“My chance of success has little to do with my age or gender. It is shaped by my own willingness to try and persevere.”
In partnership with the Coca-Cola Foundation’s 10,000 Women Entrepreneurs Initiative, Startup Canada is celebrating and spotlighting leading Canadian Women Entrepreneurs. Startup Canada was pleased to sit down with Natasha Dhayagude, Co-Founder & CEO of Chinova Bioworks to learn about her journey and the impact of her work.
Natasha Dhayagude graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry in 2014. After graduation, she worked for Planet Hatch, providing services and resources to startups through programs, workshops, and events—in addition to working with various partners and stakeholders. Natasha—surrounded by business and entrepreneurship—became passionate about the idea of creating something of her own. In 2016, she co-founded Chinovia Bioworks with David Brown and Dr. Tanzina Huq combining her passions for science and business under one banner.
SC: In one sentence, what does being an entrepreneur mean to you?
ND: Having the patience and motivation to keep moving forward no matter what.
SC: Tell us about your entrepreneurial venture and what role it plays in your life.
ND: Chinova Bioworks is my first entrepreneurial venture. It’s a food technology company that develops natural, clean-label preservatives extracted from white button mushrooms for use in food and beverage applications.
Through my 4 years as CEO of Chinova, I have learned what it’s like to grow from small-scale startup to a small business that now employs 25 people—90% of which are women in STEM. It’s been an amazing learning experience and I’ve had the opportunity to wear multiple hats; from sales and marketing to HR to R&D to production and manufacturing.
SC: What motivated or propelled you to become an entrepreneur?
ND: My inspiration comes from being able to combine my passions for science and business. I wanted to use my technical skills and textbook knowledge to solve a real-world issue. Chinova is providing consumers with transparency when it comes to the ingredients in their products, and producers with natural, effective, and safe solutions.
SC: What are you most proud of related to your venture?
ND: I am most proud of my team. They are extremely hard working and go above and beyond for the company.
I am also proud to employ women in STEM—I’m extremely passionate about that, as it is also my background.
SC: What inspires you to keep going?
ND: My co-founder David Brown is a great support. He inspires and motivates me to keep going even through tough times. The key to launching a successful venture is finding people that have complementary strengths and weaknesses to your own, as they’re able to fill in the gaps and motivate you to keep moving forward.
SC: What’s the next mountain you’re climbing and what’s still left undone?
ND: We are gearing up to raise our Series A round to further scale up our operations. Fundraising is always a difficult mountain to climb, however, we’re working hard to hit our milestones and taking baby steps to reach the top.
SC: What has been your biggest learning along the way?
ND: Reduce risk and fear by being over-prepared.
SC: Have you identified or confronted any systemic barriers through your journey? How do you persevere through them?
ND: Being taken seriously as a young female entrepreneur has been a big challenge. However, I have learned to overcome this obstacle as my chance of success has little to do with my age or gender. It is shaped by my own willingness to try and persevere. I know this challenge is not my fault, but it’s my problem and learning to solve it is something that drives me.
SC: What advice do you have for those just beginning to embark on their entrepreneurial journey?
ND: Great things take patience and time. Overnight success is hard to achieve so its important for entrepreneurs to make sure they have the patience to persevere.
SC: Where can people go to learn more about your journey and organization?
ND: They can visit our website.
SC: What do you think today’s entrepreneurs should be focused on for a better, brighter future?
ND: I think we need to focus on social responsibility. It has always been important for me and my team at Chinova. Our company uses recycled waste material from stocks of mushrooms to develop a natural, clean-label product. Having a strong social impact is important because we try to minimize the industrial footprint we leave behind and make ingredients that are sustainable, eco-friendly and transparent for consumers.
SC: What’s your big vision for Canada and the World over the next 20 years?
ND: Increased representation and investment in support of women and gender-non-conforming innovators as conference speakers, award winners, and in positions of leadership, including boards and senior management.
Are you a woman entrepreneur pushing the dial toward increased representation? Join the Startup Canada Women Entrepreneurs Network to gain access to resources, community events, and more!