Maricel Saenz
San Francisco, California, United States
9K followers
500+ connections
9K followers
500+ connections
About
I am a biotech entrepreneur building a new company at the intersection of food and…
Activity
9K followers
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Maricel Saenz shared thisWe had such a great time at #IFTfirst last week in Chicago! It was amazing to watch people taste our cocoa-free brownies and beanless coffee — and even more exciting to hear how much you loved them. We’re so grateful for the enthusiasm, the thoughtful questions, and the energy around building a more resilient and sustainable future for coffee and cocoa. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! If we missed you and you're curious to try our products, we'd love to connect :) Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Compound Foods
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Maricel Saenz shared thisGrateful to have been part of this important conversation on food system resilience at #ftalks25 in Valencia by KM ZERO Food Innovation Hub It was inspiring to connect with leaders across the food value chain and explore how we can build stronger, more sustainable systems in the face of climate volatility, resource constraints, and shifting global dynamics. Thank you to the organizers for bringing us together in Valencia (an incredible city!) for these critical discussions, and to my fellow panelists for such an engaging and solution-focused dialogue. Conversations like these remind me how essential collaboration and long-term vision are as we navigate the future of food. Beatriz Acevedo Juan Gabriel Aguiriano Nalda Josep Casas Pérez Juan Carlos Motamayor A.Maricel Saenz shared thisDesde #ftalks25, reflexionamos sobre cómo reforzar el sistema alimentario ante un escenario global cambiante, donde la colaboración y la visión a largo plazo son clave. Durante la mesa redonda “Resiliencia alimentaria: claves para una cadena de valor más fuerte y sostenible”, se compartieron estrategias para hacer frente a los retos estructurales del sector, desde la volatilidad climática hasta la necesidad de producir más con menos recursos. Nos acompañaron: ⮕Juan Carlos Motamayor A., CEO de TOPIAN/NEOM ⮕Maricel Saenz, CEO & Founder de Compound Foods ⮕Josep Casas Pérez, CEO & Co-founder de Europistachios ⮕ Juan Gabriel Aguiriano Nalda, Group Head of Sustainability en Kerry Group. (eng) At #ftalks25, we reflected on how to strengthen the food system amid a changing global landscape, where collaboration and long-term vision are essential. During the roundtable “Food Resilience: Keys to a Stronger and More Sustainable Value Chain,” strategies were shared to address the sector’s structural challenges, from climate volatility to the need to produce more with fewer resources. Our panel included: ⮕ Juan Carlos Motamayor A., CEO of TOPIAN/NEOM ⮕ Maricel Saenz, CEO & Founder of Compound Foods ⮕ Josep Casas Pérez, CEO & Co-founder of Europistachios ⮕ Juan Gabriel Aguiriano Nalda, Group Head of Sustainability at Kerry Group. Catalina Valencia Zuluaga Beatriz Jacoste Lozano Ludivine Ratel Juan Requena Sanz Mónica Prada Rocío Soler Gómez Cisco Greses Gimeno #resilienciaalimentaria #foodinnovation #sostenibilidad #colaboración
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Maricel Saenz shared thisJust wrapped a great few days at Future Food-Tech Chicago. Grateful for the chance to share the stage to talk about the future of coffee and reimagine what’s possible as climate, cost, and supply chain pressures reshape the industry. David Cerami Dr. Manon Sarah Littek I enjoyed was joining roundtable conversations on the future of cocoa with leaders like Mondelēz, exploring how we can collectively create more resilient, scalable alternatives. Richie Gray Luba Safran Niclas (Nick) Luthman And of course — a highlight was getting to serve our beanless coffee during the break! Always amazing to see people’s reactions when they taste what’s possible without the bean. Huge thanks to the Future Food-Tech team for creating the space for these critical conversations. My favorite part is always to spend time with this incredible community Shayna Harris Ricky Cassini Michal Beressi Golomb Shara Ticku Brittany Chibe #FutureFoodTech #CoffeeInnovation #CocoaAlternatives #FoodTech #Sustainability #ClimateResilience
