I didn’t expect to get emotional walking into Barilla’s U.S. headquarters. But I did.
There’s something surreal about standing in a building steeped in history and knowing you’re about to tell some of the world’s most respected food leaders that the future of metabolic health might be hiding inside a fiber they’ve never heard of.
We were invited to present by the Plug and Play Tech Center, and I’m grateful for that. But this wasn’t just another pitch day. This was a room full of global decision-makers: scientists, strategists, R&D leaders, not looking for a gimmick or the next trendy ingredient. They were looking for what’s next in food, not just what’s new.
And I got to stand there and tell them the truth: That our food system is broken, but it can be fixed. That the same gut hormone targeted by drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, GLP-1, doesn’t need to come in a needle. That we can do this naturally. Through food. At scale.
The Problem That Keeps Me Up
Most people don’t realize this, but GLP-1 isn’t some obscure biotech breakthrough. It’s a hormone our bodies already make.It regulates appetite, stabilizes blood sugar, and helps us feel full. However, thanks to ultra-processed diets and disrupted metabolic pathways, it’s not functioning properly for millions of people.
That’s why injectable drugs are having a moment. But let’s be real: They’re expensive. They come with side effects. And they widen access gaps.
So we asked a different question: What if we could activate GLP-1 using the food people already love, like pasta, smoothies, or snacks, instead of injecting it?
That’s what we’re building at Akarso Bio: a functional ingredient platform that uses water-absorbing, zero-calorie fermented fiber and clinically proven peptides and bioactives to trigger GLP-1 naturally, through the gut, not the syringe.
At the event, I felt it that connection between vision and validation. Not just for our science, but for the why behind all of this: To give people more than just another health product. To give them tools for better living. Tools that taste good. That feel familiar. That actually work.
And we’re doing it with food, not pharmaceuticals.
Why This Meant So Much
Startups don’t often get days like this. Most days are filled with data reviews, pitch decks, manufacturing bottlenecks, and long conversations about things that may or may not work. It’s hard, slow, scientific, and messy.
But then there are moments like this where the grind fades and the why comes roaring back.
Presenting our vision to Barilla didn’t just validate the technology. It reminded me of the bigger picture: That food isn’t just fuel. It’s culture. It’s memory. It’s medicine. And it can be one of the most powerful levers we have to create a healthier, more equitable world.
What’s Next
We’re moving fast and not just because we want to beat someone to market, but because we believe the clock is ticking on public health, and food has been left out of the conversation for too long.
We’re exploring pilots with food brands. We’re deepening partnerships. We’re preparing to bring our ingredients to market in ways that feel intuitive, not disruptive.
But what I left Barilla with wasn’t just excitement, it was gratitude. To the Plug and Play team Jesús, Shirley, Valeria, Robert thank you for curating a space that felt thoughtful and future facing. To the other founders in the room Christoph Geisler at Unlocked Labs, Kay Lim at Healthful Sprout thank you for showing up with bold ideas and shared purpose.
This is the future of food and we’re building it together. We’re just getting started.