Startup Life: Unscripted #28 with Jasper Veen, BizOps Lead at Vow

Startup Life: Unscripted is a TNG Media newsletter, as part of The Nudge Group, where we feature candid conversations with startup operators about their career journeys and experiences. If you received this email as a forward, you can read all our past interviews and subscribe right here.

Welcome back to Startup Life: Unscripted! Today, we're sitting down with Jasper Veen, whose career path has taken an interesting turn from physics to food tech. It's not every day you meet someone who's jumped from quantum mechanics to the cutting edge of cultured meat, right?

In our chat, we'll get into the nitty-gritty of Jasper's journey. He's gone from tackling the mysteries of the universe to revolutionising the way we think about food at Vow. It's a switch that's as fascinating as it sounds, and we're here to uncover how and why Jasper made this leap.

Key interview takeaways:

🔍 Transition from Physics to Food Tech: Jasper discusses his shift from theoretical physics to practical solutions in food technology, detailing the motivations and insights that drove this change.

💡 Innovation in Alternative Proteins: Insights into Jasper's approach at Vow, where he applies his scientific background to the development of cultured meat, addressing sustainability in the food industry.

🚀 Applying Space Exploration Skills to Startup Challenges: How Jasper's experience in space flight and mission design informs his problem-solving and strategic thinking in the startup world.

🌱 Key Skills for Startup Success: Reflections on the essential skills for thriving in a startup, including adaptability, passion, and critical thinking.

Hi Jasper, it's fantastic having you with us. Your journey from physics to food tech is fascinating. Can you share what sparked that transition from the world of quantum mechanics and Mars missions to focusing on alternative proteins and cultured meat at Vow?

I initially pursued a career in physics with the belief that it would help me understand and tackle some of the world's major challenges. However, as I delved deeper into the field, I realised that the fundamental nature of physics often left me feeling like I understood less rather than more. It was almost too abstract.

After completing my bachelor's degree, I was eager to embark on a master's program that would allow me to grasp something tangible, something I could point to and say, "I understand this." That's when my fascination with space flight emerged. It presented a captivating arena with complex problems waiting to be solved, and I was drawn into it. In fact, during the COVID pandemic, I devoted my thesis to designing Mars missions, incorporating the concept of an interplanetary intermediate station.

Around the same time, I began a deep exploration of our global food system, particularly the livestock industry. This exploration quickly revealed the unsustainable nature of our current practices. As I delved deeper into research, I became captivated by the potential of cultured meat. It struck me as an elegantly simple solution to some of the most pressing challenges in our food system. Cultured meat, by growing animal cells instead of raising entire animals, offers a path forward without compromise.

What I find truly fascinating is that by cultivating cells for meat production, we can optimise for a singular goal: making the best meat possible. Unlike animals, whose growth and development aren't designed for food production, we can engineer cultured meat to be the epitome of deliciousness, nutrition, and sustainability. It's a profoundly selfish choice – choosing alternative meat because it's better for you, and coincidentally, it's significantly better for our planet and the animals we share it with. That's what truly excites me about this journey. 

I was obsessed with Vow as soon as I came across their website. I sent everyone on Vow’s senior management a dozen messages over LinkedIn and email. When no one responded, I asked my partner to help me record a video in which I talked about the biggest challenges I had solved in life. That got their attention and a few months later we had moved to Sydney and the adventure began.

How do you think your background in space exploration and your Master’s in Space Flight has influenced your approach to the challenges at Vow?

I guess it has mainly given me the confidence that any challenge is solvable if you break it down into smaller questions. As long as you’re not going against a fundamental law of nature, you should always be able to find a solution to any problem. 

Transitioning from corporate to startup is a significant change. What key skills do you think are crucial for thriving in a startup environment?

First and foremost, you've got to be crazy passionate about what your startup is all about. If you're not fully onboard with the mission, you’re going to have a hard time. Working for a startup will be demanding at times, but it’s the passion for the cause that will keep you going.

You've also got to make friends with ambiguity. In the startup world, things can be as clear as mud sometimes. So, being cool with uncertainty and change is a must.

Lastly, critical thinking will be your superpower. For a lot of the things you’ll be doing there will not be any precedent within the company or even outside of it. There often also won’t be a manager telling you what to do. You will need to be able to apply first principle thinking to your work to challenge assumptions (yours and others'), and craft a plan that's faster and smarter than you thought possible.

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What advice would you give to someone considering a move from a more traditional sector to a startup?

Do it! Startups are where the fun is. It’s honestly so much fun to work with a team of passionate and intelligent people on problems that are really hard but super important to solve. 

Could you describe what a typical day at Vow looks like for you? How do you prioritise and manage your tasks in such a dynamic environment?

Honestly, this isn’t going to be ground breaking. My team and I start the week writing down our top priorities for the week - what are the things that really need to be done by Friday.

We then use those priorities to write down a list of tasks. I spent 15 minutes at the start of my day to plan my workday. What works really well for me is using my calendar as my to-do list, so I put in blocks of time to focus on specific tasks. If I don’t get it done, I book in additional time later that day or the following day. 

Having dedicated blocks of time is super important for me, as my role involves having to switch between different contexts frequently. I might be ideating product launch campaigns in the morning, running a future products brainstorming session over lunch and negotiating the terms of a partnership agreement with some of Singapore’s finests chefs in the afternoon. 

Startups are known for their demanding pace. How do you balance your professional commitments with personal interests and well-being?

Sandwich your workday! To me it’s important to feel like work is not the only thing in my life. So I like to start my day doing something I enjoy (i.e. surfing if there are waves, skateboarding if there aren’t) and do something immediately after work (i.e. make music or play football with friends). That way work is just one of the things you did on a day - so if it didn’t go well, who cares!

Lastly, for our audience who are either working in startups or aspiring to jump into this world, could you share a piece of wisdom or a key takeaway from your experience?

Don’t overthink it. If you feel passionate about a problem you want to solve and you think you’ve found some good people who you want to solve it with, then just go and have some fun. I really believe that the people who have the most fun, deliver the best work. So create environments where you can have the most fun. 

From the Startup Life team

And that's a wrap! We hope you've enjoyed this edition as much as we loved putting it together. Stay curious, keep learning, and above all, enjoy the rollercoaster ride that is Startup Life. Catch you in the next one! 👋 Not subscribed yet? Do it here and don't miss out! Subscribe Now.

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