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Maricel Saenz shared thisExcited to join the conversation at #FutureFoodTech Chicago next week alongside an inspiring group of innovators reimagining coffee — from sustainability and flavor to function and impact. If you’ll be at FFT or in Chicago and want to connect, I’d love to hear from you! Let’s talk about how we build a future of coffee that’s not only delicious, but resilient. ☕🌍Maricel Saenz shared this☕ Can coffee survive climate change? As global demand for coffee continues to grow, so does the momentum behind sustainable innovation. At #FutureFoodTech Chicago, leading innovators from Minus - a Compound Foods company, REST, and Barley Brew will join Dr. Manon Sarah Littek, Founding General Partner at GGF, to explore the next frontier of coffee alternatives and sustainable solutions. This thought-provoking panel discussion will dive into: 🔹 Technologies driving sustainable coffee innovation 🔹 Advances in flavor, texture, and nutrition 🔹 Tools for reducing coffee’s environmental impact 🔹 Functional benefits aligned with evolving health trends Don’t miss this bold conversation on how to climate-proof coffee — from bean to brew. We're less than one week out! Have you secured your ticket? → https://lnkd.in/eafpsGvF Download the summit brochure to find out more about the program and speakers → https://lnkd.in/dtURYev8
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Maricel Saenz shared thisI’m at the Sweets & Snacks Expo this week talking cocoa and coffee — or rather, how we can rethink them. If you’re around and curious about sustainable, cost-effective ingredient solutions (or just want to catch up), send me a note. Would love to connect! Compound Foods
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Maricel Saenz shared thisHad a great time at SynBioBeta talking about the future of coffee and cocoa, and the technical innovations helping address some of the toughest challenges in our food system. I learned a lot from my fellow panelists Alan Perlstein, Hanne Volpin and Dario Breitel, PhD, Sonalie Figueiras - The World's Green Queen! But more than the panels or pitches, what makes SynBioBeta special is the community. A combination of entrepreneurs, scientists, and investors who genuinely care and believe on the potential of synthetic biology to solve the biggest problems. My favorite part was catching up with old and new friends, hearing about their latest ideas, experiments, and challenges. I left feeling energized, inspired, and proud to be part of this ecosystem ❤️ . Deniz Kent, PhD Jasmin Hume, PhD Kasia Gora Sam Levin Ivan R. Jaubert
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Maricel Saenz shared thisMy first op-ed (hopefully one of many more!) is live — all about the disruptions in the cocoa and coffee supply chains and how we’re building solutions at Compound Foods to help companies make the transition. I’m excited to share our approach, from my perspective. Feeling grateful for all the love and encouragement in the last 24 hours. One of my favorite questions has been: how can I help? So here it goes. We’re looking to connect with: - Brands that use coffee or cocoa as ingredients, from early-stage startups to established favorites - Large food and CPG companies looking to diversify and future-proof their supply chains - Ingredient distributors who want to offer their customers better, more resilient alternatives If you’re at one of these companies, or know someone who is, I’d love to connect! Thank you to Sonalie Figueiras - The World's Green Queen and Green Queen Media team for the space to share this story 💚 Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/dNzr-3k5Opinion: The Coffee & Cocoa Crisis Is Here. Here’s How Business Can AdaptOpinion: The Coffee & Cocoa Crisis Is Here. Here’s How Business Can Adapt
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Maricel Saenz shared thisToday, we’re officially launching our beanless ingredient platform. Built from upcycled ingredients, fermentation, and food science, our products are designed to help brands navigate a new reality with ingredients that deliver on taste, cost, and consistency. I don’t have to tell you how much I love coffee, and you know what else I love? Chocolate! Like me, these crops come from tropical ecosystems that thrive in balance. I have been worried about their future for years, and today the hard reality we’ve been preparing for is here: the supply chains behind coffee and cocoa, the crops that fuel so much of our joy, rituals, and industry, are breaking. What used to be long-term projections are now present-day realities. This isn’t theoretical anymore. It’s happening now. At Compound Foods, we’ve spent the last five years asking ourselves: what if there’s another way? Can we create the flavor, function, and experience of coffee and cocoa, without the bean? The in- depth work and research we conducted to create coffee alternatives, enabled us to create alternatives to cocoa in record time, that offer a product with great taste, functionality, and responds to what the industry needs today. We are in a strong position to support companies through this transition, and this new platform is for the companies that are ready to adapt, those who want to meet demand, de-risk their supply chains, and manage volatility, without compromising product quality or process. We’re not trying to replace