both have day jobs, so if you’re in the helping mood, we both have an ask for you today.Somil: I’m currently seeking to connect with founders in the built environment space for a project I’m working on. If you’re in that space, schedule a chat here!Silas: As many of you know, my day job is solving people’s hiring headaches in climate - do you have a hiring headache? Well, let me be your Advil. (booking here)🙏🏽 Thanks for tuning in, and see you all next episode! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cleantechies.substack.com/subscribe