Nature is the ultimate complex system, of course — but with today’s
technology, it’s now provided us with an “incredible toolkit” of different
molecules that material scientists can treat like Legos to make some really
interesting products. One of those is a protective layer for fruits and
vegetables that extends shelf life and freshness. Because all produce is
seasonal, it’s perishable — so there’s a limited geographical radius around
which it can travel… whether by land, sea, or air. How does this change what
food we sell, buy, eat… taste? How does it affect smallholder farmers both in
the United States and in the developing world — where there’s no real
infrastructure, yet alone for a cold-storage supply chain? And finally, what
are some of the most interesting advances in the interdisciplinary field of
materials science right now and up next: Is it finally time for these
“hard”ware companies to be more software-like? All this and more (and
unfortunately, some puns too!) on this episode of the a16z Podcast with Apeel
founder and CEO James Rogers and a16z partners Malinka Walaliyadde and Sonal
Chokshi. Will tech reshape the food-map of the world?
Read more
Nature is the ultimate complex system, of course — but with today’s
technology, it’s now provided us with an “incredible toolkit” of different
molecules that material scientists can treat like Legos to make some really
interesting products. One of those is a protective layer for fruits and
vegetables that extends shelf life and freshness. Because all produce is
seasonal, it’s perishable — so there’s a limited geographical radius around
which it can travel… whether by land, sea, or air. How does this change what
food we sell, buy, eat… taste? How does it affect smallholder farmers both in
the United States and in the developing world — where there’s no real
infrastructure, yet alone for a cold-storage supply chain? And finally, what
are some of the most interesting advances in the interdisciplinary field of
materials science right now and up next: Is it finally time for these
“hard”ware companies to be more software-like? All this and more (and
unfortunately, some puns too!) on this episode of the a16z Podcast with Apeel
founder and CEO James Rogers and a16z partners Malinka Walaliyadde and Sonal
Chokshi. Will tech reshape the food-map of the world?
Read less