Ideas alone can’t change the world. It takes grit. In this podcast, Siemens sits down with startup founders, ecosystem partners and more in a quest to get to the bottom of what makes startups (and the people in them) tick.
At Siemens, we understand the struggles of early-stage startups. Let us remove the barriers on your startup journey by helping you transform your engineering ideas into real, marketable products with industry-leading software solutions. Join the Siemens Startups Program to grow your startup to its full potential. Want to get in touch? Reach out here.
All content for Pioneers is the property of Siemens Digital Industry Software and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Ideas alone can’t change the world. It takes grit. In this podcast, Siemens sits down with startup founders, ecosystem partners and more in a quest to get to the bottom of what makes startups (and the people in them) tick.
At Siemens, we understand the struggles of early-stage startups. Let us remove the barriers on your startup journey by helping you transform your engineering ideas into real, marketable products with industry-leading software solutions. Join the Siemens Startups Program to grow your startup to its full potential. Want to get in touch? Reach out here.
From Spider-Man to Spidey Tek: How Roberto Veloso is Spinning the Future of Sustainable Materials
Pioneers
27 minutes
4 weeks ago
From Spider-Man to Spidey Tek: How Roberto Veloso is Spinning the Future of Sustainable Materials
What if Spider-Man’s web were real? For Roberto Veloso, founder and CEO of Spidey Tek, that question turned into a lifelong pursuit, and eventually, a business.
What you’ll discover today…
(02:10) The “aha moment” that turned science fiction into science fact
(05:00) Early adopters and investors who believed before mass production
(06:30) Scaling spider silk using an alfalfa-based production platform
(11:40) Partnerships, fundraising, and the $5 million scale-up plan
(18:00) The power of building the right team and leadership under pressure
(18:50) Refugee roots, resilience, and redefining what “hard” really means
(19:50) Advice for scientists and engineers building hard-tech startups
(23:30) The five-floor elevator pitch that sums up Spidey Tek’s trillion-dollar potential
More about the episode
Originally from El Salvador, Roberto’s journey from comic-book fan to biotech innovator has been anything but ordinary. After decades of research, his team discovered how to produce spider silk proteins at scale—creating a material that’s stronger than steel, lighter than carbon fiber, and completely biodegradable.
In this episode, Roberto shares how Spidey Tek went from lab experiment to a company attracting attention from aerospace giants, automotive manufacturers, and materials science firms across the world. With a production model built on alfalfa plants and partnerships that remove traditional manufacturing barriers, Spidey Tek stands at the edge of a sustainable-materials revolution.
If you’re an investor, innovator, or anyone fascinated by nature-inspired technology, this conversation is a masterclass in turning impossible science into scalable impact.
Connect with us
Peng-Sang Cau
LinkedIn
Website
Roberto Velozzi
LinkedIn
Pioneers
Ideas alone can’t change the world. It takes grit. In this podcast, Siemens sits down with startup founders, ecosystem partners and more in a quest to get to the bottom of what makes startups (and the people in them) tick.
At Siemens, we understand the struggles of early-stage startups. Let us remove the barriers on your startup journey by helping you transform your engineering ideas into real, marketable products with industry-leading software solutions. Join the Siemens Startups Program to grow your startup to its full potential. Want to get in touch? Reach out here.
