SXSW Pitch Finalist: Milis Bio
The Forrest Four-Cast: March 1, 2020
People are rightfully concerned about the threat of coronavirus, which has so far killed about 2,800 people worldwide. But don’t lose sight of the fact that we’re already in the midst of a deadly global epidemic. At least 2.8 million people will die this year as a result of being overweight or obese.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight and 650 million were obese. The prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016.
Ireland-based Milis Bio is hoping to be at least a small part of the solution.
One of 50 finalists for SXSW Pitch 2020, Milis Bio is designing the future of flavorings with a groundbreaking platform to design low-calorie, entirely protein-based sweeteners, salt substitutes, and umami flavors. Each is crafted bespoke to the needs of a given use case, with varying potency, solubility and tolerances to suit any client food and beverage CPG. A beverage producer can have a high-potency, water-soluble ingredient. A baked goods producer can have a low-potency, heat-tolerant ingredient. And so on.
Milis Bio began in May of 2016, in the RebelBio accelerator program run by SOS Ventures. They joined the StartupBootcamp Foodtech program in November of 2016, forging connections with the food industry and mentors specifically experienced in that space. From September 2017 to September 2018, Milis Bio participated in the University College Cork IGNITE Incubator program, and they won Bank of Ireland/IGNITE Business of the Year for 2018.
Mike Sheehan, CEO and Founder at Milis Bio, earned a B.S. in Neuroscience from University College Cork in 2016, and won Best New Idea in that year’s “Cork City’s Best Young Entrepreneur” contest.
See the Milis Bio pitch in the category of Health, Wearables & Wellbeing Technology, 5 to 6 pm Sunday, March 15, before a live audience and a panel of expert judges.
Winners in each of the 10 categories will be announced at the Pitch Awards Ceremony, at 6:30 pm Sunday, March 15. SXSW attendees are also invited to Meet the Finalists from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm Monday, March 16. All SXSW Pitch events take place at the Hilton Austin Downtown.
Sheehan spoke about why he’s excited for insect-based food products, the importance of making good decisions, and why he admires Arnold Schwarzenneger.
What is your top goal for Milis Bio for 2020?
Complete our product pilot with our new partners, Grupo Bimbo, in designing a sweetener of the future for the baked goods industry.
With the exception of Milis Bio, what tech trend is your team most excited about?
The alternative protein space is an area that I think we all have interest in at the moment. I know our CTO, Dr. Paul Young, closely follows developments in lab grown meats. Much like Milis Bio’s products, they are another great example of how we can eliminate drawbacks and fully enjoy the foods we know and love. Personally, I love to read about developments in insect-based products. I think the ability to produce affordable, resource efficient, high quality protein is going to be invaluable to the future of food, once we get past the “ick” factor.
What will be the most overhyped tech trend of 2020?
I think AR/VR won’t be as big as some people think. Gaming absolutely, training and education sure. But some of the wider applications, especially instances where the user engages with AR constantly through eyewear or something similar, I absolutely cannot see.
If you weren’t working for Milis Bio, what would you be doing?
I would love to work with a startup accelerator, if not on my own startup.
What has the startup experience taught you about life?
Making the best decision at each opportunity is more valuable than making poor decisions with double the opportunities. This means sleep, eating well, exercise, and turn down opportunities that you can’t make time to maximise the value of.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
Arnold Schwarzenneger was someone I idolized as a kid as a movie star and athlete. Now, as an adult, I still admire him, but because of his approach in pursuit of great ambitions. Whether it was bodybuilding, acting, or politics, he set ambitious targets and then applied himself with resolute determination day in, day out until he reached his goal. I also admire his commitments to political bipartisanship, ending gerrymandering, and environmentalism, among others.
What do you think is the most overrated virtue?
At times decorum, for sure. Withholding useful information for fear of overstepping some perceived boundary is extremely frustrating.
What’s your actual super power?
Creative thinking. You’ll have to see my pitch to understand.
What motto or quote do you live by?
“Unable to govern events, I govern myself, and apply myself to them.” Control what you can to the best of your ability and you will get the best possible outcome.
Don’t obsess about what you can’t control. Whether the outcome is ideal doesn’t matter, it was the best one possible and you go on to the next one.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten — or given?
Business is a contact sport!
Tell us your favorite thing about being based in Cork, Ireland.
Cork has a small town community feel with big city ambitions, companies, and amenities. You can soak up world class culture and food in the city center or find space in the beautiful countryside and wild coastline within a half hour drive. All of this is located exactly at the crossroads between Europe and North America. You really won’t find anywhere better!
Tell us about something you love.
As a kid I was a very picky eater. No sauces, limited fruit/vegetables/meats, strange textures, unfamiliar flavors, or anything that looked or smelled unusual. Today, I couldn’t be more opposite. Whether it’s sheep brain in Morocco, chicken gizzards in the Philippines, or whatever is being combined with pizza/nachos in the U.S. at the moment — I love trying different foods.
What do you do when you are low on energy?
I spend time with freinds and family. I have a high motor, long hours are not a problem. Generally when I’m low on energy I realize that I’m actually tired from a hectic or frenzied work approach, where I’m jumping from seemingly urgent task to seemingly urgent task in the run up to some deadline. I step back for a day and avoid thinking about work completely, then return to my desk with a fresh perspective that allows me to prioritize and delegate.
If you were offered the opportunity to colonize Mars (but with no guarantee that you would ever return to Earth), would you go?
I would jump at the chance to be a part of something so historic, but it would depend on my favorite people coming with me. Simple as that.
Look for more interviews with other finalists in this space between now and the start of SXSW Pitch on Saturday, March 14. Visit this page to see all previous interviews in this series as well as a list of all finalists.
If you are an entrepreneur, check out the SXSW 2020 Startups Track, which runs March 13–17. This track brings together founders and funders and showcases exciting new companies, products, services, and business models across different verticals and industries.
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
