Upcycling+

We are thrilled to announce that the Upcycling+ team won the People’s Choice Award at the 2nd annual InnoVenture Iowa challenge, bringing home a $10,000 prize! ?? While we didn’t win first prize, winning the People’s Choice award validated that there is a strong desire for a more local, circular, and sustainable approach to plastic waste management.? The technical team, Akalanka Tennakoon, Xun Wu, Aaron Sadow, and Wenyu Huang deserve an immense amount of credit for the years of research work to bring this groundbreaking technology to market. We would also like to thank our advisors Kevin Moore and Matt Herman who have helped Upcycling+ turn our technology development plan into a business plan.? We are incredibly excited to take the next step on our journey to help solve the world’s plastic waste problem.? Here are just a few of the staggering statistics Xun shared with the audience:? ? ?? >200 million metric tons of plastic waste annually? ??? Plastic production set to quadruple by 2050? ??? 75% of U.S. plastics end up in landfills? ?? Annual global plastic production contains enough energy to replace nearly all of the diesel consumed in the United States each year? ? The team is energized and excited for the road ahead! Upcycling+ is on the lookout for investors and executive talent to join our journey. Please reach out to us on LinkedIn if you're ready to help solve the plastics crisis and support the growth of a multi-billion-dollar industry.? ? Finally, we need to give a huge thanks to Kaylee Williams, the InnoVenture Iowa team, and sponsors for an incredible night! ?? #Innovation #CleanTech #plastic #plasticwaste #recycling #renewable diesel #sustainability #startup #UpcyclingPlus?

Another one for the history books! ? ? Today, #Virent’s plant-based synthesized aromatic kerosene made more history, helping to power #Flight100, the world’s first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) transatlantic flight by a commercial airline. ? The historic flight by Virgin Atlantic took off from London-Heathrow, successfully landing at New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport. On board the groundbreaking flight, Virent's President & General Counsel Dave Kettner and Vice President of Strategy & Business Development Bob Rozmiarek. ? Virent, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC), is proud to play a role once again in #AviationHistory, along with some incredible partners: Virgin Atlantic, Virgin, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Air bp! ?? ?? READ ALL ABOUT IT >>> https://lnkd.in/g7x2Dj7a #VS100?#SustainableAviationFuel?#VirginAtlantic