On a mission to rebuild the world with biology.
Biotech ✦ Biomaterials ✦ Batteries
What am I up to?
✧ Building biomaterials to boost battery systems @ Synbiote
✧ Brewing molecularly-crafted non-alcoholic beer in my spare time @ sörzero
✧ Collecting and learning as many instruments as I can - currently on #12
✧ Also, 776 Climate Fellow @ 776 Foundation; Director of Startups @ iGEM Foundation; Adjunct Associate Lecturer @ UNSW School of Biotech
✧ Vogue Future Innovator; 40-Under-40 Most Influential Asian-Australian
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![Synbiote team in the lab]()
Synbiote Labs
📍Current location
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![Alinta Furnell - EXPO 2025 Osaka]()
Cartier Women's Pavilion @ EXPO 2025 Osaka
June, 2025
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![Alinta Furnell EXPO 2025 Osaka]()
EXPO 2025 Osaka
June, 2025
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![Alinta Furnell Emerging Leaders in Clean Energy]()
Emerging Leaders in Clean Energy
June, 2025
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![Alinta Furnell Emerging Leaders in Clean Energy]()
Emerging Leaders in Clean Energy
June, 2025
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![Alinta Furnell at 776 Summit]()
776 Foundation Summit
April, 2025
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![Alinta Furnell - Young Climate Prize]()
Young Climate Prize
February, 2025
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![Alinta Furnell in Vogue Australia]()
Vogue - Future Innovators
Vogue, Dec 2024 Issue
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![Alinta Furnell giving a TEDx Talk]()
TEDxSydney
August, 2024
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![Alinta Furnell speaking on the Main Stage at SynBioBeta]()
SynBioBeta
May, 2024
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![Alinta Furnell and Alexis Ohanian]()
776 Foundation Summit
April, 2024
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![776 Foundation Summit]()
776 Foundation Summit
April, 2024
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![Climate Tech Festival]()
Australian ClimateTech Festival
December, 2023
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![iGEM Grand Jamboree]()
iGEM Grand Jamboree
October, 2023
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![Alinta Furnell speaking at SXSW]()
SXSW
October, 2023
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![Synbiote team at SXSW]()
Synbiote @ SXSW
October, 2023
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![iGEM Startup Showcase]()
iGEM Startup Showcase
October, 2022
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![40 Under 40 Most-Influential]()
40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Awards
August, 2022
Bringing back the biomimicry blueprint.
Did you know that the naked mole rat is my all-time favourite animal? I did a TEDx talk to explain why! 🐀
Well, it's not all about the naked mole rat, but they're a prime example of a natural system that surprisingly, biotechnologists are turning to as a blueprint to improve our own lives.
My mission is to rebuild the world with biology. Here’s a talk on why I believe materials are the crux of sustainable innovation and examples of biomaterials in our world today.
Bringing Back the Biomimicry Blueprint, 2024
Breaking the ice on fungal dark matter.
I discovered a new species of fungi from Antarctica! Say hello to Penicillium psychrofluorescens.
Of all the fungi that’s predicted to exist, we only know about 2% of what’s actually out there. The one thing we know about fungi is that we really just don’t know about fungi.
I wrote my thesis on fungal dark matter in Antarctica - the coldest, windiest, and driest place on the planet. My goals were to uncover which traits allow life to survive in crazy conditions, and how we can use this to our own advantage.
Could biotech be fun? Could biotech… be tasty?
The usual adage is always “create > consume”. To that, I raise you… create AND consume.
Almost all non-alcoholic beverages on the market have an alcohol rating of 0.5% ABV. Studies also show that they have near identical levels of acetaldehyde - the compound that causes hangovers.
As the ultimate expression of self - my co-founders and I launched sörzero:
✧ The only non-alcoholic beer product in US and Australia to achieve true 0.00% ABV.
✧ One of the lowest calorie counts for the beer category worldwide - 17.6 calories per can (an average beer is 165 cal!).
How'd we do in numbers?
✦ Concept to market in 120 days - 80% faster than the industry average of two years.
✦ Profitability in 150 days.
✦ Featured in the inaugural SXSW Tech & Innovation Expo; stocked in places like Ace Hotel, TripAdvisor, Canva, and UNSW.
