09. Bill Birgen, SAVRpak Food Lab Talk podcast

1+ y ago 27:30

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A former rocket scientist and lifelong inventor, Bill Birgen is the Founder and Chief Technology Officer at SAVRpak. Fed up with soggy lunches, Bill developed a pocket-size thermodynamic solution that created the perfect atmosphere inside his lunchbox, keeping his salads and sandwiches fresh and crisp. This technology evolved into SAVRpak’s Drop-In solution, which eradicates condensation - the number one cause of premature molding, wilting and spoilage of packaged produce like berries and leafy greens. On this episode of “Food Lab Talk,” Michiel hears from Bill about the tools that helped him accelerate SAVRpak’s growth; his reflections on pivoting from a “9-5” into entrepreneurship; and why validation was the key to unlocking SAVRpak’s success.

Bill Birgen: “In the U.S., people throw away almost $2,000 worth of food per family and educating the consumer is the most difficult. Selling B2B and going to an executive, saying ‘your farm can be more profitable if you’re not throwing away as much’ is an easier conversation. We’re having that adoption now, but long term there is a huge opportunity for families and a consumer solution.”

01:51 Intro to Bill Birgen

04:08 From rocket science to reducing soggy lunches

05:47 The origins of SAVRpak

07:50 The state of SAVRpak today

08:11 SAVRpak’s Drop-In solution

10:20 Communicating a seemingly simple, yet nuanced and complex solution

12:14 Winning over the skeptics

13:45 The steps to scale from a prototype

14:35 Pivoting to become an entrepreneur

15:28 Reflecting on lessons learned from launching a new technology

16:02 How to find the right stakeholders to validate and adopt your solution

18:54 Top takeaways for changemakers

21:19 Using your network to build a team

22:33 Long-term opportunities for reducing food waste

24:15 Accelerators and blockers for shifting consumer behavior

25:31 What’s next for SAVRpak

Links

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*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.

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