specialty coffee or craft cacao. We’re building a better option for the part of the industry that’s most fragile: commodity crops traded at scale, vulnerable to climate, and often exploitative in practice. I’m proud of our team, grateful to our early partners, and excited for what’s ahead. Check out our beautiful website ✨ This is just the beginning.Maricel Saenz shared this🚀Today we launched our beanless ingredient platform for coffee and cocoa! At Compound Foods, we’ve developed a proprietary platform that offers functional, great-tasting alternatives to traditional coffee and cocoa—without the beans. Built to derisk global supply chains, our ingredients help brands protect their portfolios and lower their environmental impact. Why now? Because the system behind our daily rituals is under extreme stress. In 2024, cocoa prices quadrupled. In 2025, coffee hit a 50-year high. Farmers are leaving these crops behind. Climate volatility, yield decline, and price spikes are not outliers anymore—it’s a present reality. For brands that rely on these ingredients, whether in chocolate bars, blends, or RTDs, this is not a temporary challenge, it’s a fundamental shift in the supply landscape. And it demands structural solutions. Here’s how our platform helps: → Blending: Reduce reliance on volatile commodities by integrating resilient alternatives → Hedging: Build backup supply chains insulated from climate shocks → Innovating: Co-create next-generation products that taste great and scale fast The goal isn’t to replace coffee or cocoa. It’s to make them more resilient. 🌱 If cocoa stays above $8,000/ton, alternatives save millions. If coffee yields drop another 20%, blends protect revenue. The industry is suffering system challenges, and we are not standing still. We’re building what comes next. 👉 Check out our new website: www.compound-foods.com A note on our LinkedIn transition: If you previously followed us as Minus Coffee, you’re in the right place. Minus is still going strong (IG: @drinkminuscoffee / www.drinkminuscoffee.com)—a proof-of-concept brand powered by Compound’s platform. It’s an instant, beanless coffee with half the caffeine, L-theanine, and protein for calm, sustained energy—designed for women. Compound is the engine. Minus is the expression. And this is just the beginning.
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Maricel Saenz shared thisThis is incredible!! The first dire wolves 10,000 years after their extinction. Congrats Colossal Biosciences, you make me hopeful and excited for the future!Maricel Saenz shared thisSOUND ON. You’re hearing the first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years. Meet Romulus and Remus—the world’s first de-extinct animals, born on October 1, 2024. The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using genetic edits derived from a complete dire wolf genome, meticulously reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA found in fossils dating back 11,500 and 72,000 years. This moment marks not only a milestone for us as a company but also a leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity. From the beginning, our goal has been clear: “To revolutionize history and be the first company to use CRISPR technology successfully in the de-extinction of previously lost species.” By achieving this, we continue to push forward our broader mission on—accepting humanity’s duty to restore Earth to a healthier state. But this isn’t just our moment—it’s one for science, our planet, and humankind. All of which we love and are passionate about. Now, close your eyes and listen to that howl once more. Think about what this means for all of us.The first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years.The first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years.
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8mo
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Maricel Saenz liked thisMaricel Saenz liked thisI started Juno Bio with a conviction that the vaginal microbiome was one of the most clinically underserved areas in health - and that sequencing could change that. Today we're announcing our CLIA-certified lab and clinical test, and I'm proud of everything it took to get here. Thank you to our 20,000+ test users who trusted us to help them, everyone who has been part of our team and our investors who believed early. Things worth building take time. And this definitely was. I’m excited for what’s ahead and the brilliant work our lab has coming up as a centre for innovation in women’s health. Leighton Turner Francesca (Check) Warner Ada Ventures Artesian (Alternative Investments) Illumina Entrepreneurs First Yanyan Hong Anna Powell Jocelyn L. Valerie Ngo Mario Hayashi Amanda Cashin, PhD Mostafa Ronaghi Marc Martin Casas Matt Clifford Alice Bentinck 👇 Head to the comments to read our press release and coverage in Axios.
