Aaron Guan is the founder ofNeptune Nanotechnologies, a bio-nano material startup that is converting crab and other crustacean shells from the seafood industry into nano-material additives. These additives can dramatically increase the strength, water resistance and fire retardancy of paper packaging and other materials so that they can compete in areas where plastics have historically won out - all while being fully biodegradable.
In our conversation, we unpack how nanocrystals function and why they have such incredible potential; Aaron’s vision for a future with fully biodegradable products; and the impact that traditional plastics and additives have on human health and the climate.
We also talk about scaling a hardtech business from lab to commercial scale, overcoming green premiums in a highly commoditized market, and lessons learned from Aaron’s first biomaterials company.
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