Mycelium Network for Fungal Biotechnologies
MycoStories is an innovation platform working with organisations at the forefront of fungi-based biotechnology, particularly in the areas of sustainable food production, agrotechnology, biomaterials and health.
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By fostering cross-sector collaboration and leveraging a global network of consultants, we help founders scale their businesses, guide investors and industry leaders in identifying high-potential opportunities, and empower researchers to translate their work into real-world applications.
We're here to help.
Marc Violo
Founder & CEO
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Previously Managing Partner at Ogilvy & Mather, VP Marketing and Platforms at TerraCycle and Product Owner at Tencent. 15+ years of international leadership experience. Start-up, business growth and circular economy consultant.
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Julie Kriegshaber
Director of Editorial & Partnerships
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15+ years scaling startups across the US and APAC. Founder and founding operator behind multiple companies grown to profitability or acquisition. Marketing and GTM specialist, now focused on the emerging bioeconomy and fungi innovation.
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Guy de Nicolay
Head of Investments​
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10+ years of experience in early-stage climate innovation, specializing in strategic and funding partnership building. Advisor to private and public funds, founders, and family offices across Europe. Former advisor to the EU’s €10bn deep-tech fund, connecting founders with corporates and investors.​​​​​
Dr. Justin Whiteley
Mycoprotein + Biotech Scale-up Consultant
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Co-founder and CTO of Meati Foods. Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering. Expertise in myco-protein development and sustainable food technology. Author of over 15 publications and secured over 10 patents.
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Mathilde Do Chi
Food Law + IP Consultant
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Managing Director at Forward Food Law BV, Public Speaker, Board Member and Impact Investment Committee Member.
International experience in both the private and public sectors (ADM, FAO, law & IP firms, lobbying).​
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Anders Gram
Scale-up + Process Technology Consultant​
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35 years experience in the biotech industry, covering enzymes, pharmaceuticals, biostimulants, probiotics, food and feed. Expertise in scaling biological manufacturing, submerged and solid state fermentation, as well as downstream processing. PhD in applied biochemistry.
Dr. Arend F. van Peer
Breeding & Cultivation R&D Consultant
Team leader of the Mushroom Research group at Wageningen
University and Research. Expertise in strain breeding and molecular genetic approaches, mushroom and mycelium cultivation, solid state fermentation. Translates academic concepts to pilot scale in semi-industrial settings.​​
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Dr. Shomaila Sikandar
Fungal Biotechnologist + R&D Consultant
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Senior Scientist Lead of Fungal Bioprocess at AS TFATK. Founder of MycoHues. 14+ years of expertise in fungal biotechnology, environmental microbiology and fermentation technology, from industrial research to product development.
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Dr. Matt Mead
Bioinformatics + Genomics Consultant​
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Bioinformatician with over 10 years of experience in academia and industry. Specializing in omics analyses from model and non-model fungi, genome-guided strain optimization, and tool development for wet lab teams. Builds intuitive workflows that turn questions and data into meaningful insights.
Josh McGinnis
Scientific + Technical Consultant
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Experienced Technical Leader and Biologist. Published scientist and researcher with 20+ year experience as a Senior Full Stack Software Engineer.
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Dr. Carolina Coelho
Fungal Disease + Medical Mycology Consultant​
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Medical research and immunologist with 15+ years working in medical mycology: diseases caused by fungi. Author of over 40 publications and expertise in immune responses, biosafety and preclinical research, using several -omics and cross-disciplinary research. Experience in consulting and health innovation.​
Bart Kregersman
Fungal R&D + Process Engineering Consultant​
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CEO of Biolynx with extensive knowledge and expertise in producing sustainable food, feed and biochemicals from fungi. Specializes in harnessing fermentation cultures to develop innovative and eco-friendly products.
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Dr. Manjula Elmore
Fungal Biology Consultant
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Biochemist and biologist with 20+ years of working with diverse plant-fungal interactions. Author of over 18 publications with expertise in nutrient acquisition, bioremediation, disease resistance, drought and stress tolerance, carbon sequestration, OMICS and eDNA metabarcoding.
Peter Oei
Cultivation + Solid State Fermentation Consultant
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Author, Founder of the Living Lab and ECO Consult Foundation Chairman. Expertise in mushroom cultivation, substrate production, solid state fermentation and mycelium product development since 1984.
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Shahriar Shakil
Carbon Sequestration + Metabolite Consultant
Co-founder & CTO of Micovation AB and founder of EcoAgro Tech Ltd. Specializes in fungal & plant biotechnology, carbon sequestration, leveraging 10+ years of expertise in product development.​​​
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Dr. Carly Anderson
Fungal Biology + Biotech Consultant
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Ex-Meati and LoamBio research scientist. Experience in filamentous fungal fermentation process design and optimization, microbial carbon sequestration, fungi genomics and phylogenetics, and in design of fungal pharmaceuticals.​​​​​​
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Barak Dror
Food + Personal Care Biotechnology Consultant
Co-founder and CTO of Maicelium Biomaterials. Former Senior Scientist and Head of Discovery at MFL. Ph.D. in Biotechnology. Expertise in solid-state fermentation R&D and scale-up processes in the food and personal care industries. Author of over 10 publications and several patents.​
Benjamin Knox
Strain Improvement + Life Sciences R&D Consultant
Director of Fungal Technology at Terra Bioforge. PhD in Microbiology with expertise in fungal genetic manipulation for improving industrial strain performance.​​​
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Vincenzo De Rocchis
Fungal Expert + Scientific Consultant
15 years of experience in fungal-related projects. R&D expert and former startup founder and CEO. Experienced in technological assessments of startups. Integrates scientific expertise with business knowledge.
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Dr. Ahsan Haque
SSF Product Development Consultant
Former Head of Bioproduction at Loam Bio. Over a decade of experience in solid-state fermentation, product development, technology transfer, and regulatory compliance. Proven track record in developing novel fungal strains, extending shelf-life, optimizing formulations, and managing CMO partnerships.​​​
Adrien Rigobello
Mycelium Materials Consultant
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Assistant Professor at the Royal Danish Academy, President of thr34d5 NGO design studio. PhD in Architecture with expertise in fungal biology and material science.
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Can fungi lead the way to a sustainable future?
Fungi are the architects of the natural world, integral to all life.
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They sustain critical ecosystems, recycling nutrients and connecting plants across vast areas. They're also the enablers of many staples of modern life, such as wine, chocolate, bread, detergent and penicillin.
Today, in the face of urgent ecological, societal and spiritual crises, fungi are being engineered to grow meat alternatives, create new sources of medicine, produce sustainable biomaterials, remediate the environment and even expand our collective consciousness.​​
The potential of using mushrooms and mycelium to address critical global challenges is both extremely compelling and complex. While initial research and experiments are promising, the journey from laboratory discoveries to scalable, real-world solutions demands investors’ long-term support, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a healthy dose of realism.
MycoStories is dedicated to accelerating growth, driving innovation, and amplifying the impact of fungi-based solutions and conservation initiatives.
