28: Solveiga Pakštaitė of Mimica - Freshness Inidicator To Reduce Food Waste

Solveiga Pakštaitė is the Founder and Director Mimica. Solveiga is the  inventor of Mimica Touch, a biologically accurate food spoilage indicator that reduces food waste and improved food safety. The product has a granted patent and has been awarded prizes - most recently she was named MIT Technology Review's Inventor of the Year. Highlights of this episode: * Inclusive design, working with a blind charity and being inspired by an old banana * Benefits of an accelerator programme * Winning awards and grant fundings * Making the first hire * Why food waste is such a big problem * Educating companies on how food waste affects sales and customer loyalty * Asking why a problem is not yet being solved * Finding out the budget the market can bear for a scaled technology Time Stamp: [01:45] How did it all start? [03:30] Making the first prototype [05:10] Being an entrepreneur [06:00] Joining an accelerator [07:00] How big is the problem of food waste? [08:00] Working with a scientist to develop a solution. [11:00] Importance of innovating [11:40] Challenge of making a mass market product [16:50] Advise for people who are trying to create a business model and solve an engineering problem [19:00] Mimica in 10 year time Useful link: Mimica Lab: [https://www.mimicalab.com/](https://www.mimicalab.com/) Solveiga Pakštaitė on Linkedin: [https://www.linkedin.com/in/solveigap/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/solveigap/)