Bridging the Gap: A Conversation with Sylvan's CIO Mark Wach

What does it actually take to move a fungal technology from pilot scale to a commercial product? In this interview, Sylvan's Global Chief Innovation Officer Mark Wach shares what it takes to scale fungal technology successfully, the exact stage a startup should approach a manufacturing partner like Sylvan, what to send before that first conversation, and what makes a strong partnership work.

Sylvan International Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is a specialist in fungal strain management, solid-state fermentation, and scale-up across food, health, agriculture, and materials, helping companies move from pilot to commercial production, and a proud supporter of The Future Is Fungi Award.

We sat down with Mark to get his take, straight from the manufacturer's side of the table.

What Sylvan brings to the table

What does Sylvan do, and where does fungal biotech fit into it?

We specialize in the growth of fungal cells on solid substrates.  Our role begins with receiving, curating and maintaining fungal cultures, ensuring their purity and genetic stability, and then identifying the best production conditions to scale them efficiently using our proprietary solid-state fermentation platform.

What role do you see Sylvan playing in the growth of the next generation of fungi startups?

 With its deep knowledge of fungal systems, Sylvan can play a key role in helping startups move from the laboratory to pilot-scale and ultimately commercial production. By providing expertise in strain management, solid-state fermentation, process development, and scale-up, Sylvan can help emerging companies overcome technical barriers and accelerate the commercialization of innovative fungal technologies.

You work across food, health, agriculture and materials, where do fungi-focused startups most often plug into that infrastructure?

 Fungi-focused startups typically engage with Sylvan when they are ready to move beyond laboratory research and begin evaluating the technical and economic viability of their products at pilot and commercial scale. Because Sylvan operates across food, health, agriculture, and materials, we can support companies throughout the scale-up journey, from process development and substrate optimization to manufacturing readiness. In addition Sylvan is often able to provide supporting documentation to satisfy various regulatory requirements.

 What can a startup get from Sylvan that would be genuinely hard to build on its own? (strain development, fermentation capacity, formulation, regulatory pathway, something else)?

 What startups gain from Sylvan is not just equipment or capacity, but decades of technical expertise and proven operating systems that would be extremely difficult and expensive to build independently. Sylvan has deep experience in fungal strain management, solid-state fermentation, process optimization, scale-up, quality systems, and manufacturing operations, all of which are critical to successfully commercializing a new fungal technology.

Take us through how you actually worked with a startup like Bosque Foods or Loam Bio, from early mycelium work toward something scalable. What did that collaboration look like in practice, and what happened along the way?

 While the details of our work with individual partners remain confidential, a typical collaboration begins with the fungal culture itself and progresses through a structured scale-up pathway designed to move a promising concept toward commercial production. The first step is evaluating and establishing the culture, ensuring its purity, stability, and suitability for production. From there, we work with the partner to develop the process at pilot scale, generating the data needed to understand both technical performance and commercial feasibility.

 As development advances, we focus on optimizing the key parameters that drive fungal growth and product performance. This includes substrate selection, moisture levels, incubation time, gas exchange, environmental conditions, and other fermentation variables. The goal is to create a robust, repeatable process that can consistently deliver the desired results whether it be biomass spore yields or metabolites.

 Once the process has been optimized at pilot scale, the knowledge and operating parameters can be transferred to larger-scale production. Throughout that journey, Sylvan provides expertise in fungal biology, solid-state fermentation, process development, and scale-up, helping partners reduce risk and accelerate commercialization.

 In practice, the collaboration is highly iterative. We work closely with partners to refine the process, solve technical challenges, and build a manufacturing approach that is not only scientifically sound but also economically viable at commercial scale.

 What's the biggest scale-up mistake you see fungal startups make, and how does working with Sylvan help avoid it?

 The biggest scale-up mistake we see fungal startups make is assuming that success at the lab bench will translate directly to commercial production. What works in a small scale controlled laboratory environment often behaves very differently when scaled, and companies can end up investing heavily in production infrastructure before they've fully understood the biological and process variables that drive consistent performance.

At what stage and who do you want to work with

At what stage should a fungi startup start talking to you, early R&D, proof of concept, pilot scale, or already commercial?

We typically engage with startups once they have progressed beyond early R&D and established proof of concept, most often at the pilot-scale stage. At that point, the focus shifts from proving the science to determining whether the process can be scaled reliably and economically. This is where Sylvan's expertise in fungal systems, solid-state fermentation, and process optimization can provide the greatest value.

 Working together, we help evaluate and optimize the key production parameters needed for successful scale-up, reducing technical and commercial risk before significant investments are made in manufacturing infrastructure.

