432. The future of the bioeconomy with FiberX’s Dave Skibinski, turning corn stover into circular innovation + TechPoint Mira honors as market validation

From volatile markets to high input costs, farmers are facing a number of challenges that could be offset by additional markets and revenue streams. Today, we're joined by Fiber X CEO Dave Skibinski who's working to give producers exactly that: a new opportunity rooted in the growing demand for natural fiber. Fresh off of a big win at TechPoint’s Mira Awards, Dave shares how FiberX is helping farmers diversify their operations and how agricultural byproducts are enabling the future of the bioeconomy. Highlights include: 

• The work FiberX leads and who they serve through their work in a growing bioeconomy 
• How their team chose the approach to leverage ag byproducts like corn stover to make bioindustrial resins and biocomposite plastics rather than other approaches 
• FiberX’s differentiation from traditional petroleum-based plastics – both in terms of performance and sustainability 
• Why they chose corn stover as the right feedstock for FiberX 
• New applications or industries showing the strongest demand for biocomposite materials in this rapidly growing bioeconomy; and how these companies have evolved over time 
• Performance metrics that industrial customers care most about and how FiberX is delivering on those benchmarks 
• Barriers their team has faced getting manufacturers to adopt bio-based materials and how they tackle objection 
• The FiberX // farmer relationship and how they execute that side; how their business model benefits them in terms of a new market unlock, additional revenue stream and more 
• How the farmer relationship, alongside the manufacturer, creates a circular economy – and what that means 
• The role of partnerships within the Indiana agbioscience ecosystem to grow and scale their technology 
• Winning the Agbioscience Innovator Award at TechPoint’s Mira Awards and how that honor validated the company’s work and its trajectory 
• Breakthroughs and milestones Dave believes will define the future of bioindustrial materials over the next decade