Bolt Threads is a materials innovation company that is using synthetic biology to transform the world around us, beginning with the materials found and used in our everyday lives. They are the first company in decades to release two novel materials – Microsilk™, a fiber inspired by spider silk, and Mylo™, a leather grown from mushroom mycelium. In this talk, CEO and Co-founder, Dan Widmaier, PhD, will tell how he went from an idea to building a startup, the challenges of going from academia to business, and the lessons he learned along the way.