 We also work with companies that already have commercial products. In those cases, we evaluate how the product or process can be integrated into our existing production systems, leveraging our manufacturing capabilities and operational expertise to support further growth and commercialization.

What makes a fungal technology or team stand out to you as "yes, let's work together" and just as honestly, what's a reason you'd say no?

 What stands out to us is a team that has a clear understanding of both the science and the business opportunity. The most compelling partners have a well-defined objective, a strong understanding of their target market, and a realistic assessment of the commercial potential of their technology. They have thought through the size of the opportunity, the regulatory pathway, and the key challenges associated with bringing their product to market.

 We also look for technologies that are compatible with Sylvan's production capabilities and solid-state fermentation expertise. When there is a strong fit between the product requirements and our production systems, we can add significant value by helping accelerate scale-up and commercialization.

 On the other hand, we may decide not to pursue a partnership if the commercial opportunity is not well defined, the regulatory hurdles are prohibitive, or the technology is not well aligned with our manufacturing platform. Likewise, if there is insufficient understanding of what it will take to move from development to commercial production, it can be difficult to establish a successful path forward.

 Ultimately, the strongest partnerships combine sound science, a compelling market opportunity, a clear commercialization strategy, and a technology that can be successfully integrated into Sylvan's production systems.

What's a common misconception fungi startups have about partnering with an established manufacturer like Sylvan?

A common misconception is that a startup can simply hand us a fungal culture or a promising idea, and Sylvan will do all of the research and development needed to turn it into a commercial product.

 In reality, the most successful partnerships occur when a company comes to us with a well-developed concept, solid technical data, and a clear understanding of the product they're trying to commercialize. Our role is not to replace a startup's R&D efforts, but to apply our expertise in fungal systems, solid-state fermentation, process optimization, and scale-up to help bridge the gap between pilot-scale success and commercial production.

Partnership in practice

What does a good partnership look like in practice?

 A good partnership starts with a realistic understanding of what it takes to bring a new fungal product to market. The strongest partners have a solid grasp of the technical, commercial, and regulatory challenges ahead, and they understand both the market opportunity and the economics needed to support a successful business.

And how is the model, is it a paid service, equity, co-development, licensing, something else?

 Our model is typically a paid-service arrangement, with Sylvan acting as a toll manufacturer. We provide technical expertise, process development support, and manufacturing capabilities needed to help companies scale and produce their products commercially.

 Sylvan is also a backer of The Future is Fungi Award, why did that matter to you, and what do you hope it changes for the ecosystem?

 Supporting The Future is Fungi Award aligns with our belief that innovation in fungal biotechnology is accelerating, and that many promising startups can benefit from access to experienced scale-up and manufacturing partners. As a company operating at the forefront of solid-substrate fermentation, we see an opportunity to help bridge the gap between breakthrough ideas and commercial reality.

Why do we need an ecosystem like The Future is Fungi for fungal innovators?

 We need an ecosystem like The Future is Fungi because innovation alone is not enough to bring fungal technologies to market. Startups often have exciting ideas and strong science, but they also need access to expertise, infrastructure, manufacturing capabilities, and commercialization pathways to turn those ideas into viable businesses.

For a founder reading this who thinks Sylvan could help them, what should they actually send you first, and what shouldn't they waste time preparing before that conversation?

 The most valuable thing to send us first is a clear description of the product you're developing, the fungal organism you're working with, and how you envision that product fitting within a solid-substrate fermentation platform.

Closing question

Any advice you’d want fungal founders to hear from someone who’s spent years scaling fungal biology?

My biggest piece of advice to fungal founders is to be patient and realistic about the scale-up journey. Growing large volumes of fungi using a solid-state fermentation platform often takes significantly longer than founders initially expect. What works well in the laboratory is only the first step, and developing a process that is robust, repeatable, and economically viable at commercial scale requires considerable time, testing, and optimization.

 It's also important to recognize that the path from bench-scale success to commercial production is rarely linear. As you scale, new challenges emerge around substrate performance, environmental conditions, process control, consistency, yield, and economics. Assumptions that hold true in the lab don't always hold true in a manufacturing environment.

 Ultimately, great fungal technologies are built on great science, but successful fungal businesses are built on the ability to translate that science into a scalable and commercially viable production system. The sooner founders appreciate that distinction, the better positioned they'll be for long-term success.

For startups out there who could benefit to connect with Sylvan, get in touch with Mark Wach on mwach@sylvaninc.com.

The Future is Fungi ecosystem is all about weaving those who benefit from cooperating, so we can help advance and accelerate the fungal solutions that can solve some of our largest environmental challenges.