Better World Success Stories

No Waste, Just Taste: University of Guelph’s Green Coffee Revolution

Date: Thursday, June 26, 2025
Time: Noon – 1 p.m. ET
Where: Virtual Event
Price: $0

AUTM’s Better World Project illustrates the impacts of research commercialization on the world and the TTO’s role in those success stories. Take a behind-the-scenes look at how the University of Guelph’s Catalyst Center and Competitive Green Technologies brought to market compostable single serve coffee pods that are helping to save the world from greenhouse gases.

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Moderator

Parag Vasekar is a Business Development and Licensing Manager (Physical Sciences) with the Purdue Research Foundation’s Office of Technology Commercialization, collaborating with innovators from Purdue University to create strategies for the development of intellectual property and its successful commercialization. His focus is on engineering and physical sciences fields. Vasekar plays a vital role in evaluating the commercial potential of technologies, finding suitable licensing partners, formulating business terms and legal contracts to facilitate technology transfer, and overseeing the negotiation and execution of commercial licensing agreements. Vasekar holds a BE and ME in metallurgical engineering from Pune University, India, MS in materials science from Vanderbilt University and PhD in materials science from the University of Central Florida. His domain of expertise is materials science, semiconductors and photovoltaics. Vasekar worked in academia and industry in various capacities prior to joining Purdue Research Foundation. He has been actively involved with AUTM since 2020 and is currently a co-chair of AUTM’s Better World Project Committee.
 

Speakers

Atul Bali is the CEO of Competitive Green Technologies.  A determined and passionate believer that biomaterials offer a competitive substitute for non-renewable, fossil fuel based polymers to fuel a sustainable bio-economy, Atul’s experience with converters of resin and global brands has assisted Competitive Green Technologies in its formative years to grow to what it is today. He has market access with leading molders, biopolymer suppliers, end-users, OEMs, and mass merchandisers in the U.S, Canada, Western Europe, and India and uses his industrial biotechnology skills in promoting the interests of the organization. Atul took over as CEO in 2014 and has helped steer the growth of CGTech, as it commercializes groundbreaking innovation from University of Guelph, month after month, year after year, with outreach to global brands.Atul Bali is the CEO of Competitive Green Technologies (CGTech). 

Steve De Brabandere Steve is Director of Technology Transfer and Industry Liaison at University of Guelph and was Chair of the AUTM Canadian Committee from 2021-2023.