Pasi Vainikka | Solar Foods

CEO, Co-founder

Pasi Vainikka is a co-founder and CEO of Solar Foods, a company that creates food out of thin air. Dr. Vainikka is an enthusiastic researcher in the energy field. He’s also an adjunct professor at Lappeenranta university of technology.

Listen to Pasi's episode

How is it possible to produce food out of thin air?

The future is here tomorrow. Listen to Futurebuilders podcast with Pasi Vainikka with web player below or on your favorite podcast platform:
Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or SoundCloud.

In this Futurebuilders podcast together with Pasi Vainikka and our daring host Teemu Uotila we will find out:

  • How is it possible to produce food out of thin air?
  • What are the benefits of producing food without agriculture?
  • Are people ready for these new non-traditional foods?
Podcast highlights
  • 3:24 75-80 % of greenhouse gas emissions are from energy sector, 20-25 % are from what we eat directly or indirectly.
  • 4:25 How Solar Foods creates protein “out of thin air”?
  • 7:05 How to use Solar Food’s protein powder and in which situations?
  • 10:00 About having a healthy diet using the protein.
  • 10:23 Production of Solar Food’s protein uses much less water than traditional agriculture.
  • 14:15 What will the protein cost when it reaches the shelves?
  • 16:58 About the project with ESA, The European Space Agency.
  • 18:20 Solar Foods is not planning to produce food products themselves. They want to focus on turning electricity into edible calories.
  • 21:45 This kind of food production contains the ability to fight famine.
  • 23:40 People are taking the new protein in a very positive way. New food alternatives are supported.
  • 24:36 Pasi emphasises the role of engineers as solution providers for individuals – so that people become empowered to make daily choices towards a better world.

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Listen to Pasi's episode II

Are lab-based foods a threat to traditional farming?

The future is here tomorrow. Listen to Futurebuilders podcast with Pasi Vainikka with web player below or on your favorite podcast platform:
Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or SoundCloud.

Listen Pasi’s episode part I here.

In this Futurebuilders podcast together with Pasi Vainikka and our daring host Teemu Uotila we will find out:

  • How to make more environmentally friendly food in the future?
  • Are lab-based foods a threat to traditional farming?
  • What kind of foods will we eat in the future?
Podcast highlights
  • 1:32 With new technology, consumers are more and more empowered to make climate-friendly decisions themselves.
  • 8:19 About GMOs and what differentiates Solar Foods’ protein from genetically modified organisms.
  • 10:11 Pasi thinks different kinds of meat alternatives and proteins complement each other.
  • 11:18 Are lab-based foods a threat to traditional farming?
  • 17:06 What is Pasi Vainikka’s view on the future of food? What kind of foods will we eat in the future?
  • 20:02 Contamination risk is much lower in lab-based versus animal-based foods.
  • 20:54 Solar Foods’ future plans.
  • 24:57 As a company dealing with technology it’s important to have a vision of the future.
  • 25:34 Pasi Vainikka advises us to be amazed and open because there’ll be a lot of new products coming to the market that skip traditional farming. Try them out!
  • 27:22 Where to find out more about Pasi Vainikka and Solar Foods.

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