From Storybooks to Startups: My Journey Through Food, Science, and Innovation

By Minami O. , Innovator Fellow, Supply Change Capital

Food has always been at the heart of my journey. From the storybooks my mom read to me, I vividly remember being fascinated by tales that centered around food—like the teddy bear baker who woke up in the middle of the night to knead dough. Even the breadcrumbs that Hansel and Gretel left behind intrigued me. Food was also how I first came to understand culture. At home, I enjoyed homemade Japanese dishes, while at school, it was American fast food pizza at lunch. As I entered college and embarked on my research journey, my interest in food led me to the science of wine, one of the oldest and most storied forms of food. I was drawn to wine’s ability to blend chemistry, microbiology, and engineering with tradition, religion, and culture.

Naturally, this passion evolved into a PhD in Food Science, but my focus shifted from traditional foods to the emerging field of novel foods — innovative and nutritional products with functional benefits for both human health and the planet. Cultivated meat, the practice of growing meat in bioreactors, became the centerpiece of my work. I adapted my prior knowledge from wine science and proposed using mycelium, an edible fungal material, as a scaffold to support the growth of animal cells in cultivated meat production. This concept formed the foundation of my PhD research under the mentorship of Dr. David Block , as part of UC Davis’s Integrative Center for Alternative Meat and Protein (iCAMP), formerly the Cultivated Meat Consortium.

In parallel with my academic research, I co-founded Optimized Foods , a startup that leverages mycelium to develop sustainable food technologies. The intellectual property born from my research has been licensed to Optimized Foods, allowing me to transform scientific innovation into a commercial reality. Building a novel food-tech company has been both rewarding and eye-opening, giving me insight into the complexities of startup development. However, navigating the startup world during a challenging fundraising environment made me realize a gap in my understanding of the business side.

This is when I discovered the Innovator Fellowship with the Innovation Institute for Food and Health at UC Davis and was fortunately selected to work with Supply Change Capital (SCC), an early-stage, women-led Venture Capital firm that invests in FoodTech and AgTech co-founded by Shayna Harris and Noramay Cadena . I immediately felt connected to SCC’s thesis. It matched perfectly with my personal and professional goals. Focusing on the intersection of food, culture, diversity, and technology, their “theory of change" is based on the idea that diverse leadership, coupled with cutting-edge technology and culturally relevant food products, can create more sustainable, equitable, and healthier food systems.

With SCC, I was the deep tech expert with a focus on novel foods, which included foods in the alternative proteins and bioengineered foods categories. I had the opportunity to scrutinize the various novel food technologies by leveraging my scientific expertise in food science and cultivated meat. I sourced early-stage deals, screened over 120 startups, and performed due diligence, one of which led to a detailed 20+ page memo and successful lead investment. This experience was exciting and incredibly informative for me.

Additionally, I led two main projects. The first was the Novel Foods Market Map, where I assessed key players, market trends, and exits in the alternative protein space. A portion of this project on notable alternative protein industry trends was published on the SCC substack. The second was a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) Framework—a 9-level system modified from NASA’s TRL, designed to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of emerging technologies of the SCC deals and portfolio companies. This opportunity taught me a lot about the market landscape and how best to position a company for success.

Looking ahead, my goal is to continue contributing to the commercialization of innovative and sustainable food systems by combining my expertise in food science with a strategic understanding of investment and entrepreneurship. The IIFH Innovator Fellowship has been instrumental in fostering this dual perspective, allowing me to approach food sector challenges from a scientific and business standpoint.

As we continue tackling global challenges related to food security, climate change, and public health, I am committed to advancing solutions prioritizing sustainability, efficiency, and scalability. I sincerely thank the Supply Change Capital team, particularly Shayna Harris, Noramay Cadena, Rachel Stinebaugh , and the IIFH team, Dana Armstrong Hughes and Justin Siegel . I also want to thank IIFH Innovator Fellow alumni Jake Gonzales and Pornpipat "Paul" Kasemsap for all the advice and help during my fellowship. And special thanks to my PI David Block for his support and mentorship. Thank you so much - I am proud to have and continue working alongside remarkable individuals as we all strive together toward a more sustainable, innovative, and resilient food system for future generations. If you are interested in collaborating, please reach out to me on LinkedIn.