ABOUT NATASHA DHAYAGUDE 

Natasha Dhayagude immigrated to Canada at the age of 10 and graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in biochemistry. Natasha met on of the co-founders, David Brown, at Planet Hatch, an entrepreneurship accelerator and incubator center in Fredericton, and found a common interest in the science of mushrooms, reducing food waste and sustainable solutions for clean-label ingredients. From their partnership, Chinova Bioworks was born. 

Natasha has received many honours recognizing her innovative and entrepreneurial success throughout her career, including the Startup Canada’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year 2019, Atlantic Business top 30 under 30, 2019, The Innovators & Entrepreneurs Foundation Product Innovation of the Year CANIE Award in 2020, and the Thrive Female Founder Award in 2021. 

ABOUT CHINOVA BIOWORKS

Chinova Bioworks has developed a natural preservative using mushroom chitosan. Chitosan is a biopolymer with a long history of use in food and cosmetics and is a healthy fibre. Chinova’s mission is to use nature to reduce food waste and increase product shelf life. Chinova’s solution to increased food security is through its revolutionary mushroom preservation technology.