Neeka Mashouf is the co-founder and CEO of Rubi Laboratories, a company pioneering the next era of manufacturing by converting waste carbon emissions into essential materials via biocatalysis. Her scientific journey began at age 15, when she co-authored her first research paper on artificial photosynthesis at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, sparking over a decade of research in clean energy materials, polymer chemistry, and computational materials science. She earned dual degrees in Materials Science & Engineering and Business Administration from UC Berkeley, and before founding Rubi, led product teams at Autodesk and Lyft, launching solutions that generated hundreds of millions in revenue. Rubi’s groundbreaking process is first focused on producing cellulose for textiles, avoiding natural resource depletion, deforestation, and CO₂ emissions. Under Neeka’s leadership, Rubi has partnered with global brands like H&M and Walmart, secured over $20 million in venture funding, and earned recognition from Forbes 30 Under 30, TIME’s Top Greentech Companies, Business of Fashion 500, and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas.
