# Reimagining seafood production with Aryé Elfenbein and Justin Kolbeck of Wildtype (2022)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2023-06-29
- Length: 42m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp

## Summary

Aryé Elfenbein and Justin Kolbeck, co-founders of Wildtype, explain how they pivoted from cultivating foie gras to growing cultivated salmon to address global seafood scarcity and contamination. They detail the technical challenges of scaling cell culture, including designing custom bioreactors and overcoming contamination setbacks that caused months of delays. The founders discuss their strategy to secure FDA approval and partner with high-end restaurants before scaling to broader retail, emphasizing the urgency of creating a third source of seafood to protect ocean biodiversity.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp#t=0) Introduction: Wildtype's mission and founders' backgrounds
- [3:13](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp#t=193) Meeting at Yale and early brainstorming sessions
- [10:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp#t=647) Pivoting from foie gras to salmon for global impact
- [20:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp#t=1206) Early lab work: growing cells and initial taste failures
- [28:45](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp#t=1725) 2019 debut dinner: feedback on texture and structure
- [31:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp#t=1860) Scaling production: bioreactors and contamination setbacks
- [37:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp#t=2240) Investor pressure and the urgency of ocean conservation
- [41:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp#t=2477) Regulatory path: FDA approval and retail partnerships

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Fundraising & investors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fundraising)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Wildtype (company)
- Aryé Elfenbein (other)
- Justin Kolbeck (other)
- Dr. Mark Post (other)
- FDA (other)
- Momofuku (company)
- Whole Foods (company)
- Costco (company)

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- [R&D RADIO: Travis Zissu from Scale Food Lab](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-04-13-r-d-radio-travis-zissu-from-scale-food-lab) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [3D Printed Fish And Meat, An In-depth Look Into The Future Of Food Tech | Hard Tech #2](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hard-tech-podcast/2023-05-19-3d-printed-fish-and-meat-an-in-depth-look-into-the-future-of-food-tech-hard-tech) (Hard Tech Podcast)
- [Cultivated meat’s “trough of disillusionment”](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-02-27-cultivated-meats-trough-of-disillusionment) (Catalyst)
- [Bonus Episode: Khalil Khamis of Crafty Ramen](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-05-02-bonus-episode-khalil-khamis-of-crafty-ramen) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [Founder Feature: Dina DiCenso of RIND](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-06-06-founder-feature-dina-dicenso-of-rind) (The Startup CPG Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-06-29-reimagining-seafood-production-with-arye-elfenbein-and-justin-kolbeck-of-wildtyp. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.