170. There's a Bug for That: Sophia Xu on CarbonBridge's Notebook Bioreactors

Episode notes

Sophia Xu, cofounder of Carbon Bridge, joins us to discuss how her company is revolutionizing gas fermentation with notebook-sized modular bioreactors that convert waste gases into valuable fuels and chemicals. From rejecting medical school to focus on climate biotech, to developing reactors 80% more energy efficient than traditional methods, Sophia shares how Carbon Bridge's platform enables wild-type methanotrophs to perform 500% better than genetically modified microbes. The conversation explores distributed manufacturing, the company's vision for an "app store" of microbial pathways, partnerships with Norwegian Cruise Lines, and why Sophia believes biology - not electrification - is key to decarbonizing heavy industry. We discuss deployment scenarios from dairy farms to breweries, the misconceptions about gas fermentation, and how Carbon Bridge is creating a new business model by selling bioreactors rather than end products. Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered.

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