With the Coffee Break series, we dive into the stories of EIC innovators and get a glimpse of the people behind EIC projects. Today’s guest is Mazen Rizk, Founder & CEO at Mushlabs, a biotech company using fermentation to create the next generation of sustainable foods from the roots of mushrooms. The company was the winner of this year’s online EIC ePitching with Investors on Agritech, Food & Beverages event on 15 February 2023.
After participating in the online EIC ePitching with Investors on Agritech, Food & Beverages event, Mazen Rizk won the pitching session. Find out more about his story in this EIC Coffee Break edition.
Can you tell us how the idea for your innovation started? Was it something that was bouncing in the back of your head for a long time?
The idea for Mushlabs grew from the result of a series of smaller events. I grew up in Lebanon and was inspired by my father who was a doctor and I wanted to follow the same path of helping people. Throughout my studies, I ended up finding my passion in biology and moved to Germany to do a PhD in synthetic biology. This for me was a very exciting field with a lot of innovative and meaningful developments that are solving important world problems.
The first job I took after my PhD was in the food industry and I learnt quickly about how broken our current food system is and how urgently we need to find tangible solutions to introduce circularity and sustainability into that system. At the same time, I was discovering the power and potential of mushrooms, and so I decided to take a leap of faith and combine everything I am passionate about; delicious food, biotechnology, an inner drive to help people and to fight climate change. This was the start of Mushlabs - using mushrooms and fermentation technology to create the next generation of sustainable food.
How did your family respond to your ideas/innovation?
In Lebanon, we have a Mediterranean climate characterised by hot and dry summers which means that droughts are nothing new to me or my family. They have passionately supported the Mushlabs vision from day one in its mission to find solutions to nourish the population all year round. As my two brothers are also entrepreneurs themselves, they understand that building something from nothing comes at a cost. It takes time and motivation, and we support each other 150%.
Can you tell us a little bit about a tough moment you had at the company and how you managed to push through this?
There are obviously moments where we have had to navigate through challenges and find the best way to tackle them, which often required moving quickly and making thorough decisions accordingly. For example, in the last few years, it has been a challenge to understand how to scale-up our technology when it comes to fermentation. Our science team are pioneers and are creating something new, so we have to overcome these hurdles and find solutions alone. We have put a lot of effort into solving this and other challenges and I am proud of what we have accomplished towards building an equitable and sustainable food system.
What advice can you give people who are currently playing with the idea of starting a company or research project?
Think about what you can bring to the table. What moves you, what fascinates you. As a founder, you need to be the biggest believer in your vision from day one. Surround yourself with a world-class team. You will spend a lot of time together. Make sure you have the resilience and willpower to work on the big social issues of the moment.
What are you currently reading or what book inspires you the most, be it personal or professional?
I am currently reading a book that has really inspired me on our mission named How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates. It is about accelerating the development of technology to get to zero emissions. In addition, we would need 1.8x planets to feed our expanding population if we stick to our current production processes, meaning we cannot continue, and change is required immediately. Food is mentioned in the book as one of the industries where we have a real chance of getting there with the developments currently underway.
If you could talk business over lunch with either a large CEO or global leader, who would you choose and why?
The first one that comes to mind is Paul Stamets, who as a mycologist and mushroom advocate has really helped to bring the movement more into mainstream. I love his passion for mushrooms and would love to meet him and exchange our thoughts over lunch.
About the EIC Business Acceleration Services
This opportunity is brought to you by the EIC Business Acceleration Services. To explore other opportunities to connect with investors in Europe keep an eye on our events page and head to the EIC Community website to read previous Coffee Break articles.
DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interest of knowledge sharing and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.