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Interview with Checkerspot Co-Founder and CEO (FREE)
Interview with Checkerspot Co-Founder and CEO (FREE) 150 150 Southern Made
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These high-performance skis are made out of algae
These high-performance skis are made out of algae 703 268 Checkerspot

These high-performance backcountry skis replace carbon-intensive petroleum with algae oil.
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Skiing And Snowboarding Go Green – Uphill Or Downhill, New Eco-Friendly Gear
Skiing And Snowboarding Go Green – Uphill Or Downhill, New Eco-Friendly Gear 974 297 Checkerspot

High-performance skis made from algae? Yep, if they are from WNDR Skis.

The Climate Torch: CEO Interview with Charles Dimmler of Checkerspot
The Climate Torch: CEO Interview with Charles Dimmler of Checkerspot 150 150 Southern Made
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How WNDR Alpine Created Skis From Algae
How WNDR Alpine Created Skis From Algae 703 268 checkerspot

This Innovation by Design honoree is engineering new high-performance materials that could help wean a variety of industries off petroleum-based compounds.
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The Most Innovative Sports and Recreation Projects of 2020
The Most Innovative Sports and Recreation Projects of 2020 703 268 checkerspot

A ski made of an algae-based composite that dramatically reduces the amount of petrochemicals used to manufacture it.
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Style & Design 2020: The Most Lust-Worthy New Cars, Gadgets, and Gear
Style & Design 2020: The Most Lust-Worthy New Cars, Gadgets, and Gear 1000 333 checkerspot

WNDR Alpine breaks the mold, recasting two totally new (and renewable) core and side- wall materials that are intentionally designed for backcountry skiing rigors first, down to the chemical level.
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Checkerspot unveils skis made from new algae-based bioplastics
Checkerspot unveils skis made from new algae-based bioplastics 1125 336 checkerspot

“This is an example of how we are innovating performance materials designed for specific applications with use cases across a range of industries.”
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GM of Wintersports Matt Sterbenz sees the brand as a vehicle for an innovative, algae-based materials play in the outdoor space.
GM of Wintersports Matt Sterbenz sees the brand as a vehicle for an innovative, algae-based materials play in the outdoor space. 800 135 checkerspot

Sterbenz helped launch WNDR Alpine after nearly 20 years running 4FRNT Skis, a first mover in the independent ski movement. He founded 4FRNT in the Lake Tahoe area in 2002 and later moved the company to Utah.
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WNDR Plant-Based Skis Are Eliminating Waste From Production
WNDR Plant-Based Skis Are Eliminating Waste From Production 816 206 checkerspot
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Some Wonderful Outdoor Products Have a Weird Ingredient
Some Wonderful Outdoor Products Have a Weird Ingredient 800 166 checkerspot
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DIC Uses Corporate Venture Capital to Leverage Biotech Startup Checkerspot Inc.’s Sustainable Microalgae Materials Innovation Platform
DIC Uses Corporate Venture Capital to Leverage Biotech Startup Checkerspot Inc.’s Sustainable Microalgae Materials Innovation Platform 444 156 checkerspot
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The Power of Algae
The Power of Algae 1050 210 checkerspot
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This Company Thinks Algae Will Make Better Skis
This Company Thinks Algae Will Make Better Skis 1000 173 checkerspot
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THE WILD WORLD OF MICROBE-MADE PRODUCTS – SKIS NOW INCLUDED
THE WILD WORLD OF MICROBE-MADE PRODUCTS – SKIS NOW INCLUDED 732 168 checkerspot

This winter, you can carve the fresh powder of the backcountry on a pair of high-performance, eco-friendly skis designed by world-famous athletes and made from a material produced by microscopic algae. Yes, algae. 

The skis, made by a rather unconventional Bay Area biotech company, are a new addition to the long list of products currently being made from chemicals and compounds produced by specially engineered microbes – a field known as biomanufacturing.
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Nature Unlocked: How Matt Sterbenz is using biobased materials to change the game in skiing
Nature Unlocked: How Matt Sterbenz is using biobased materials to change the game in skiing 375 104 checkerspot

What if sustainably derived materials can not only compete with traditional, petroleum-based materials, but actually beat them out?

That was the first question Checkerspot founders asked themselves. Once the Berkeley, California-based biotech startup answered the question resoundingly in the affirmative, it set its sights on new pursuits: among them, building skis.
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IS DIRECT TO CONSUMER MARKETING THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF SYNBIO?
IS DIRECT TO CONSUMER MARKETING THE KEY TO THE SUCCESS OF SYNBIO? 360 110 checkerspot

We spoke with Scott Franklin, Co-Founder and CSO at Checkerspot. Checkerspot is a synthetic biology company biomanufacturing high quality renewable materials for consumer goods. Scott’s deep technical expertise coupled with his diverse experiences commercializing bio-based products has led him to believe that marketing is often overlooked as a critical factor to a biotech company’s success. 

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