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Maricel Saenz liked thisMaricel Saenz liked thisWe just had our biggest manufacturing run yet for a) IJOOZ's recurring order and b) our first two retail deals. A couple of months ago, IJOOZ gave us a shot. We had 30 days in 30 machines to sell enough to earn a recurring order. The results are in - each order since then has doubled in size. Next month, we're launching in two major retailers in Singapore. We've been waiting for the right moment to enter retail. Now that we have 500 tonnes of PreferRoast™ coming online at the end of the quarter, it's time. Who do we think the two will be? The first one to get it right gets a high five.
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Maricel Saenz liked thisMaricel Saenz liked thisMy dad was the kind of guy who never sat still. Then Multiple sclerosis started taking that from him. MS affects everyone differently. Some symptoms are more obvious, and many are invisible. But issues with walking is often one of the first things people notice, and it quietly chips away at their independence. What commonly happens is someone’s foot starts to catch on flat ground, and they start to compensate with unnatural movements. Walking up and down stairs become a calculation instead of a natural movement. A walk to the mailbox becomes something you think twice about. Little by little, the world gets smaller as you walk less and less. When my family went looking for something to help, the standard of care was a bulky plastic brace. A rigid thing just there to hold his foot in place so he wouldn't trip. It doesn't help anyone actually move. I couldn't find anything built for his life, so Juan M. Rodriguez and I started building. Eight years later, EvoWalk is FDA-cleared and helping hundreds of people living with MS, recovering from stroke, or living with a spinal cord injury take steps that used to feel out of reach. It started with one person who couldn't sit still. It's for everyone who refuses to.
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Maricel Saenz liked thisMaricel Saenz liked thisWe make tons of chocolate. Without a single cocoa bean. A few years ago I would have laughed at that sentence myself. It started in my brother Max's kitchen. A blender, an oven that had seen better days, and two people stubborn enough to believe you could rebuild the flavor of chocolate from scratch. The first prototypes were... let's say "educational." 🍫😅 Today ChoViva runs on an industrial production line. And honestly, the factory isn't even my favorite part... My favorite part is standing in a supermarket, watching a stranger drop our product into their cart, someone who has no idea it started next to a dishwasher. That's the whole reason I became a CTO. Not to keep science in the lab. To get it onto shelves, into hands, into everyday life. Happy World Chocolate Day 🌱 Where did your wildest idea start? 👇 #WorldChocolateDay #FoodTech #ChoViva #StartupJourney
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Maricel Saenz liked thisMaricel Saenz liked thisCon grandes amigos de Blendhub planeando productos al futuro!! seguro saldrán grandes proyectos.
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Maricel Saenz liked thisMaricel Saenz liked thisPiloted an airplane for the first time recently and officially logged my first 1.2 flight hours. ✈️ This had been on my bucket list for a long time. Very cool experience and definitely something I’d like to keep learning more about. As I’m wrapping up my master’s, I think this might be my next challenge. 🫡😍🦅
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Maricel Saenz liked thisMaricel Saenz liked thisLast week, I found out from a journalist that Keel Labs, the company I co-founded and led for nearly a decade, had filed for bankruptcy. That's not how any founder should learn the fate of their life's work. And yet, here we are. The sting of this is personally real. But it's far smaller than the weight of what the outcome itself means, not just for the work we built, but for what it represents in a broader moment for the world. Christiana Musk recently introduced me to a word that captures the mood I'm sitting with: weltschmerz, "world pain." The grief that comes not just from personal loss, but from a sorrow for the world, watching something that was supposed to help fall short of what it could have been. Keel was one piece of a complex, necessary puzzle, the kind of deep tech bet that doesn't just build a product, it tries to rewrite what's possible for human and planetary coexistence. That piece is no longer in the equation, at least not in its original form. That matters and it should be felt. That being said, my steadfast belief in the range of solutions gaining ground has only been growing. But I think we, as founders, leaders, and investors, do a disservice to our work, when we skip past the hard moments too quickly. The weltschmerz is information. It tells us what we care about, what's still worth fighting for, and where we need to build smarter and bolder next. There's more to say about what this moment signals for the industry, and what there is to take away, but for now I will leave this moment to stand by itself.
