OMAHA, Neb – Six finalists have been selected to pitch at the inaugural “Biomanufacturing Shark Tank,” taking place on Day Two of Bio Innovations North America 2026. The event runs at 9:25 a.m. on Wednesday, 10 September, at the CHI Health Center in Omaha.
The finalists were chosen with help from investor partners at the NSF RuralSTAMINA Biomanufacturing Engine in Iowa and Nebraska. ADM has signed on as a financial supporter of the event.
The six start-ups pitching are:
- Craft BioSolutions (Highland Park, Ill.) is building modular biomanufacturing infrastructure aimed at the “missing middle,” helping bio-based processes bridge the gap between lab-scale development and commercial production.
- Ecovaleric (Boulder, Colo.) is an electrochemical manufacturing company scaling production of biomass-derived chemicals and materials. Its lead product, gamma-valerolactone, is a bio-based solvent designed to replace hazardous solvents such as NMP, DMF, and DMAc across advanced manufacturing.
- Kemvera (formerly New Iridium) is a sustainable chemical innovation company converting surplus Midwest corn ethanol into low-carbon, drop-in chemicals. Its flagship products, bio-acetic acid and bio-ethyl acetate, are USDA BioPreferred-certified and target the acetyl value chain used in footwear, paints, disinfectants, and perfumes.
- LÃ¥kril Technologies (Chicago, Ill.) commercializes bio-based acrylic acid using catalyst technology spun out of the University of Minnesota. The company says its process delivers cost parity with petroleum-based acrylics while cutting CO2 emissions by more than 80%.
- Oleo (Berkeley, Calif.) transforms underutilized biomass waste into feedstocks for advanced fuels, including cellulosic sugars and renewable oils for ethanol, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel production.
- Sustainable Chemicals develops bioplastics designed to match the cost and performance of petrochemical plastics. The company says its process cuts carbon footprint by 45% compared with petrochemical plastics and does not rely on fermentation to scale.
Each finalist will get three minutes to pitch, followed by two minutes of questions from a panel of investors and industry funders, dubbed the “Sharks.” The panel includes Lisa Dufresne, Investment Manager, Corporate Venture Capital, GC Ventures; Keith Marcinowski, Principal Scientist, Advanced Science & Technology Scouting, The J.M. Smucker Company; Chris Forgey, Senior Segment Director, ADM; and Michael Hershkowitz, Director, Global Sustainability and Sustainable Innovation, IFF.
Two winners will be chosen: one picked by the Sharks, one by the audience. Both will be announced at the close of the conference. The rest of the panel of Sharks will be announced soon.
About RuralSTAMINA
RuralSTAMINA (Ascending Rural communities through Sustainable, Transformative, Advanced Manufacturing Innovations and Alliances) is an Iowa State University-led research initiative. In July 2026 it won a National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines award, one of 12 selected nationwide. The award provides $15 million over two years, with up to $160 million available over 10 years for engines that meet research milestones.
RuralSTAMINA operates across Iowa and Nebraska, supporting agricultural producers and small and medium-sized manufacturers. Biomass conversion has traditionally targeted low-cost, high-volume fuels. RuralSTAMINA instead focuses on high-value specialty products, including coatings, pesticides, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, biologics, and animal vaccines. More than 70 public and private partners across both states are involved, including the University of Iowa, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Southeast Community College, Des Moines Area Community College, BioConnect Iowa, the Iowa Biotechnology Association, and Invest Nebraska.
About Bio Innovations North America
Bio Innovations North America takes place 9-10 September 2026 at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Now in its third year, the event is dedicated to scaling industrial biomanufacturing across the region. It connects bio-based developers and producers with chemical manufacturers, consumer brands, investors, community enablers, and suppliers through curated panels, keynotes, and a pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings program. The 2026 edition is expected to host more than 400 attendees and facilitate over 800 pre-arranged commercial meetings.
Bio Innovations North America is organized by World Bio Markets Ltd, publisher of World Bio Market Insights.
Media contact:
Kevin Ward
kevin@worldbiomarkets.com
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