Symbio Bioculinary is pleased to present Travis Hawk, MBA, who joined our advisory board, bringing a business development point of view to Symbio.
Travis is a former senior executive who worked to scale up organizations. Travis’s reason for joining is straightforward, and he does not soften it.
“I decided to join the Symbio advisory board because I believe we are long overdue for a food upcycling revolution,” said Hawk. “Americans in particular waste a significant amount of food, which could be used productively.”
That last phrase frames the problem we are solving. Food manufacturers currently pay to remove production sidestreams from their facilities, then pay again to purchase ingredients from external suppliers. Symbio’s on-site bioprocessing systems collapse those two transactions into one, converting sidestreams into food-grade ingredients and additives inside the plant that generated them.
“I am most excited to be part of this food upcycling revolution and to see it firsthand,” Hawk added.
On the advisory board, Travis focuses on finance and operations; capital strategy, fundraising, unit economics, and the operational discipline required to move from pilot deployment to repeatable commercial sales. He is also an investor in the company, and his advisory role reflects a commitment made with his own capital as well as his time.
“Travis brings the financial rigor that keeps an early-stage company honest,” said Elliott Notrica, Founder and CEO of Symbio Bioculinary. “He has run finance at the executive level. When we model a client’s economics, he is the person who asks whether a board would actually sign it.”
Travis’s appointment continues Symbio’s pattern of building an advisory board of people who have operated at scale and understand the distance between a promising technology and a signed contract.
About Symbio Bioculinary LLC
Symbio Bioculinary is an Illinois-based bioprocessing company that deploys modular on-site systems for food manufacturers. Using solid-state fermentation with engineered Aspergillus oryzae and enzymatic extraction, Symbio converts production sidestreams, including bakery sidestreams, husks, and fruit pomaces, into high-value, food-grade ingredients and additives. Symbio’s mission is to turn food manufacturing sidestreams into high-value ingredients and revenue.