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Maricel Saenz liked thisMaricel Saenz liked thisCuando vi mi agenda, pensé que iba a terminar agotada. Pero terminé con una energía que no me esperaba. Una semana. Diez eventos. Cuatro paneles. Dos conferencias. Iba nerviosa por lo que iba a pasar mientras estuviera arriba de esos escenarios. Pero entendí que el valor estaba realmente del otro lado. Las conversaciones de pasillo en el HR Summit en Texas Tech University, donde una sala llena de líderes vino con ganas de accionar y no solo a aplaudir. La franqueza de Roberto De Mezerville contando de adentro cómo se construye una empresa global (Establishment Labs) desde Costa Rica. La sinceridad en el Guaria Women's Brunch, donde confirmamos que la vulnerabilidad también es liderazgo. (Gracias Pili) Costa Rica Tech Week La energía de los founders en Emprelatam hablando de lo que no sale en LinkedIn. Las chicas de undécimo en el Colegio Iribó con ganas de salir a comerse el mundo. En cada espacio vi lo mismo: Gente construyendo en serio. Sin esperar permiso. Sin esperar validación. Sin esperar a que el ecosistema esté "listo." Costa Rica está pasando un momento que vale la pena nombrar. Y la gente que estuvo sentada en esas salas esta semana lo sabe. Gracias a todos los que me escribieron y conectaron. Gracias a quienes abrieron espacios, preguntas y conversaciones. Y especialmente a Paola Alfaro, Nelson Irías Núñez, Pilar Sánchez, Juan Manuel Amorós, @Emily Krieg , Irene Kopper, y al equipo del Colegio Iribó por la confianza. Nos vemos pronto. 🇨🇷
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Maricel Saenz liked thisMaricel Saenz liked thisBy now you’ve probably all seen the news of Gigascale Capital’s $250M institutional fund. We jumped on with Mike Schroepfer for a longer conversation through CTVC (linked in the comments) and covered everything from building Meta’s first data center to neodymium production in Alameda to why offshore beats space-based data centers… You'll see why Schrep is pretty special to us at Planeteer. We took a quick little stab at a Friday experiment with this very low-fi video cut ;) At the core it’s really just about sticking with the “climate” label, but with some nuance: find good, fast-growing businesses first, then choose to invest in the ones that are on theme. Hopefully the energy comes through. Planeteer Capital Kim Zou Sightline Climate Allie Mullen
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Education
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The University of British Columbia
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Activities and Societies: Alpha Delta Pi, UBC Social Enterprise Club, International Student Association
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Volunteer Experience
Honors & Awards
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Global Impact Competition Costa Rica Winner
MICITT
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Association of Latin American Students International Student Award
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Sauder School of Business Leadership Award
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Awarded by the Sauder School of Business for demonstrating leadership in student and community affairs.
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Go Global International Service Learning Award
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Sauder School of Business International Student Scholarship
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UBC International Community Achievement Award
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Outstanding International Student Award
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Languages
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English
Native or bilingual proficiency
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Spanish
Native or bilingual proficiency
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French
Elementary proficiency
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Didier Toubia
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Tim Schumacher
Fertilizer production accounts for ~5% (!) of global emissions and has degraded soil health worldwide -- now Nitricity is out to change that, and World Fund is financing this change🪴 With Ash Tea, a novel organic fertilizer made from almond shells, air, water and renewable power, Nitricity has created a non-toxic, fully organic fertilizer, and already proving its impact with yield increases up to 30%. We’re proud to support them in their $50M Series B, co-led with Khosla Ventures. The company is scaling across the US and preparing for expansion into Europe, with its first-of-a-kind commercial plant breaking ground this month in California. This is climate tech at its best: scalable, farmer-friendly, and better for the planet 🌍 Congratulations to Nicolas Pinkowski, Joshua McEnaney, Jay Schwalbe and the entire team. And 👏🏼 to our own World Fund team, in particular our FALU expert Dr. Nadine Geiser for great work in securing this deal. Bloomberg via Agnieszka de Sousa has the exclusive - link in comments.
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