We are excited to announce that Jason Voogt has joined Shiru as Vice President of Product.
Shiru’s mission is to feed people sustainably by leveraging machine learning and precision biology to identify and create ideal food proteins.
Jason Voogt received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, following his BS degree in the same discipline at the University of Kansas. Jason brings over 15 years of experience in converting early-stage technology into tangible products across food, agriculture, specialty chemicals, and personal care.
Most recently, Jason led a global open innovation team at Italian confectioner Ferrero, which focused on identifying and developing early ingredient innovation both from the field and biotechnology. Jason and his team identified and converted on early-stage opportunities in sugar reduction, in-field and satellite-based sensing for hazelnuts, palm oil alternatives, and plant-based ingredient alternatives to milk.
Before this, Jason was Vice President of Performance Materials at Amyris, a leading synthetic biology company. During his time at Amyris, Jason led the successful scale-up and launch of Amyris’ first commercial product, squalane, a high-performance emollient for the cosmetics industry. In addition, he was responsible for the performance materials business, from new product strategy to commercial sales for a range of products in polymers and rubber, rubber additives, and solvents for the specialty chemicals industry.
“I’ve followed Jasmin closely the last few years while she built a truly differentiated approach to discovering hidden gems in the natural world of proteins all around us. When I met the team and saw the passion and vision first-hand, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join and contribute to delivering on the promise of a more sustainable future for food.”