Ricky Casini

Leading a Sustainable Biotech Revolution

Title: Co-Founder & CEO

Organization: Michroma

Age: 29

Ricky Cassini is the Co-Founder and CEO of Michroma, a biotech company producing sustainable natural ingredients using precision fermentation. With a bold vision for the future of food, Michroma’s flagship product, Red+, is a high-performance, fungi-based colorant designed to replace synthetic dyes like Red 40 and Red 3. 

Prior to founding Michroma in 2019, Ricky built a diverse foundation of experience as a strategy consultant and also taught Operations and Logistics at Austral University. He holds degrees in Business Administration and Industrial Management, which have supported his transition into the foodtech world. Additionally, he is an IndieBio alumnus, was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in the Food & Drink category, and earned recognition as an MIT Innovator Under 35 LATAM, underscoring his influence in the region’s innovation ecosystem.

Michroma is a food tech startup revolutionizing how ingredients are produced, pioneering fungal-based biofactories to create natural ingredients in a sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective way. Produced using synthetic biology and precision fermentation, Michroma’s first product is a natural red colorant with outstanding pH and thermal stability, making it suitable for all diets and food applications. Notably, it was selected as the Most Innovative Ingredient for Food or Beverage 2020 by Fi Global.

By harnessing the power of these fungal biofactories, Michroma is also producing high-value-added ingredients like flavors and fragrances—aiming to replace petroleum-based compounds that are harmful to both human health and the environment.