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EPISODE FOUR

Neeka Mashouf 3:47

Co-Founder and CEO of Rubi Laboratories

How to develop real-world solutions with science, technology, and curiosity

Growing up in the wine country of Northern California surrounded by orchards and open space, Neeka Mashouf’s love of nature developed at an early age.

Now, as a scientist, that fascination continues. “Nature has evolved over millennia, each time improving through a combination of randomness and decisiveness that has created our full knowledge of the universe today,” she says.

Through this biological lens, she co-founded Rubi Laboratories with her twin sister and kickstarted the mission to unlock abundance for people using science and technology.

Neeka’s business journey made her realize that sometimes the answers you’re looking for are right in front of you, in the natural systems that make life possible. And now, she’s offering her advice to those hoping to spark their own lightbulb moments.

1.Find the answers in nature

Rubi Laboratories is a biotechnology company that turns carbon emissions into carbon-negative textiles for the fashion industry. From the technology it uses to the name itself, Rubi was inspired by trees and the enzyme within them that is responsible for all the carbon systems we need to survive.

As Neeka explains, “all the materials of a tree were once air.” Essentially, over several biochemical steps, CO2 is turned into a structural polymer that makes up a tree’s branches and leaves. “We follow that same reaction [at Rubi], where we turn CO2 into materials that can be used for clothing.”

And as the increasing carbon in our atmosphere sounds a warning alarm in the climate emergency, never has a process like this been more imperative. According to Neeka, there aren’t enough solutions focused on manufacturing things in a way that reduces our carbon footprint, creating an opportunity for change.

2. Turn the tables on carbon

Without carbon, life would not exist, which is why Neeka wants to take a different, more positive perspective on it.

The atom itself isn’t bad; it’s the excess amount generated by humans which is the issue. “We've shifted the balance too far to one side and that's where the problem is coming from. We're emitting too much CO2 that nature can't keep up,” says Neeka.

She believes we need to unlock carbon as a natural resource to regain balance. This means mimicking nature’s ability to recycle atmospheric carbon and creating our own cyclical system. By doing so, we’ll “be able to live in harmony with the planet and create the thriving future that we hope for,” she reveals.

3.Stand on the shoulders of giants

Nature may have been the inspiration behind Neeka’s idea, but it’s the technology that made it a reality. “We rely on computing advances in biotechnology, science, and infrastructure to be able to do what we do. And so, it's critical for us to stand on the shoulders of giants and move forward,” she says.

Before Rubi, creating a carbon-negative, chemical-neutral, and biodegradable material was impossible. But if the history of technological innovation has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is out of bounds.

From the Stone Age to the Silicon Age, the bygone eras of civilization have been named after the advances that revolutionized society at that time. As we look to the future, Rubi technology stands to shape the next turning point where planet-positive synthetics define our progression.

4.Be curious

Curiosity is central to innovation – a philosophy to which Neeka owes much of her career success. “It means thinking about things in a new way and pulling together concepts that maybe have never been put side by side,” explains Neeka.

By bringing other people into your thought process, you can allow even more ideas to flow and more solutions to emerge.

To encourage this collaborative culture at Rubi, Neeka ensures her teams can bring “their own power and their own curiosity” to the table. She promotes an open environment where they have the freedom to make thoughtful decisions and create lasting solutions together.

5.Understand everything is interconnected

Whatever your business vision, Alderson believes the secret to realizing it is to stay true to your values. By checking yourself against them on a regular basis, you can mature in a way that doesn’t lose the essence of what it is you’re about.

So many businesses fall into the trap of transforming because it seems like the right thing to do or doing so too quickly because it seems like the only way to keep up with the pace of change. But “you should only transform at a speed that allows you to maintain your values,” advises Alderson. If it comes at the cost of integrity, it may not be worth doing.

Beyond everything, transformation means “a marked change” – which is why businesses should view it as an opportunity to make a lasting impact on its people, community, and environment, and not as a quick fix.

6.Keep it in the family

Having a fashion mogul for an uncle, a science engineer for a father, and a business partner for a sister, Neeka knows the value of keeping business in the family. They are the people who built her knowledge of the world and enabled her to get to where she is today.

As a family of immigrants, they showed her what it meant to reinvent the norms of day-to-day life, instilling a sense of courage, creativity, and resourcefulness in her from an early age. “They are key lessons that I bring with me into everything I do,” reveals Neeka. “They unlock new possibilities and optimism.”

But the most important lesson she’s learned throughout her life is that you are the change you want to see. As she reveals, “if you believe something should be done about a problem that you really believe in, then why not you? Taking that leap is your responsibility alone.”

Sustainability has always been a part of Neeka, from her relationship with the natural world to the technology she’s invented to protect it. To her, it’s not about continuing with old habits as the term “sustainability” implies; it’s about transforming the way we think about our processes.

“It moves away from linear systems that have a beginning and an end and towards creating circular symbiotic systems,” says Neeka. Only when we close the gaps between production, consumption, and reutilization will we be truly planet-positive.

You can hear more from Neeka Mashouf on our podcast

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