Biology:
the way
of the future
Biology:the way
of the future
Our mission: Develop unmatched ingredients to answer global food challenges.
Driving the revolution with smart proteins
Driving the revolution with smart proteins
Biotechnology has played a key role in shaping our everyday life, from the food we eat through to the pharmaceuticals that protect our lives.
The impact of biology on tomorrow’s economy is undeniable, and this is at the heart of many of the solutions required to address current global challenges.
Our technology brings to life tomorrow’s next generation of functional protein based ingredients.
Leadership team
Leadership team
Leadership team
Leonardo Álvarez
CEO & Co – Founder
Biotechnology entrepreneur. In addition to creating Protera, Leonardo also founded Aminotec, a Chilean-based AgTech company that produces fertilizers and agricultural chemicals. Leonardo has been awarded many honors, including being named one of the 100 young leaders to watch of 2015 by El Mercurio.
Francia Navarrete
COO & Co – Founder
Leader of operations and finance, Francia has background as a biotech engineer that allows protera’s R&D strategy with its financial forecasts. Francia recieved the Inspiratec prize aimed towards women founders leading STEM companies in Chile, and also participates as an advocate for women and girls participation in STEM.
Patrick Francoisse, PhD.
Director of Strategy & Industrialization
Entrepreneurial management skills with over 30-years of experience in R&D, operations, and business support at Solvay, in the chemicals and pharmaceuticals business. Patrick is a chemical engineer from UCL, Belgium, holds a PhD. in applied sciences from UCL, Belgium, and an MBA from Open University Business School, UK.
Guilherme Ferreira, PhD.
Director of Protein Production
Over 20-years of biotechnology experience as an academic professor and as a principal scientist at DSM. Guilherme is a chemical engineer and holds a PhD. in biotechnology from Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal. He is president of the European Society for Biochemical Engineering and Sciences.
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Thomas Videbaek, PhD.
Chairman & Independent Board Member
Has worked the last 13 years on Novozymes’s executive team, the world leader in industrial enzymes. He was Executive Vice President (EVP) of Corporate Strategy & Business Transformation. He holds a master’s and PhD. in Nutrition and Biochemistry from DTU and a bachelor’s in Business Administration.
Oswaldo da Costa e Silva
Independent Director
Managing Director of InnoCres Consultancy, a strategic consulting firm of life sciences companies on innovation-driven business development opportunities. He began his academic career as a postdoc at the Max-Planck-Institute for Plant Breeding in Cologne, Germany, followed by a research group leader position at the University of Hamburg, Germany. He holds a BSc. in agronomy from the Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, and a PhD in plant pathology from the University of California, Davis, USA. Prior to funding InnoCres Consultancy, he held positions with growing responsibility within the BASF group and Royal DSM in various innovation roles in industrial R&D, strategic marketing and business development.
Joško Bobanović
Sofinnova Partners
Joško Bobanović joined us in 2010 as a partner focused on the industrial biotech strategy. He works on early stage deals in Europe and North America with applications in chemicals, agriculture, food, and materials. Prior to joining Sofinnova Partners, he was part of the investment team at iNovia Capital in Montreal, Canada. Joško sits on the boards of Metgen, Comet Bio, DNA Script, Biosyntia, DMC Biotechnologies, Pyrowave and Protera Biosciences. Before going into venture capital, he created an internet startup and a software company. He is a mentor at BIRD Incubator, which helps entrepreneurs in software, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
Rodrigo Infante Casanello
Angel Investor
Joined to Protera in 2015 as an Angel Investor. He worked as General Manager of ENEX (Empresa Nacional de Energia SA) in Chile from 2011 to 2013. Prior to that, he held multiple leadership business and strategy roles at Shell International Petroleum Co. in Europe and Latin America. He holds a Commercial Engineering (Business Administration) degree from Universidad de Chile.
Jongseon Kim
Doosan Corporation
Senior Vice President of Business Development and Technology Strategy at the Doosan Corporation. Prior to this, he held multiple leadership, financial, business, and strategy roles at Doosan, Doosan Bobcat, Doosan Infracore International, Hanssem Corporation, and PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Seoul. He holds a Master in Accounting from the Ohio State University Business School, an MBA from the Seoul National University, and a BA in Business Administration from Yonsei University.
Leonardo Álvarez
CEO & CO – Founder
Biotechnology entrepreneur. In addition to creating Protera, Leonardo also founded Aminotec, a Chilean-based AgTech company that produces fertilizers and agricultural chemicals. Leonardo has been awarded many honors, including being named one of the 100 young leaders to watch of 2015 by El Mercurio.
Global Partners
Global Partners
