- November 27, 2023
EPISODE #
#62 Dr. Ryan Lefers on building technologies to feed the world sustainably
About this episode
I sat down with Dr. Ryan Lefers, the Co-founder & CEO of RedSea, a climate tech company building technologies from the desert of Saudi Arabia to make agriculture more sustainable. Since it’s inception at King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST), RedSea has raised just over $36m in funding to build 3 main products: Iyris (a heat blocking nano material that you add to greenhouses), Kairos (cooling and monitoring equipment) and Volcano Plant Genetics (a material that helps make plant roots more tolerant).
We discuss the technologies used to grow plants sustainably and the journey it takes to build these products from an idea in a lab to a product selling worldwide. We also discuss the role of KAUST as an R&D and world class talent hub as well as being the first investor in RedSea and why we need more universities that would help churn out technologies from our region to the world. If you are visiting COP28, you should definitely look out for RedSea!
This episode is supported by Capital.com, an award winning global investment platform. For seasoned as well as new traders, Capital.com provides competitive transparent pricing, 24 hour support, news, analysis and a knowledge hub with in-depth courses that help its customers make informed investment decisions.
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guest profile
Dr. Ryan Lefers
Dr. Ryan Lefers is the Co-founder and CEO of RedSea, an innovative sustainable Agri ClimateTech company founded in the extreme climate of Saudi Arabia. Ryan holds a BS and MS in Agriculture Engineering from South Dakota State University and PhD in Environmental Engineering from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).
Prior to his current role, Ryan spent time as a Research Scientist with the Center for Desert Agriculture at KAUST, as an Assistant Professor with Texas A&M University, and as an engineering consultant. As a professional engineer, researcher, and now CEO, Ryan has focused his efforts on systems that serve to advance water and food security in a sustainable way. Ryan is an expert in controlled environment agriculture (CEA) systems and the complex interactions between food, water, and energy. Ryan’s passion is to serve people and steward the planet through problem solving and innovation.
You can connect with Ryan via LinkedIn.