Overview of Product/Service:
We recycle plastics using engineered enzymes. We use synthetic biology and machine learning to build high performance “molecular scissors” that efficiently break down plastic polymers as part of a sustainable, circular plastic recycling process.  We're currently focused on PET plastic, but will expand our focus to other major classes of plastic over time.

About the Team:
Birch Biosciences is currently a 5 member team, including two PhD synthetic biologists, one PhD biochemist, and two senior research assistants who assist in operation of lab instrumentation and perform laboratory experiments.  We are an experienced group of technical experts who have deep experience discovering and engineering enzymes in other areas, including therapeutics and agriculture, and are highly motivated to apply our expertise to a major, unsolved sustainability problem.  We are also advised by Bryan Yeh, an expert in chemical engineering and pilot scale plant production, as well as Chris Ulum, a recognized expert in plastic recycling and the former CEO of Agilyx.

Overview of Product/Service:
VMX International is 22-year-old minority woman owned business specializing in waste services and recycling. We aim to close the loop in the lithium-ion battery market by targeting recyclable resources already available and expected in used Li-ion batteries that are at end of life. By recycling used batteries down to a black mass we can recover the precious materials encapsulated in theses batteries. Our efforts will facilitate a path for end of life for lithium-ion batteries that will help alleviate ongoing concerns stemming from human rights, as important materials for lithium-ion batteries are presently primarily mined in third-world countries as well concerns about long-term supplies of battery materials that are non-renewable. Additionally, we expect our efforts to provide important needed local jobs with gainful long-term employment opportunity in challenged areas of Detroit that are in desperate need of such facilities and opportunities. Finally, we expect our efforts to be novel, such that current processes will be improved upon in order to facilitate greater and more efficient recovery of materials and fewer, if any significant downstream environmental impacts resulting from the recycling process. Ultimately, we seek to fill the role that is needed to re-capture the plethora of materials available now, and that are expected in the near future as the use and disposal of lithium-ion batteries is expected to increase exponentially. We have the expertise, drive, and desire to make the world a better place through our efforts.

About the Team:
We are a dynamic and diverse team at VMX International. We stive to be at the top of our game and we have had many successes over our 22 years of existence. We look out for each other and as part of a team whereby if one person may be weak another member will have the strength and experience to compensate. We are industry leaders and would like to push the envelope even further as we start this new venture.

Overview of Product/Service:
DeliverZero is a neutral network of returnable reusable containers. We make it easy for restaurants, delivery apps, and POS systems to offer customers the option to receive takeout and delivery in reusable containers that can be returned to any point on the network. With 561 billion foodservice disposables thrown out per year in the US, we solve the huge problem of single-use packaging in the food delivery industry while maintaining the accepted convenience for customers. A win for restaurants, customers and the environment.

About the Team:
Ashwin Ramdas is the Chief Technology Officer, veteran of the circular economy space, and a leader in developing reusable food packaging software. Ashwin is a first generation US citizen who moved to Colorado in 2017. Frustrated by his own plastic consumption and after witnessing mass plastic pollution in his parents’ town in India, Ashwin focused his career on eliminating packaging waste. After founder and operating Infinity Goods, Colorado's first zero-waste grocery delivery service, Ashwin began developing reusable container tracking software and an ecosystem of mobile and web apps that became the backbone of DeliverZero.    Christopher Todd, VP of Logistics and Operations, is a 21 year veteran of the Boulder and Denver restaurant industries, and founded Rootshyft, a hospitality sustainability consulting firm that has diverted more than 250 tons of organic waste from landfills. Having worked in almost every capacity in restaurants throughout his career, Christopher understands the delicate operational complexity of restaurants. His extensive knowledge of restaurants’ unique operational workflow informs how DeliverZero functions, so that DeliverZero can seamlessly and benignly integrate into food services’ operations. 

As co-founder and CEO of DeliverZero, Lauren Sweeney aims to normalize reuse. Before she began working in marketing and research roles in startups, Lauren worked in an eco-friendly health food store and cafe, where she learned about the benefits of composting and reuse. As she gained new skills in the startup world, she watched technology-backed convenience culture drive an increase in waste. As a working single mom, Lauren relied on conveniences like restaurant delivery herself, but was frustrated by the wasteful packaging, so she created DeliverZero to give customers a better option: takeout and delivery in returnable reusable containers. From the beginning, Lauren has been candid and accessible on social media and in her weekly newsletter, drawing attention to the reuse movement and to the DeliverZero brand. Lauren's experience running DeliverZero for the last 3 years gives her a unique point of view on how to make reuse truly work for restaurant workers and for customers. Thanks to DeliverZero's partnerships with DoorDash, Toast, Otter, Returnmates, and other partners, reuse is more accessible than ever.