Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre: Using Material Science to Create a Greener World

We live in the world where most of the things we use in our daily lives are made of toxic, non-biodegradable, and unsustainable materials. This causes harm not just to the environment, but to people’s health as well. In 2007, two graduates from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute set out to change the way people create things that we need. While still in school, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre found a way to use fungi to create rigid, molded materials. After graduation, the duo quit their jobs to develop their idea even further and co-founded Ecovative. This endeavor has earned them recognition from different sources including a slot in the Forbes 30 Under 30 in Manufacturing list for 2015.

Eben Bayer graduated with degrees in both Innovation & Design and Mechanical Engineering. Growing up, he was exposed to farming and agriculture and learned the ropes hands on at his family’s farm in Central Vermont. Aside from serving as Ecovative’s CEO, Bayer also serves as an advisor for startups in New York City and has seats on the Tech Valley High School’s business board as well as on the ASU Origins project’s external advisory board. Bayer has also spoken in a number of large scale forums including PopTech, TED Global, and The World Economic Forum in Davos.

Gavin McIntyre serves as Ecovative’s Chief Scientists. He earned his dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Product Design and Mechanical Engineering and has since tucked several utility patents under his belt. Aside from his duties as Chief Scientist, McIntyre also serves on Ecovative’s board of directors as well as the Rensselaer Center for Automation Technology and Systems, and the NYS Pollution Prevention Institute. He was also once the principle investigator for grants received from the USDA, the US EPA, the NSF, the New York State Energy Research and Development, and Empire State Development.