Company

Living Ink is a biomaterials company on a mission to use sustainable algae technologies to replace petroleum-derived products, such as ink. Currently, the majority of pigments used within industry are derived from petroleum, such as carbon black. We are changing the way pigments are made by using algae as colorants for ecofriendly Algae Ink™ products. We are commercializing the a black algae-based pigment that has a negative carbon footprint, bio-based, resistant to UV-light exposure and is safe.

Scott and Steve met when they were PhD students in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program at Colorado State University. They were both researching algae projects related to biofuels and bioproducts. In 2013, it was brought to their attention that the majority of printing ink used in the world are produced from toxic petroleum products. This inspired them to use algae as biopigments to develop the world's most sustainable ink. The company has raised $1.5M from the National Science Foundation and over $1.5M of private investment. The company was received numerous honors from the U.S. Department of Energy, University of Colorado and Colorado State University.

Leadership

Scott Fulbright, PHD;
Co-Founder & CEO

Scott has spent his career developing novel products and processes at startups in the biotechnology sector. He spent the last 12 years in the algal byproducts industry including Solix Algredients developing methods to reduce the cost of algae production. At Living Ink, Scott focuses on strategic planning, fundraising and collaborating with brands to incorporate packaging, screen and publication Algae Inks within their supply chains.

Steve Albers, PHD;
Co-Founder & CTO

Steve's past research focused on engineering algae to produce valuable commercial products.  Steve engineered a strain of algae that is capable of producing a bio-fuel molecule that resembles diesel fuel.  He also engineering a strain of algae that makes Astaxanthin, a molecule capable of protecting cells from dangerous toxins. Steve has also worked at the technology transfer office for CSU, CSU Ventures. 

Fiona Davies, PhD; 
Senior Researcher

Fiona brings over ten years’ experience in the field of photosynthesis research and cyanobacterial bioengineering. She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Otago in New Zealand and has completed postdoctoral studies at the University of California, Berkeley and Colorado School of Mines. In addition to working for Living Ink, Fiona maintains an active research program as a Research Assistant Professor at Colorado School of Mines, where she employs cyanobacteria as a photosynthetic platform for the production of terpenoid hydrocarbons, which have received considerable attention for use as drop-in biofuels, and for applications in the bioplastics and flavor/fragrance industries.

Aparna Nagarajan, PhD; 
Senior Researcher

Aparna received her PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Oklahoma State University before continuing onto her postdoctoral work from Washington University in St. Louis and University of Colorado Boulder. Her research spans from studying the structure-function of pigment protein complexes to building new functionality such as biocement production in cyanobacteria. She specializes in strain engineering and biochemical characterization of photosynthetic microbes as tool development for the bioenergy and biomaterials industry

Kangmin Kim, Ph.D.
Research Scientist

 Kangmin Kim is an experienced polymer chemist with expertise in formulation and materials analysis. He recently received his Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry from the University of Colorado Boulder in the summer of 2020. In his graduate work, he used theoretical and experimental techniques to understand polymerization mechanisms and to design new molecules, which led to the development of novel polymerization methods. He will be investigating the unique surface morphology and chemistry of Algae Black pigments and developing new printing ink formulations.

Peter Bradley
Strategic Advisor

Peter Bradley has 25 years of global business leadership with extensive experience in the food ingredients, specialty chemicals and consumer foods industries. He was Chief Executive Officer of Warwick Chemicals, a private-equity owned specialty chemical manufacturer. Other previous positions include President, Color Group based in the USA and President, Asia Pacific based in Singapore for Sensient Technologies Corporation, the NYSE listed flavor, fragrance and color business. He is now focused on supporting businesses take their company to the next level of success. Proven track record in developing and implementing growth strategies to deliver significant shareholder value through business performance enhancement, entry into new markets and strategic M+A activity.

Terry clayton;
Strategic Advisor

Dr. Clayton is an expert in the development and commercialization of Smart Materials, Microencapsulation, Inks, Coatings Pharmaceuticals, and Nutraceuticals. He has a Ph.D. in chemistry and 20 years of commercial experience. 

Dr. Clayton is a Director at EFI working with scientists, engineers, and software developers, inventing technology for digital manufacturing. He was a Vice President at Chromatic Technologies where he led an explosion of innovation and product development. He was responsible for the new product pipeline, project management, and intellectual property. Dr. Clayton's team worked closely with Sales, Marketing, key clients (CPG and government agencies), Operations and global contract manufacturing organizations to invent, develop and produce smart materials to help business partners grow their business.

Ben walker;
Strategic Advisor

Ben Walker has more than 30 years of direct business planning & execution experience, marketing management including product development, market development, and technical marketing for new market categories/products as well as established product lines in the commercial and consumer space. Ben also worked for the HP corporate strategy group within the Merger and Acquisitions office. Currently he is chief marketing officer at Advanced Regenerative Therapies.