TL;DR: Kartheek has leveraged networking and mentorship to enter the Alternative Proteins field and emphasizes the importance of industry knowledge. His previous experience fueled his enthusiasm for novel technologies, finding reward in working with groundbreaking products like cultivated meat. Kartheek advises exploring the industry, balancing stability and innovation, and staying informed on the latest developments.

Can you describe your professional background prior to your transition into the Alternative Protein sector? 

I have a Master's degree in Bioresource Engineering from McGill University in Canada, and a PhD in Food Science and Microbiology from NC State University in the US. During my Master's, I briefly did an internship at the Riddet Institute in New Zealand, and during my PhD, I worked at Yoplait in R&D for a couple of months, working on the yogurt functionality.

After my PhD, I was working at the dairy company Leprino Foods for almost five years. For the first few years, I worked as an R&D Product Development Scientist, working on different new products like cheese, food safety-related projects, clean labeling, scale-up, and commercialization-type projects. Within the company, I did a technical sales role on creating value-added dairy ingredients, transforming these regular dairy powders and making them into something value-added that could go into the beauty and skincare industry, soil augmentation, and pharmaceutical industry.

After that, I transitioned into Alternative Proteins. I started working at Superbrewed Food Inc. as the Director of Food Science Innovation. There I helped set up the whole department, hired the scientists, and did the day-to-day lab R&D work. I have worked on protein functionality and applications, with regulatory and partnered with universities or other companies that we wanted to launch the product with.

After one year, I started working as Head of Food Science for Orbillion Bio. It's a cultivated meat company. There I helped establish the lab, wrote the regulatory dossier, and did a lot of culinary innovation and investor meetings. Currently, I am starting a new role as Global Marketing Manager, Food & Alternative Proteins at the Pall Corporation.

What motivated you to consider a career change from your previous industry into Alternative Protein?

When I was still working in the dairy industry around 2016-2017, I started hearing more and more about Alternative Proteins and how they're going to transform the future. I was excited to go into that field.

There are a couple of reasons. First, we were relocating from Colorado to the East Coast in Rhode Island. I was looking for opportunities and I found this one. Also when I was still working in the dairy industry around 2016-2017, I started hearing more and more about Alternative Proteins and how they're going to transform the future. I wasn't sure how I would go into that field and what type of skills were necessary. But I was excited to go into that field and when the opportunity came along, I just took it. 

How did network or resources help you in securing a position within the Alternative Protein industry?

My first position in Alternative Proteins I got through networking. I had a mentor through a professional organization called IFT. I do a lot of volunteer work with them. So I met one of them who happens to be on the board of directors for that company, a scientific advisor. He introduced me to the company, the CEO, and that's how it started. And after that, I got approached on LinkedIn by a headhunter for my next role in cultivated meat.

Can you share any notable career achievements or milestones you've reached since transitioning to the Alternative Proteins industry?

There are several ones. They're both technical job-related milestones and also personal professional milestones. Recently, we got a patent. We announced some major partnerships with established CPG companies and manufacturing companies. We also got a self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) approval, which is an approval that you need to launch any products in the US or other countries. Personally and professionally, this gave me exposure to a lot of new technologies and meeting new people. I now serve on the scientific advisory board for IFD which really helped me gain knowledge on what is going on in academia, in the industry, and the government and nonprofit sector. I think that gave me a lot of credibility both being on the board, but also having the knowledge of the novel food tech and being able to apply and convert to the board as well.

As someone who has successfully transitioned into the Alternative Protein industry, what advice would you give to others looking to make a similar change?

Learn as much as possible, so you understand which area you want to get into. Go for a bigger company if stability is important. Explore new technologies, new applications, If stability is not a concern, startups are the way to go.

Always have a full understanding of the industry. You don't have to know exactly what you want to do, but that's even more of a reason to learn as much as possible, so you understand which area you want to get into. The field is very big, there are a lot of big companies that are also working in this field, and it also depends on whether you want a more rigid, structured job or a more free one. Explore new technologies and new applications, then you can get into startups. Lately, the past few years haven't been very great in startups and it's a risk going into startups, you never know what to expect. It comes down to what you want in life, if stability is important, maybe go for a bigger company, and bigger companies still do have a lot of innovative work going on. If stability is not a concern, startups are the way to go.

Follow as many folks on LinkedIn, subscribe to newsletters, and follow The Good Food Institute. They do a very good job of all the latest happenings and innovations that are occurring right now in the Alternative Protein industry, so that gives a good idea of what is going on. Having more knowledge and more awareness about the industry can really help to get where you want to go.

In what ways has your previous professional experience influenced your approach within the Alternative Protein sector?

For me personally, I get very excited with any new cutting-edge technology that hasn't existed before. That really motivates me. I'm not afraid of a challenge. That drove me to explore this field further, even though I don't have any formal training in Alternative Proteins or cultivated meat. I don't think anybody does, since those are very new fields. However, having the confidence and the basic foundation that you can apply from your previous industry to this novel industry has definitely helped me transition into this area.

What have been some of the most rewarding aspects of working in the Alternative Protein sector for you?

Tasting cultivated meat – who even thought you could grow meat in the lab, but here I am working with them tasting it on a regular basis.

The most rewarding aspect would be again, working with ingredients and products that never existed before. Some of them haven't even gone through regulatory approval. They're brand new to the world. So when I think about that, tasting cultivated meat – who even thought you could grow meat in the lab, but here I am working with it and tasting it on a regular basis.

How do you stay informed and continue to develop professionally in an industry that is constantly evolving like Alternative Proteins?

There are a couple of them. IFT is a good place to know about traditional food and novel food, subscribe to their newsletters, and attend their webinars. Then there is AgFunderNews, Food Navigator, Food Dive, and Food Ingredients. A lot of these do provide a good overview of what is going on in the industry: what are some of the recent mergers and acquisitions, and who got regulatory approvals. Food Hack is another one I'm subscribed to: they combine all of the news into a digestible email.

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