Better Meat Co. brings biotech veteran Pamela Marrone onto its board

The Better Meat Co has added one of California’s most prominent ag tech entrepreneurs to its leadership team. On 26 August, the Sacramento-based mycoprotein ingredients company announced that Dr Pamela Marrone, a Davis-based scientist, entrepreneur, and biotech pioneer, has joined its Board of Directors.

Marrone’s appointment comes as the company scales up its fermentation-derived Rhiza mycoprotein, an ingredient designed for use in a variety of food applications. Better Meat Co CEO Paul Shapiro said the move strengthens the company’s ability to translate science into large-scale commercial success.

“Dr Marrone offers a rare blend of scientific depth, commercial execution, and mission-driven leadership,” Shapiro said. “Her track record of turning cutting-edge biology into scaled products will be invaluable as we scale up production of our Rhiza mycoprotein ingredient.”

For Marrone, the decision to join the board reflects both her long-standing commitment to advancing biotechnology and her belief in fermentation as a food solution. “I’m thrilled to join The Better Meat Co at this pivotal moment,” she said. “Fermentation-powered proteins can deliver nutrition and sustainability at scale, and BMC’s platform is uniquely positioned to help accelerate that transition.”

Marrone is widely regarded as a trailblazer in agricultural biotechnology. In 2025 she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, joining a select group of scientists whose work has shaped industries and advanced public good. She is also among a small number of women founders to have led a company to a US initial public offering.

Over the past three decades, she has launched or co-founded multiple category-defining companies. These include AgraQuest, which was acquired by Bayer CropScience for more than US$425 million; Marrone Bio Innovations, which went public on NASDAQ in 2013 before merging with Bioceres Crop Solutions in 2022; Entotech, a Novo Nordisk subsidiary; and the Invasive Species Corporation.

Her companies have consistently focused on using biology to address global agricultural and environmental challenges, from crop protection to pest control to sustainable farming practices.

Marrone holds 82 US patents and more than 400 global patents, underscoring her prolific output as an inventor. Her work has been recognized with election to the National Academy of Engineering, along with awards from the American Chemical Society and other scientific and entrepreneurial organizations.

In addition to her business ventures, Marrone has made significant contributions to science policy, education, and industry governance. She serves on the board of the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at the UC Davis College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences.

She also plays a leading role with the Association for Women in Science, helping to expand opportunities for female scientists and entrepreneurs. Early in her career she founded what is now the Bioproducts Industry Alliance, a trade group representing more than 140 companies committed to advancing bio-based solutions.

These roles reflect a pattern of combining scientific expertise with advocacy and mentorship, often with a focus on building ecosystems that enable innovation to thrive.

Founded in 2018, The Better Meat Co has positioned itself at the intersection of biotechnology and food innovation. Its fermentation platform produces Rhiza, a mycoprotein ingredient derived from fungi. Designed as a versatile alternative protein, Rhiza can be incorporated into a range of products, from meat analogs to blended foods that combine animal and plant proteins.

The company argues that its approach offers advantages in scalability, nutritional profile, and environmental impact compared to conventional animal proteins. By using fermentation to convert feedstocks into protein-rich biomass, Better Meat Co. aims to supply manufacturers with ingredients that can appeal to both mainstream and sustainability-driven consumers.

Adding Marrone to the board is seen as a step toward strengthening the company’s leadership bench as it navigates the challenges of commercial scale-up and broader market adoption. Her experience in steering scientific breakthroughs through regulatory processes, fundraising rounds, and global partnerships could prove crucial as Better Meat Co moves into its next phase of growth.

For Marrone, the appointment aligns with her long-standing vision of harnessing biology to deliver solutions with global impact. In her words, fermentation offers not just an incremental improvement but a scalable pathway to transforming how food is produced.

With Marrone’s appointment, Better Meat Co has secured a board member whose career has consistently bridged invention and implementation. As the company works to bring its fermentation-derived proteins into wider use, it will now do so with the guidance of a leader whose influence has already reshaped sectors ranging from crop science to sustainable materials.

The combination of Marrone’s entrepreneurial history and the company’s ambitions in food biotechnology suggests that her presence could provide both strategic oversight and credibility within the broader ag tech community.

For Better Meat Co, the timing is clear: as demand for sustainable proteins grows and as new players seek to scale, adding a proven biotech innovator to the board reflects both confidence in its technology and commitment to long-term impact.