Eben Bayer
Ecomaterials Innovation Lab
As the cofounder and chief executive officer of Ecovative Design, Eben Bayer is a key leader in the biomaterial industry, and is spearheading efforts to create products that are both sustainable and affordable. Bayer co-invented Mycobond, which uses a growing organism to turn low-value agricultural waste products into strong, natural composites. Compared to environmentally damaging materials like Styrofoam, Bayer’s innovative technology requires one tenth of the energy to create, and can be composted. In 2009, the company won the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Clean Energy Venture Award and the OG25 Award, and in 2010 was featured in the National Design Triennial exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Bayer earned a dual B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Product Design and Innovation from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and previously designed humanitarian de-mining vehicles at Applied Research Associates, Inc.