#014 - Chemical engineering to oat-based cheese with Sarah Qian

Sarah is the founder of Compassion Creamery, an oat-based cream cheese startup.

In this episode we discuss

• Sarah’s journey from studying chemical engineering to founding Compassion Creamery
• The challenges she has faced in scaling up her operations
• The ways physical-based startups differ from software-based startups
• Sarah’s advice for other engineers interested in startups
• How engineers can contribute to alternative proteins and solving challenges in food systems change

Full show notes: http://engineeredforimpact.show/sarah

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PatVUAn1_Z4

Timestamps

(00:00:07) Intro

(00:01:07) Sarah

(00:03:14) Sarah's journey

(00:13:53) Compassion creamery

(00:15:56) Solving hard problems

(00:27:16) Sarah's day to day

(00:31:47) Australian Alternative Protein landscape

(00:38:15) How engineers can contribute to alternative proteins

(00:43:30) Advice for other engineers  

(00:56:34) Valuable engineering skills

(01:00:47) "Should I start a startup?"

(01:06:11) Resource suggestions

(01:07:47) What do you wish you had invented?

(01:13:03) Outro