From our first mycelium experiments to farms growing food and materials. A few stories from each year along the way.
Gavin described his work transferring mycelium production to mushroom farms and developing new products with other companies. The interview connects the daily work of commercialization with the ideas and mentors that shaped Ecovative.
Read at Moms Clean Air Force · interviewRPI named Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre its 2025 Entrepreneurs of the Year. The university traced their work from Burt Swersey’s Inventor’s Studio to a company growing materials and food.
Read at Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteEcovative announced more than $11 million in new funding for MyBacon production and material development. The update also described its work with GOB on mycelium earplugs, connecting food and wellness products through AirMycelium.
Read at MyForest FoodsEben discussed the shift from invention and construction to running farms reliably. The interview covered MyBacon, Forager hides, partner farms, and the practical work needed to increase production without interrupting customer deliveries.
Read at AgFunderNews · interviewEcovative and Limbraco announced an alliance to build filling and harvesting equipment for AirMycelium crops. The work aimed to help existing mushroom farms add mycelium production for food and materials.
Read at Ecovative · Business WireEcovative announced open access in Europe to a key MycoComposite patent. The program aimed to help other businesses develop products with mycelium and plant fibers, building on uses in packaging, construction, and coffins.
Read at Ecovative · Business WireFoundry Engineering director Orkan Telhan explained the small, instrumented growing chambers behind Ecovative’s research. Running many recipes at once let scientists connect growing conditions with material properties and choose promising results for larger trials.
Read at EcovativeEcovative and MyForest Foods unveiled Swersey Silos and the adjoining AirMycelium farm. The post explains the growing process, the engineering behind the facility, and why it was named for teacher Burt Swersey.
Read at EcovativeBESTSELLER and PVH joined Ecovative in a cooperative organized with Fashion for Good. Their designers would work with the company’s engineers and mycologists to develop and test mycelium materials for consumer products.
Read at Ecovative · PR NewswireEcovative announced a $60 million Series D financing led by Viking Global Investors. The funding was intended to expand its research foundry and production for mycelium applications in food, textiles, and packaging.
Read at Ecovative · PR NewswireThe first MyBacon launch was planned for Honest Weight Food Co-op in Albany. Contemporary reporting described how Atlast turned slabs of edible mycelium into sliced, seasoned bacon after two years of development.
Read at vegconomist · reportingEcovative announced $10 million in funding and plans for Mycelium Foundry One. The research facility would combine people, controlled growing equipment, and data analysis to test more material recipes and accelerate development.
Read at EcovativeEben announced a food company dedicated to whole cuts of animal-free meat. The post traces kitchen prototypes, edible fungal strains, and the decision to give food development its own team.
Read at EcovativeEben introduced MycoFlex, a platform for growing pure mycelium structures in sheets and other forms. The announcement explained how separating the fungal tissue from composite materials opened new possibilities for foams, textiles, and food.
Read at Ecovative · Grow.bio archiveCNC Exotic Mushrooms became Ecovative’s European distributor for raw mycelium materials. The partnership gave designers and manufacturers a regional supply for packaging, building materials, acoustics, and other products they wanted to grow.
Read at Ecovative · Grow.bio archiveEcovative and designer Danielle Trofe announced a lamp kit that let customers grow their own lampshades. The collaboration brought mycelium materials into a finished design while making the growing process part of the experience.
Read at Ecovative · Grow.bio archiveDesigner Kyle Bucklin described testing Ecovative’s acoustic wall tiles at an IBM laboratory. The post follows the practical work of measuring sound absorption and installing panels in occupied office spaces.
Read at Ecovative · Grow.bio archiveEcovative and bioMASON introduced a table combining a mycelium-based structure with a biologically made cement top. The collaboration showed how two different growing processes could become parts of a familiar household object.
Read at Ecovative · Grow.bio archiveReturning to the Green Challenge as a judge, Eben reflected on the eight years since Ecovative’s win. Packaging, furniture panels, and experimental mycelium cushions had turned the original idea into physical products.
Read at Ecovative · Grow.bio archiveEben remembered Burt Swersey, the RPI teacher who encouraged the first Ecovative experiments and backed the company. The tribute explains Swersey’s insistence that invention should address consequential problems and help other people.
Read at EcovativeEcovative announced a 20,000-square-foot Troy facility for finishing Mushroom Packaging grown in nearby Green Island. The new plant would house custom equipment and support manufacturing improvements as the company expanded.
Read at EcovativeAfter producing 10,000 bricks for the Hy-Fi tower at MoMA PS1, Ecovative introduced Grow It Yourself materials. Designers, educators, and makers could use the same living material to prototype their own objects.
Read at EcovativeThe Buckminster Fuller Institute selected Ecovative for its 2013 Challenge and $100,000 prize. The award recognized the company’s approach to materials, manufacturing, education, and the environmental consequences of everyday products.
Read at EcovativeEcovative began a small house experiment with mycelium insulation growing inside its walls. The project tested new building materials in a complete structure and shared the growing process as work progressed.
Read at EcovativeSealed Air became the exclusive North American licensee for Ecovative’s protective packaging technology. The agreement connected Mushroom Packaging with an established sales, design, and distribution network to reach more industrial customers.
Read at EcovativeDell announced a pilot using Ecovative’s packaging for servers. The teams developed a formulation around cotton waste near Dell’s manufacturing facility, aiming to protect heavy electronics while using locally available raw materials.
Read at EcovativeEcovative shared Eben’s TEDGlobal talk about replacing plastic foam with materials grown from mycelium. The talk explains the basic process and the ambition to manufacture useful products from locally available agricultural leftovers.
Read at EcovativeAfter working with Steelcase’s engineers and test labs, Ecovative announced its packaging launch with the furniture manufacturer. The project put mycelium packaging through a customer’s requirements for protection, cost, and environmental performance.
Read at EcovativeEcovative moved from RPI’s business incubator into a space ten times larger in Green Island. The team planned to use the extra room to build its first pilot manufacturing line.
Read at EcovativeThe EPA selected Ecovative for a small business research grant. Gavin McIntyre and mycologist Sue Van Hook set out to improve Greensulate, the company’s early alternative to rigid foam insulation.
Read at EcovativeThe company announced its Green Challenge win in Amsterdam. The €500,000 prize gave the young team funding to develop Greensulate and move its method for growing materials toward commercial production.
Read at EcovativeRPI reported that Ecovative won first place at the inaugural ASME Innovation Showcase. Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre presented Greensulate, their early insulation made with agricultural waste and mycelium.
Read at Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteNo stories match. Try another word or year.