Why Food Tech Deserves More Attention
Climate tech is having its moment and it has for a while. Which I love. Every week there’s another billion-dollar funding round for battery storage or some new carbon capture breakthrough. The energy transition is real, it’s happening, and honestly? It’s incredible to watch.
But here’s what keeps me up at night: while everyone’s racing to solve the energy equation, we’re kind of forgetting about the major question in sustainability. How are we going to feed 10 billion people?
I’ve been building in food tech for years now, and I’ll be honest, it’s been a weird ride. A few years back, everyone wanted to talk about plant-based everything. Now? The conversation’s moved on. The headlines have shifted. But the problem is still very much here.
We’re Solving the Wrong Problem (Or at Least, Only Part of It)
Don’t get me wrong. I love that we’re making progress on sustainability. Companies are setting net-zero targets and carbon mandates. Consumers actually care about where their food comes from. That’s huge. But when the food tech conversation begins and ends with “plant-based burgers,” we’re missing about 90% of the story.
The real challenge isn’t just creating alternative proteins. It’s about systemic innovation. It’s about building ingredients and processes that create more nutrition from fewer resources. It’s about making food that doesn’t destroy the planet in the process of nourishing people.
And here’s the thing: this work is happening. It’s just happening quietly.
The Quiet Period is Where the Magic Happens
At Akarso Bio, we’re working on ingredients that naturally help with satiety and metabolic health. We’re using sustainable materials that hold water, add fiber, and boost nutrition without piling on calories. It’s not as sexy as a Tesla, but it matters.
And we’re not alone. Right now, across the industry, companies are filing patents, developing new strains, running trials, working with partners to scale solutions. The hype cycle has moved on, but the builders? We’re still here, heads down, doing the work.
Honestly, I prefer it this way. The spotlight brings capital, sure, but it also brings noise. This quieter moment? This is when real breakthroughs get made.
The Math is Brutal (But Not Impossible)
Let’s talk reality for a second. We need to:
- Grow enough food for 10 billion people
- Do it without increasing emissions
- Preserve (or regenerate) our soil and water
- Make nutritious food accessible to everyone
- Pull this off while dealing with climate chaos and supply chain nightmares
But here’s what I’ve learned as a founder: nothing worth building is easy. The hard problems are exactly where we need to be.
What Needs to Happen
Food tech needs the same urgency, capital, and innovation energy that’s flowing into every other climate solution. We need startups working with legacy food companies. We need academics partnering with industry. We need governments creating frameworks that make this work possible.
Most importantly, we need people who’ll keep building when everyone else gets distracted by the next shiny thing.
The next wave of food tech will be about systems thinking and combining biology, engineering, and logistics to completely rewire how food moves from field (or lab) to plate. It’ll prioritize planetary health and human health in equal measure.
A Call to Fellow Builders
If you’re an investor, here’s your chance to back something that actually matters. If you’re a policymaker, create space for this innovation to flourish. If you’re a founder, know that you’re not alone in this work.
The future of sustainability is incomplete without solving for food. This work might not make headlines today. But it will feed the world tomorrow.