Cauldron, the path-finding fermentation biomanufacturer from regional NSW, has appointed David Weiner as Chief Technology Officer as the startup looks to ramp up production globally.
Weiner will run the technology R&D pipeline for Cauldron at it looks towards international expansion. He was previously VP and head of R&D at Solugen, where he helped develop the company’s chemienzymatic technology platform, underpinning the first-of-a-kind biomanufacturing plant—the Bioforge.
Cauldron’s new CTO, David Weiner
In a career spanning more than 25 on the frontline of biotech R&D, he’s also been global VP of tech & product development at BASF, as well as holding similar roles at Verenium and Diversa.
He signs on four months after Cauldron raised a $9.5 million in Series A from existing backers Horizons Ventures and Main Sequence, joined by SOSV and In-Q-Tel.
Cauldron’s continuous fermentation technology, dubbed “hyper-fermentation”, uses a new bioreactor design and growth medium formulation to improve the economics of large-scale fermentation production and make new synthetic, bio-based products more cost-effective. Put simply, it will transform how new foods and fibres are developed.
The startup, based in Orange, 260km west of Sydney, was founded in 2022 by Michele Stansfield. It already has six clients using its 25,000-litre demo facility with plans to build a 500,000 litre plant.
Stansfield, Cauldron’s CEO, said Weiner’s appointment comes at a vital moment for the startup and broader sector as it looks to reduce production costs to compete commercially with mainstream petrochemical or animal derived products.
“David brings a distinguished career leading R&D programs that deliver on process optimization to scale novel bioprocesses,” she said.
“As Cauldron expands on key technical breakthroughs with our hyper fermentation platform technology, David brings valuable perspectives to our leadership team.”
Weiner believes Cauldron has the potential to redefine the scope of biomanufacturing.
“I’m excited by the opportunity to expand hyper-fermentation as a platform to scale continuous processes for the global biotech industry,” he said.
“Throughout my career, I’ve seen how applying cutting-edge science to industrial solutions can drive meaningful impact at scale. Cauldron’s ability to deliver mainstream bio-products at cost parity with traditional goods offers incredible potential for the bioeconomy.”
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