Bolt Threads
Co-founded in 2009. Built and scaled three product lines: Microsilk, b-silk, and Mylo. Protein and mycelium materials taken from molecular design through fermentation, manufacturing, and brand-name product.
Bolt Threads was built around a single conviction: evolution has provided an abundance of untapped, exceptional materials we can now access and industrialize with synthetic biology, starting with spider silk.
Over fifteen years we raised over $300M and shipped three product lines. Microsilk took recombinant spider silk from petri dish to runway. b-silk turned silk polypeptides into a commercial beauty ingredient. Mylo scaled mycelium into commercial-grade leather alternatives. Production reached over 100,000 L fermentation and multi-ton annual output. The company grew to over 150 people operating across three sites. Each line meant building the whole operator stack: bioprocess, supply chain, regulatory, partnerships, story.
I served as a co-founder, built the team, and led work across science, products, and partnerships. The arc taught me what it actually takes to make a new material exist in the world.