"[The nalca plant] grows in places that are relatively poor in nutrients and that is why they are called pioneers, because they are capable of colonizing places where there is no other plant. And currently, through nitrogen fixation, they enrich the soil and produce favorable conditions for other plants to grow."
Our story
Nalca Biotech was born in 2023 when Tomás Niklitschek and Felipe Tapia met in Chile after each of them had returned from studying and working abroad in Europe. Tom Vaughan joined soon afterwards at the start of 2024 to kickstart product development. Our first customer installation in Santiago came less than six months later.
Our values
Our strength lies in our diversity. Our work is made better by a wide variety of opinions and perspectives. We also understand the threat global warming poses and strive to mitigate its impact through the work we do.
Our team
Killer business savvy, deep technical expertise, and insanely good product development skills nestled beneath the snow-capped, active volcanoes of southern Chile.
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Tomás Niklitschek
Co-Founder / CEO
Earned his masters in Bioscience at Cambridge. Serial entrepreneur and start-up veteran. Key founder of the growing biotech industry in Chilean Patagonia. Can be found chasing the waves at Chile's many awesome surfing spots.
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Felipe Tapia
Co-Founder / CSO
Pioneered the research and development of the continuous fermentation technology on which Nalca Biotech is based while at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. PhD recipient and patent holder. Contributor to national news outlets on biotechnology.
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Tom Vaughan
Co-Founder / CTO
Over twenty years of experience leading technical teams and putting a wide variety of solutions into people's hands. From movie rental systems and internet proxies to autonomous rovers at NASA JPL. Proud member of Start-Up Chile's inaugural class.