Episode 33 Solveiga Pakštaite

Reducing food waste and improving safety through inclusive design

Solveiga is Founder & Director of Mimica whose company mission is to radically reduce unnecessary waste, starting with the food industry. Their first product, Mimica Touch, is a patented label that tells you exactly when food spoils. It is calibrated to degrade at the same rate as food and adjusts to conditions along the way.  

Solveiga describes herself as an industrial designer who had a big idea and started Mimica entirely by accident. She has won a number of awards such as MIT Technology Review's Inventor of the Year and the UK James Dyson Award for her work. 

In this episode we discuss:

• How the big idea came about
• What Solveiga learned running the company alone
• Why she decided to bring in a CEO and how that decision has shaped the company's development
• What exactly Mimica Touch is and how it works
• The effect a biologically accurate food spoilage indicator could have on food waste
• What inclusive design means and why it matters